Ebenezer (stone of help)

I Samuel 4:1 – 7:17

The Philistines came to do battle with the Children of Israel. Israel pitched beside Ebenezer (stone of help) and brought the Ark of the Covenant into their camp believing that doing so would bring the Lords blessing and help in defeating the Philistines. However Israel’s trust was not in the Lord of the Ark of the Covenant nor was their trust in the Lord of Ebenezer (Stone of help). Instead their trust was in the stone itself that they pitched beside and in the Ark of the Covenant. Why you may ask? Because they had turned aside from worshipping God and worshipped idols which could not help them. At this time bringing the Ark into camp and pitching beside Ebenezer (stone of help) was only religious rituals as there was no belief in God, or true worship of God from the heart. The result was that Israel was defeated in battle and ran for their lives leaving the Ark of the Covenant behind allowing the Philistines to take it as spoil.

However, despite Israel’s disobedience God did not abandon them. God showed his power to the Philistines by smiting their god Dagon and causing a plague of emerods (ulcer or tumor) on every city they took the Ark too. Finally the Philistines, in desperation, sent the Ark back to Israel by way of a cart pulled by a couple of cows. When the men of Bethemesh saw the Ark they rejoiced and offered up sacrifices unto God for bringing the Ark of the Covenant to them. However they failed to follow God’s instruction and looked into the Ark and were also smitten. Like the Philistines, in desperation they sent to another city telling them to come and get the Ark of the Covenant. This city was Kirjathjearim. Kirjathjearim took the Ark and started seeking to follow God as they sanctified (set apart) Eleazer to keep the Ark.

The Ark stayed in Kirjathjearim for 20 years. At this point Israel finally starts lamenting (groan, wail or cry) after the Lord. At this point Samuel (the priest/judge of Israel at that time) speaks to Israel and tells them how they may restore the fellowship with the Lord that they lost so many years before. He tells them to repent and return to the Lord with all of their hearts and to “put away” the strange gods they are worshiping. Israel listens and puts away the strange gods among them, repents and seeks after the Lord once more.

Israel, now having restored their fellowship with the Lord, is faced with the same enemy they faced 20 years before. The Philistines come once again to fight Israel. This time however Israel does not put their trust in religious rituals but instead seeks help from God by asking Samuel the Priest to pray without ceasing for Gods help for them as they realize that they need God’s help and cannot defeat the Philistines by themselves. Samuel does entreat the Lord and the Lord hears Samuel and the people and fights for them and delivers them from the hand of the Philistines.

Samuel, knowing how forgetful Israel is, has them raise a stone up as a monument and calls it Ebenezer (stone of help). He does this because the Lord helped them when they sought Him. He raised this stone so that in years after Israel could look at the stone and remember that when their trust was in the Lord he helped them.

Come, Thou Fount

v1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

v2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wondering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

v3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wondering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Author: Robert Robinson

Do you have an Ebenezer? I hope you do and I hope that your Ebenezer is the Lord God for he is the only Ebenezer that will never let you down and will always be your help. As the song above says he already has seen your need and shed his blood for you to help you. Have you trusted him today?