Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez 1 Chron. 4:9
Reviewed by Hadley Robinson
updated Sept 15, 2024
Mr. Wilkinson is just another hustler of the "name-and-claim-it" prosperity gospel – a
false gospel.
Its wide appeal is squarely related to the unfortunate truth that too many Christians are spiritual infants looking for new milk-formulas that will gratify their carnal lusts. False teachers
like Wilkinson will
always be there to fill that need.
Sadly, James Dobson's endorsement of Wilkinson made the latter all the more popular. The fact that Mr. Wilkinson could deceive so many in the churches
(and his heretical teachings not be instantly
recognized for what they are) should caution us against entertaining much hope for the church culture in our country, to say nothing of the culture in general.
The only good news may be that Wilkinson will help us recognize that many or most Evangelicals embrace
false teachers galore. Who shoulders the primary blame? God says that it is the leaders of the Church c.f., Jer 5:31 and many
others.
In his book Wilkinson encourages the reader to recite a particular prayer every day for weeks. Jesus spoke of this foolishness:
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be
like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
– Matthew 6:7,8
And thusly, Wilkinson reduces Christian prayer to the babble of those who follow false gods.
This fiasco of false teaching can be attributed to an error in the translation of 1 Chron. 4:9 from the Hebrew into the Greek Septuagint and
then into English and the other languages of the Reformation period.
In the Hebrew, the verb “honor” (KBD) is conjugated as transitive (passive clause) and not in a linking manner.
That is, it should read “…was honored by [his] brothers” and not “…was [more]
honorable [than his] brothers”. The context is unknown, a favorite soil of the hucksters and false teachers. It could mean he was better at raising goats and sheep
or that he beat the tar out of jealous relatives whenever he wished. As a result, he was respected/honored by his brothers
but not more
honorable than they. Mr. Wilkinson builds a mighty but false case based on a faulty translation of the passage.
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If Multnomah (the publisher) had done any research, the book would probably not have been accepted by them.
How could the publisher let this slip by, including the Evangelical Publishers Association
(EPA)? Are all of these people more interested in book sales rather than in the truth?
In any case, God is not some genie who, if
we pester Him enough times and in a proper way, cave in to our self-serving desires.