Day Two Hundred Sixty “Unlikely Trio”
It would be one of the silliest, yet most famous acts of the 20th Century. In the early 1930’s, comedian Ted Healy created a vaudeville group comprised of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard. This humorous trio would go on to become the face of American comedy for more than two decades. Those slapstick routines of the Three Stooges entertained me as a child, and still make the rounds today in syndication, forever establishing the power of three in entertainment, the arts, literature, and music.
What comes to your mind when I say trio? Perhaps the swashbuckling adventures of the Three Musketeers, the hysterical Three Amigos, or the talented collaboration of Domingo, Carreras, and Pavarotti, the Three Tenors, come to mind. If you are of my era, the Bee Gees, (and that ghastly decade of disco) may pop into your memory, or perchance some literature buffs may conjure up thoughts of those three weird sisters of Macbeth. The youngest among us may even entertain thoughts of the three bears, the three little pigs, Alvin and the chipmunks, or my own personal favorites, those mischievous nephews of Donald Duck-Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
As a new year dawns, please allow me to present for your consideration a lesser-known Biblical trio. No, not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or Peter, James, and John, or even the three magi (even though there is no proof that there were three). Let’s consider Jacob, Jabez, and David, an unlikely trio, rarely mentioned in the same breath and never crossing paths in Scripture: Jacob, grandson to Abraham, a “supplanter,” a trickster, a schemer-turned-servant; Jabez, an obscure Old Testament character mentioned only three times in the entirety of Scripture; and David, mighty king over Israel, a “man after God’s own heart.” Three men, three distinct moments in time, yet one common thread tying them together.
Jacob physically wrestled with God upon his return to the land of promise, not willing to let go of that heavenly wrestling Partner, “except thou bless me.” Jabez, whose name is interpreted he causes pain, defied that dark name and lived a life “more honorable than his brethren,” praying to His God with urgency and vulnerability: “O that thou wouldest bless me indeed…enlarge my coast.” David, master of song and praise, knelt humbly before the Lord and begged: “God be merciful unto us, and bless us.” In each case, God did precisely that, blessing Jacob with a renewed promise of the Abrahamic covenant, Jabez with an enlarged coast and an expanded life, and David with peace, protection, and prosperity.
Could it be that the Lord has a blessing in store specifically for you this year? Don’t be numbered among those unfortunate believers who “have not, because ye ask not.” Take the opportunity to seek your Father as this new year dawns, asking Him to bless your walk with Him, pleading with Him to fulfill those innermost desires of you heart, submitting to the possibility of being used by Him in a fresh, exciting way. Humbly bow before Him as did Jacob, Jabez, and David, and “let your requests be made known unto God.” And don’t be at all surprised when He answers in a miraculous way!
Psalm 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
I Chronicles 4:10 Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may mot grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
Lord, thank You for yet another year to serve You, to draw closer to You, and to be used of You. Make it count for eternity, dear Father.
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