JABEZ A Novel

The obscure biblical character Jabez, from Chronicles, has become a popular person in evangelical circles. A member of the tribe of Judah, he lived during the time of the Judges, who ruled the Israelites from the death of Joshua until Saul became king. Although Jabez is mentioned in only two verses of the Bible, his beautiful and rich prayer recorded there has become a mantra to many. Lemmons has done a bit of research to invent a life for Jabez--to make it interesting, Jabez is portrayed as he interacts with a not so supportive family, as well as with the Judge Ehud, who we find out has a close tie to him. Jeff David performs well in this production. With his deep, gravelly voice, he may sound at first like a stereotypical patriarch telling his story, but then this work IS about a patriarch telling his story. And David's steady pacing and expressive delivery move the performance well beyond a stereotypical delivery. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]