| Setting Up An Ebenezer by Henry Morris, Ph.D. |
"Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called
the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us"
(I Samuel 7:12).
Many Christians have joined in the singing of a familiar verse in an old
hymn, without knowing its great meaning: "Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I've come." When the Ark of the Covenant was captured
by the Philistines, the old priest Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, all
died the same day, as did Phinehas' wife, in childbirth. It was a tragic day for
Israel. But then the people returned to God, under Samuel, and twenty years
later the Lord gave them a miraculous victory over the superior armies of the
Philistines. In commemoration of this deliverance, Samuel set up a stone
monument in the same place where the Philistines had captured the Ark
twenty years before, calling the stone "Ebenezer," a name which was
always associated thereafter with the site (I Samuel 4:1; 5:1).
Now "Ebenezer" means "Stone of Help," and seeing it would always remind
the people, whenever they might later come to fear the circumstances around
them, that God had been their "help in ages past," and thus could be trusted
as their "hope for years to come." Only God is truly able to help in times of
great need, but He is able! "From whence cometh my help. My help cometh
from the Lord, which made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2). It is well to
remember those times in our own lives when God has helped us in some
special way. We forget so easily, and the sin of ingratitude is cited by God
as one of the first harbingers of imminent apostasy (note especially Romans
1:21). A physical token can help us remember, but whatever it takes,
remember! God will hear and answer our prayers for future help, too, but
"with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians
4:6).
From the quarterly KJV Devotional, Days of Praise, June 14, 2003.
© 2003 by Institute For Creation Research.
All Rights Reserved. http://icr.org
----------------------------------------------------
Related Articles on Cobblestone Road:
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - Devotional
TRUST IN GOD, HOPE IN GOD
"HELP, LORD" - The Prayer of Every Christian
THE LORD SAYS, "FEAR NOT!"
GOD IS ABOVE ALL!
BE ENCOURAGED TODAY...EVEN IN YOUR STORMS
the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us"
(I Samuel 7:12).
Many Christians have joined in the singing of a familiar verse in an old
hymn, without knowing its great meaning: "Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I've come." When the Ark of the Covenant was captured
by the Philistines, the old priest Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, all
died the same day, as did Phinehas' wife, in childbirth. It was a tragic day for
Israel. But then the people returned to God, under Samuel, and twenty years
later the Lord gave them a miraculous victory over the superior armies of the
Philistines. In commemoration of this deliverance, Samuel set up a stone
monument in the same place where the Philistines had captured the Ark
twenty years before, calling the stone "Ebenezer," a name which was
always associated thereafter with the site (I Samuel 4:1; 5:1).
Now "Ebenezer" means "Stone of Help," and seeing it would always remind
the people, whenever they might later come to fear the circumstances around
them, that God had been their "help in ages past," and thus could be trusted
as their "hope for years to come." Only God is truly able to help in times of
great need, but He is able! "From whence cometh my help. My help cometh
from the Lord, which made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2). It is well to
remember those times in our own lives when God has helped us in some
special way. We forget so easily, and the sin of ingratitude is cited by God
as one of the first harbingers of imminent apostasy (note especially Romans
1:21). A physical token can help us remember, but whatever it takes,
remember! God will hear and answer our prayers for future help, too, but
"with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians
4:6).
From the quarterly KJV Devotional, Days of Praise, June 14, 2003.
© 2003 by Institute For Creation Research.
All Rights Reserved. http://icr.org
----------------------------------------------------
Related Articles on Cobblestone Road:
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD - Devotional
TRUST IN GOD, HOPE IN GOD
"HELP, LORD" - The Prayer of Every Christian
THE LORD SAYS, "FEAR NOT!"
GOD IS ABOVE ALL!
BE ENCOURAGED TODAY...EVEN IN YOUR STORMS
