I just celebrated my sixtieth birthday over the Christmas season. Yes, I said celebrate! I’m grateful that God has allowed me sixty years of life and BTW, in the bible aging is an honor in the eyes of God. I’ve run the gamut on the whole anti-aging thing and I’ve decided to embrace this season with gusto. The morning of my actual birthday the Lord gave me a scripture that couldn’t have been more-timely. I was sitting with my cup of black coffee already reflecting on His kindness, but when I read this particular text, it just jumped off the page. I’ve made this my scripture for the New Year.
1 Samuel 7:12 say’s, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
The name Ebenezer means, the stone of help. The Israelites and the Philistines were archenemies and constantly fighting. When God’s people put their trust in Him, the battle was sure to end in overwhelming victory.
Unfortunately, the Israelites lived in a repeat cycle of disrespect, disobedience and defeat, by turning away from God. As we come to chapter seven of 1 Sam, the Philistines are ready to annihilate the people of God yet again. We read that God’s people were badly frightened.
The prophet Samuel challenges the Israelites to repent, remove the idols from their midst, and return to the Lord. They obeyed and the Lord responded! With a mighty voice from heaven, God confused the enemy and Israel won the battle.
For the Israelites, their victory meant that God had been an extraordinary and decisive help to them. The prophet Samuel puts in place a stone of remembrance.
Ebenezer puts the Israelites’ accomplishment in its proper perspective. Richard Phillips said this;
He [Samuel]…reminds Israel that this recent victory is just the latest in a long history of God’s mighty redemptive acts, not the least of which was God’s aid in helping the Israelites to repent. It is because of a long chain of mercies that the people of God exist in blessing. Samuel aims for the people to remember what God has done “till now,” so that in the future they will again appeal to him in faith. Their success as a nation would be largely dependent upon their willingness to walk in obedience to and rely on God.
This scripture compels to look back at the long chain mercies we have received from the Lord. It also challenges us to look ahead with the blessed assurance that His help with be with us in the days that have yet to unfold. We need those stones of remembrance in our journey. We need to be active and intentional to set up our Ebenezer reminders, the turning points where we have witnessed God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm on our behalf.
We cannot place the value of these much- needed reminders for the battles ahead that “thus far” the Lord has helped us! And with the battles there will be blessings. This is our sure confidence as we enter the New Year.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
– Robert Robertson (1735-1790), “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”