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