The Ebenezer Stone... Three Important Lessons (1 Samuel 7:12)

 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “till now, the Lord has helped us…" 

 

Today, I received my new laptop, a Lenovo T250, which was ordered a few weeks ago... Since today is Christmas eve, I will consider this as my Christmas present, unwrapped early. For the  opening ceremony, I would like to start using this new computer by making a blog entry on honouring God. Based on a bible passage that I have been meditating on recently, it concerns the Ebenezer Stone which Samuel erected after a successful battle with the Philistines.   

The background to this verse:

 

I. A long time has passed (some 20 years), and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord (7:2).

Note that since 4:1, we have not read about Samuel; he was not mentioned till now… as if he was unconcerned (which is probably not the case). More likely, Samuel’s labours among the people are not mentioned until the time is ripe. Often, a lot of our good and hard works remain unseen and unmentioned; they remain in the background until the appointed time.
 

II. When he perceived that the house of Israel was ready, Samuel exhorted them to:

1. Return to the LORD with all their heart – this involves putting away the foreign gods and directing their heart to the LORD and serve him only. 
2. Gather at Mizpah for a leaders’ retreat – for dedication, fasting, prayer & repentance…

III. The Philistines mistook the general meeting (for repentance and prayer) to be a rendezvous for war. So, they decided to invade Israel first. Henry Matthew added:

…they had no just cause for this suspicion; but those that seek to do mischief to others will be forward to imagine that others design mischief to them.” 

... how evil sometimes seems to come out of good; The religious meeting of the Israelites at Mizpah brought trouble upon them..., which may perhaps tempted them to wish they had stayed at home and to blame Samuel for calling them together; often we may decide to walk in God’s way and yet meet with distress; often when sinners begin to repent and reform, they can expect Satan to muster all his force against them, and set his instruments on work to oppose and discourage them.”

... they were here unarmed, unprepared for war - they came together to fast and pray, not to fight, and the only weapons they brought along were prayers and tears… Thus, Israel could never be threatened more seasonably than at this time, when they were repenting and praying, nor could they have been better prepared to receive the enemy; nor could the Philistines have acted more impolitely than to make war upon Israel at this time, when they were making their peace with God.” 

 

IV. Israel cleaves closely to Samuel in distress; though he was no military man, nor ever celebrated as a mighty man of valour, yet, being afraid of the Philistines, for whom they thought themselves an unequal match, the Israelites engaged Samuel’s prayers for them: Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us (7:8) 

 

V. Samuel intercedes with God for them, and does it by sacrifice. (7:9)

 

VI. God gave a gracious answer to Samuel’s prayer (7:9): The Lord heard him. Israel had the pleasure of triumphing over their oppressors. They pursued the Philistines... How soon did they find the benefit of their repentance, and reformation, and return to God! Now that they are engaged with God, none of their enemies can stand before him.

Samuel erected a thankful memorial of this victory, (1) to the glory of God, and (2) for the encouragement of Israel. Interestingly, the place where this memorial was set up was the same where, 20 years before, the Israelites were beaten before the Philistines (4:1).



Now, the intention of Samuel in erecting the Ebenezer stone is clear: If ever the people’s hard hearts should lose the impressions of this providence, this stone would either revive the remembrance of it, and make them thankful, or remain a standing witness against them for their unthankfulness. 

Three lessons to remember:

 

1. That we should often review our past mercies

All have received mercies in abundance, which we ought from time to time to review, in order to impress a sense of them the more deeply on our minds. For the lack of this, how many mercies are forgotten! And what a loss do we sustain by means of our forgetfulness!

• Blessings that are unnoticed are no more to us than they are to the brute creation: but if we bring them frequently to our remembrance, we have frequently in the retrospect a sweeter taste of them than we had in the actual possession.

Let us learn to pass over no mercy without labouring to imprint it on our minds, and to retain the remembrance of it to our dying hour. - Charles Simeon

 

2. That we should especially view the hand of God in them

And to whom can we trace all our mercies, but to God? Look at our temporal mercies; 

• the time, and place of our birth, when the light of the Gospel was shining all around us - our preservation during the helpless state of infancy;
• the many deliverances, seen, and unseen, which we have experienced since;
• the blessings of health and abundance.  

View but the last year (2015), and see how many have been plunged into deep distress, from which you are exempt; or been called away into the eternal world, whilst you are left with protracted opportunities of working out your salvation… For who is it that has made you to differ?

Will I, or can I, trace these blessings to my own superior wisdom, or goodness, or strength? Surely,  not. Humbly, I acknowledge the hand of God in them, and say, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped me.”  

3. That we should make our experience of past mercies the ground of expecting all that we can need from God in future

From what we have received “hitherto,” we know what to expect henceforth. And so should the memorials that are raised in our hearts:

 

“Thou hast been my help; therefore under the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice [Psalms 63:7.]:”

"Because the Lord hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live [Psalms 116:2.].”

 

This is the key purpose of preserving memorials of past mercies in our minds! What holy confidence will it introduce into the soul, and what a happy anticipation even of eternal blessedness! Only let the “Ebenezer” which Samuel erected teach us this, and we shall ourselves raise in due time a similar memorial in the realms of bliss.

source: LAB, Henry Matthew, Charles Simeon

Chronophage - The Time Eater

"Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next."

Year-end Reflection 

 

Dec 2015: Another year is passing away.... Although not everything we had resolved to do at the start of the year have been accomplished; although we encountered trials along the way; and although the economic outlook remains uncertain over the horizon, we can still find reasons to give thanks.

