And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
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.”
—1 Samuel 7:3-4, 10, 12
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened.
—Matthew 9:27:30a
"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" contains words that first stood on their own as a hymn from the author of both, Robert Robison.
Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by thine help I've come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Nearly a century later, Charles Dickens used "Ebenezer" as the first name of his central character in A Christmas Carol. And that raises a question: which do we typically remember, the "Ebenezer Scrooge" at the beginning of the story, or at the end?
Samuel lived in a turbulent time. The book of Judges ends with the tragic words, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The record makes abundantly clear that their idea of “what was right” was nothing like what the Lord had called Israel to do. (Not that different from today.) So, as Moses had prophesied, Israel ended up under the heel of the surrounding Philistines. And the Lord rescued them again, giving the Philistines a little taste of the power that had freed Israel from Egypt.
After the captured ark was returned, Israel spent twenty years lamenting and repenting. Then Samuel called for complete rededication, purging the nation (again) of the idols that they had accumulated. Then, when the Philistines tried to attack the people gathered for prayer and fasting, the Lord protected them.
And that's when Samuel set up a memorial called Stone of Help to remind Israel of the grace-filled help of the Lord.
The Lord, who made heaven and earth, is faithful to His promises, whether or not His people deserve it. Jesus didn't quiz the blind men about their theology, ask for references, or inquire as to what they would do with their newly-bestowed sight. He saw their need and trust, and acted. The Lord acts to ensure that the oppressed are treated with fairness. He provides for those who cannot provide for themselves. He has always been, is, and always will be, the help of His people. Therefore His people can trust Him.
At the beginning of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge lives up to his last name—stingy, grasping, miserly. By the end of the story, he has made a start toward living up to his first name, and being a reliable helper to those who needed his help. It would be nice if we remembered him for where the story left him instead of where it found him.
It would be nice if we remembered the Ebenezer of Samuel as clearly as we remembered the Ebenezer of Dickens.
Ebenezer
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
—Psalm 146:5-7
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
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.”
—1 Samuel 7:3-4, 10, 12
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened.
—Matthew 9:27:30a
"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" contains words that first stood on their own as a hymn from the author of both, Robert Robison.
Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by thine help I've come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Nearly a century later, Charles Dickens used "Ebenezer" as the first name of his central character in A Christmas Carol. And that raises a question: which do we typically remember, the "Ebenezer Scrooge" at the beginning of the story, or at the end?
Samuel lived in a turbulent time. The book of Judges ends with the tragic words, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The record makes abundantly clear that their idea of “what was right” was nothing like what the Lord had called Israel to do. (Not that different from today.) So, as Moses had prophesied, Israel ended up under the heel of the surrounding Philistines. And the Lord rescued them again, giving the Philistines a little taste of the power that had freed Israel from Egypt.
After the captured ark was returned, Israel spent twenty years lamenting and repenting. Then Samuel called for complete rededication, purging the nation (again) of the idols that they had accumulated. Then, when the Philistines tried to attack the people gathered for prayer and fasting, the Lord protected them.
And that's when Samuel set up a memorial called Stone of Help to remind Israel of the grace-filled help of the Lord.
The Lord, who made heaven and earth, is faithful to His promises, whether or not His people deserve it. Jesus didn't quiz the blind men about their theology, ask for references, or inquire as to what they would do with their newly-bestowed sight. He saw their need and trust, and acted. The Lord acts to ensure that the oppressed are treated with fairness. He provides for those who cannot provide for themselves. He has always been, is, and always will be, the help of His people. Therefore His people can trust Him.
At the beginning of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge lives up to his last name—stingy, grasping, miserly. By the end of the story, he has made a start toward living up to his first name, and being a reliable helper to those who needed his help. It would be nice if we remembered him for where the story left him instead of where it found him.
It would be nice if we remembered the Ebenezer of Samuel as clearly as we remembered the Ebenezer of Dickens.