Hitherto and Henceforth
Notes
Transcript
Read 1 Sam 7:7-12
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
You might remember that there had been a defeat in Israel, a mighty defeat and the Ark of God had been taken
It was sent back by the Philistines and The men of Kirjath-jearim brought the ark of the LORD to Abinadab’s house, where his son Eleazar was sanctified to keep it.
After twenty years, the Israelites lamented for the LORD. Or began to cry out to God for help and deliverance. I tell you you are getting in a pretty good place when you begin to call upon God for help.
But it takes more than just uttering words out of your mouth and shedding a few tears.
Samuel urged them to return to the LORD, "put away foreign gods, and serve Him alone for deliverance from the Philistines.
The Israelites complied, and they gathered at Mizpeh, and confessed their sins.
When the Philistines approached, they asked Samuel to pray for them. Samuel offered a burnt sacrifice, and the LORD thundered, causing panic among the Philistines, who were defeated.
Samuel set up a stone named Eben-ezer, signifying the LORD’s help.
Oh I like the name of that stone - Ebenezer meaning
“Hitherto hath the LORD helped Us”
That word “hitherto” is An old-fashioned term meaning 'up to this point,'
It is used of both place and tie - you have brought me this far
Jesus said, John 5:17
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
So as Samuel was naming the stone - in memorial to God’s help
Ebenezer or hitherto God has helped us - He is saying look at our history the road to the past is riddled with times and places where our God has helped us.
Annie Johnson Smith - a woman who suffered so much physically, bedridden for years, covered in bedsores and in pain nearly constantly who wrote the song we enjoy singing occasionally He Giveth More Grace
wrote many other poems. Another one of her poems says;
Hitherto the Lord hath helped us,
Hitherto His hand hath led,
Hitherto His arm protected,
Hitherto His bounty fed;
Will His love desert us wholly,
Will His heart our need forget,
Will His presence clean forsake us,
Who hath never failed yet?
Still His constant care surrounds us,
Keeping watch by day and night,
And His faithful promise tells us
We are precious in His sight.
He hath set no bounds, no limits,
To His ceaseless gifts of love;
He hath named no times, no seasons,
When His pledge untrue shall prove.
Let the Past we know assure us
Of the Present’s certain aid,
Till the Future’s dark forebodings
In the light of faith shall fade;
Still He hears our supplications,
As our days our strength shall be;
And His grace is all sufficient
For the needs of you and me.
Annie Johnson Flint
We know that while Samuel built a memorial here, this is not the last time God helped Israel - time after time God proved himself faithful and true.
The poem I just read to you by Annie Johnson Flint - has one of the greatest titles ever
She titled the poem, HITHERTO and HENCEFORTH
Hitherto = up to this point
henceforth = from now on
WE have a God who has not just helped us this far to only take us this far
He is our help, and I too can look at my past and see mile markers, and memorials, and road signs showing when God was faithful and my help
He told Isaiah - I WILL HELP THEE Isa 41:10
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
David said,
God has helped so much that
25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his seed begging bread.
Hitherto and henceforth
John Newton testified, His grace hath brought me safe thus far, and His grace will lead me home
John writes John 1:16
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
That means grace piled on top of grace
Have you ever been to someone’s house who had good cooking that just wouldn’t quit - you finally have to say thank you but I can’t take another bite
God is just pouring on the grace - we don’t even always recognize it
Grace for grace
A man walking down a muddy road in North Missouri with two bags of groceries under his arms was approached by Sister Mills, a lady minister in that area, and asked to come to church. He battled with this the rest of the way home. The story is told to me that, Mr. Harding would put the bags down and declare he was not going to church, pick them up and start home again, over and over that was repeated till he got home. Mr. Harding went to that church that night and was later saved, the grace of God reaching out to lost humanity.
I’m glad that Mr. Harding the gentleman I was talking about earlier, turned to God and found Saving Grace. Mr. Harding had fourteen children and his thirteenth girl became a young lady and married a young man who had just come home from the Vietnam war. She had been saved before but had gotten bitter, her brother had passed away in his sleep one night unexpectedly. After a few years the new wore off the marriage, things were getting bad, fights getting pretty rough, the marriage was on the rocks, when a young minister knocked on the door, he was holding a revival down at the local church would they like to come? The young lady hadn’t heard from God in a long time, as she closed the door there was just a little stir in her heart. They went to that revival and were saved.
Tozer in his book, “Who Put Jesus on the Cross” asks the question...
Do you know about the next chapter after the last?
In this chapter he begins by saying that the account of the life of Jesus Christ is the only biography known to man that does not end with death and burial--the only record of a human life that joyfully hastens on to the next chapter after the last.
Normally the biography of a person would include the story of their birth and life and death and probably even the burial. and as Tozer says,
“Every man knows that when the last tattered remnants of his body are finally taken to the grave, the last chapter of his life will have been written. The writing of hte life ends where the life ends. At the burial the word finis closes out the human manuscript. The word more is no longer a consideration.
But look at the autobiography of the apostle Paul
6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2 Timothy 4:7 “7 I have fought a good fight, - Past pefect tense!
I have finished my course, - Past perfect tense
Paul is saying, “My testimony has been given. I am a martyr and a witness. I have done all that I could for Jesus. The war is over and I will take off my uniform. I have completed God’s plan for me on earth” What a testimony
Normally we would take our pen and write THE END its over that is the next logical thing to say.
But not Paul - Paul connects to more, Paul connects to a tomorrow Paul says..
....HENCEFORTH
Oh Hitherto has God been good, but henceforth its only getting gooder. OH I know that is awful grammar - but its still true
2 Timothy 4:7–8 “7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Oh my friend I love how the writer put it, “At the close of every obituary of His believing children, GOd adds the word henceforth! After every biography, God adds the word henceforth!
Oh this week go rejoicing in your henceforth!!!
Oh yes take some time to reflect and think on your hitherto’s but I want you to know that you haven’t seen even a smidgen of what God wants to do in your life yet.
The Lord has helped hitherto -
and the Lord will help henceforth!!!