 

We do have a good life: I am truly blessed with a wonderful wife. We live in a private apartment, we enjoyed doing simple things together. We are healthy… physically, emotionally, socially and financially. Job-wise, I find meaning in what I do... I love to do research, teach and inspire my students, who are really the hope and future of the nations. All in all, we are happy and humbly grateful for God's protection and grace.

 

We were away on sabbatical: 4 months in Cambridge (Aug -Dec 2014) and 5 months in Florida (Jan - May 2015). What does one do during sabbatical? R&R! Intellectually, R&R stands for Reading and Research. At a deeper level, R&R also stands for Rest and Reflect. During our sabbatical, we met many acquaintances and made new friends. We tried new things, new experiences. We also travelled to many cities, such as Maastricht in Netherlands, Brussels & Bruges in Belgium, London, Manchester & Reading in England, Edinburgh in Scotland, Boston and several interesting places in Florida, USA.

 

What inspired us? In reflection, there are indeed many things we could share on what inspired us. Cambridge is a stunningly beautiful college town. You can easily be awed by its rich history; imagine dining at The Eagle pub where Crick and Watson interrupted patrons’ lunchtime (in Feb 1953) to announce that they had discovered “the secret of life” (i.e. how DNA carries genetic information); or visiting the Wren Library to look at the handwritten notes of Sir Isaac Newton; or peeping into the field notes of Charles Darwin at the Sedwick Museum.

 

In Florida, we were inspired by the natural serenity of God’s creation and by the friendliness of those we met. I was thrilled to visit many farms, which taught us many life lessons, such as not to underestimate the potential of a small seed; the importance of patience and hard work; and appreciating the seasons of life… particularly, there is a season to sow, there is a season to wait, and there is a season to reap. 

Where am I in the seasons of life? 2015 is also a very special year. It marks Singapore's 50th year of independence. Most Singaporeans will also remember 2015 for the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father and chief architect of modern Singapore. Born in 1965, I also celebrated my 50^th birthday this year. If you take age 20-35 as spring, 35-50 as summer, 50-65 as autumn, 65-80 as winter, then I am at the stage where summer has just passed. So, here I am, staring into the autumn season of my life… reflecting the season of transition, the changing colors of autumn leaves (and white hairs) can make one more contemplative on life... While this is the season for gathering the harvests and for giving thanks, it is also a time for preparing for the coming hibernation of winter.

 

The Corpus Clock: The continual passing of time and cycle of life and death reminded me of an interesting landmark in Cambridge UK. The Corpus Clock is a large sculptural clock at street level, looking out over the busy King’s Parade. The dominating visual feature of the clock is a grim-looking metal sculpture of an insect similar to a locust. This beast is called the Chronophage (literally "time eater" in Greek). It moves its mouth, appearing to "eat up" the seconds as they pass, and occasionally it "blinks" in seeming satisfaction. The creature's constant motion produces an eerie grinding sound and the hour is tolled by the sound of a chain clanking into a small wooden coffin hidden in the back of the clock. Below the clock is an inscription from 1 John 2:17: mundus transit et. concupiscentia eius ("the world passeth away, and the lust thereof").

 

According to Taylor (the benefactor), the clock is entirely accurate only once every five minutes. The rest of the time, the pendulum may seem to catch or stop, and the lights may lag or, then, race to get ahead. This erratic motion reflects life's "irregularity". Conceived as a work of public art, the Chronophage reminds viewers in a dramatic way of the inevitable passing of time. It is deliberately designed to be "terrifying". Taylor shared, "Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next."

 

Time can pass us by swiftly without our knowing: Below are two photos we took, then and now. Then was in 1997, now is in 2014. Two photos of the same couple taken in front of the same building, but 18 years apart. Note that I am wearing the same navy blue jacket, although its color has faded and the padding worn out. Thankfully, we are still smiling after all these years! Life has been good to us!

 

                   

Some say, life after 50 is a downhill: I do not believe this. Instead, I believe there is more to life! While the visual image of the Chronophage eating away time can be hypnotically disturbing and the claim that the world (and its lust) is passing away is true, it is incomplete. The second part of the verse was left out: “but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” One inspiring biblical character is Caleb who continues to thrive at the age of 85. During our sabbatical, we got to know many who are still going strong in their autumn/winter seasons. Their stories serve as a lesson for us to never release God’s promises; never retire from serving God; never resigned to the fate of time, and never retreat from the enemy!

 So for this Christmas: We choose to look back with gratitude, to enjoy the present, and to look forward with hope. Instead of letting the Chronophage chew away our precious moments, we intentionally take time out to celebrate life. Instead of running mindlessly, we find time in this festivity period to remind ourselves of God’s provision, and to say “thank you” to those who have been a blessing to us in many different ways.

 

Indeed, your friendship has been a blessing to us. Thank you. May the holidays become a special time of spiritual enrichment, personal renewal, and genuine gratitude.[1]

Photo: on a less-travelled road in Florida (2015)

Our prayer as we look forward to 2016: Lord, you have been good to us, you have been gracious; you have been faithful meeting our needs; Lord, it’s so plain to see. You have been good to us. We have been given much that we can’t even begin to thank you… And still, we believe there is more. So, we open our hands to receive all that your love has installed for us,
miracles wonders blessings unnumbered, love never-ending!

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[1] References: Don Moen, Charles Swindoll, Wikipedia.