Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer

Here I raise my 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, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Bought me with His precious blood.

Ebenezers REMIND US

Samuel took the stone and set it up in the place of the battle to remind the Israelites, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” The Ebenezer, in this case was a stone between two mountains. It was a reminder of God’s provision for the people and their victory in battle.

Throughout Israel’s history, God’s people had set up Ebenezers.

Genesis 28:18 ESV

So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.

Jacob set up the stone he had used to sleep on up as an Ebenezer following his wrestling match with God.

Joshua 4:3 ESV

and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

Joshua instructed the children of Israel to set stones in the Jordan as a reminder of his parting the waters of the Jordan so they could cross on dry land.

And here again in 1 Samuel 7:12

1 Samuel 7:12 ESV

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.”

To everyone else, the stones were just a heap of rubble, but to the people of God, they were a constant reminder that Yahweh was a personal and powerful God, working wonders on behalf of His people.

Churches and people all go through seasons. We all have times in our lives when life if tough.

It may be because of health issues. We don’t move as we used to. We’re tired or our bodies are crippled with age.

It may be because of conflict. We may see division occuring in our churches, our families or our lives.

Ebenezers remind us of what the Lord has done. This church is an Ebenezer. For 175 years, Union Baptist Church has set in this community to remind us of his Sovereign grace and mercy. In the midst of pain, in the midst of suffering, this Ebenezer reminds us that God has worked and will continue to work.

APPLICATION:

What do you need to remember today? Maybe life has taken the joy of God’s grace and mercy out of your life and you need to remember how gracious and good he is.

Ebenezers CONVICT US

Not only do Ebenezers remind us of where we’ve been, they also challenge us to walk in holiness.

1 Samuel 7:3–4 ESV

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.

Ebenezers are a method of reminding us of who God is, and when we see who God is the natural response is fear and repentance.

Isaiah 6:1–5 ESV

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

When Isaiah encountered the Sovereign God of the universe it shook him to his core.

Joshua similarly called the Israelites to repentance.

Joshua 24:24–28 ESV

And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

This place as an Ebenezer is a place of repentance. It was a place to call the people to return to the Lord.

You and I like the people of Israel and like Joshua are sinners in need of the indelible grace of God. We need God’s mercy to transform us, to change us. We need the grace of God to make us new.

Application Question:

I know today that God will challenge all of us with some sin in our lives if we’ll listen. I know this because we all sin. What is the Spirit convicting you of as you approach God today? Would you repent?

Ebenezers CHALLENGE US

Finally, the Ebenezers challenge us to move in the future. Not only do Ebenezers point back to what God has done and call us to repentance, they challenge us to move in faith as he leads.

1 Samuel 7:13–15 ESV

So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

Samuel’s life was marked by an unerring trust in God. For all the days of his life, Samuel led Israel to faithfulness. Each time the children of Israel passed the Ebenezer between Mizpah and Shen, it challenged them to faithfully follow God.

I love church steeples. We see many churches moving away from steeples, but the steeple plays an important role. It tells the community in the area, all those that can see it that God is there. No matter what happens, God is there and he encourages the Christian to serve faithfully, the sinner to repent and trust him. If you were to take your next vacation in London, and you could visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle… The tour guide would tell you that this is the place that the great Charles Haddon Spurgeon used to preach. He would tell you that the 5,000 seat auditorium there was never large enough…they packed it to overflowing Sunday after Sunday in Spurgeon’s day.  He would tell you how on Sunday nights, they would actually ask church members to stay home because so many visitors wanted to come and fill the building. Today, that church is only a shadow of what it used to be. If you were to visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle, basically what you would hear would be  wonderful stories of “the way it used to be.” The good ole days…