Ebenezer: Thus Far the Lord has Helped Us

SCRIPTURE

1 Samuel 7:1–12 NKJV

1 Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. 2 So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. 5 And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

EXPOSITION

Israel had been defeated by the Philistines. The Ark of the Covenant had been taken by their enemies. The high priest Eli and his two sons were now dead. Israel is in shambles: defeated, oppressed, and seemingly in a hopeless situation.

But the hand of God was against the Philistines. God caused a plague to break out among the Philistines because they had stolen the Ark. The plague became so severe that the Philistines that after seven moths, they sent the Ark back to Israel. But Israel was afraid of the Ark and the presence of God so it remained in Kirjath Jearim at the house of a man named Abinadab for 20 years.

During this 20 years, Israel was in a place of spiritual darkness. The only light in Israel would come from a man named Samuel: who would become prophet, priest, and judge of Israel.

Samuel called for repentance and revival. He called Israel to put away the foreign gods of Baal and Ashtoreth. He called Israel to prepare their hearts to serve the Lord only. He prophesied that, if they did, that God would deliver them from the oppression of the Philistines.

There was a great revival. Israel put away the foreign gods. They consecrated themselves to the Lord. Samuel prayed for Israel at Mizpah and the people poured out water there as an offering of sacrifice and worship to the Lord. They fasted and prayed and called on the name of the Lord.

As soon as the Philistines heard that revival was happening in Israel, they launched an attack. The people were afraid and asked Samuel to pray that God would protect them from the Philistines. Samuel sacrificed a young lamb to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. The Bible says that Samuel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard him.

As the Philistines drew near for battle against Israel, God sent a thunder from heaven. This thunder sent confusion into the camp of the Philistines, but it gave Israel confidence. And Israel defeated the Philistines that day.

The memorialize the victory that day, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpah and Shen and called it Ebenezer. The word “ebenezer” means “stone of help.” Samuel named it Ebenezer because he said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” When Israel would look at this stone, it would be a reminder of how God had helped them overcome the enemy.

INTRODUCTION

A Baptist preacher by the name of Robert Robison wrote the words to the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” in 1758 at the age of 22, after his conversion. In that song he penned these words, “Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come.” Robinson had a difficult childhood. He lost his father at the age of 8. He grew up on the streets of London and became involved with gangs. But one day Robinson heard a sermon preached by George Whitefield and he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Robinson wrote the words to this song as a testimony of what God had done for him.

“Here I raise my Ezenezer; hither by thy help I’m come” takes us back to the words of Samuel in 1 Samuel 7:12. “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” There is so much rich meaning in that one verse. But I just want to unpack that one phrase for just a few minutes, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

MESSAGE

First, it is a call for us to:

Remember What God Has Already Done

Israel

Samuel called on Israel to remember what God had already done. His faithfulness to them throughout their history. The way that the Lord had been a “stone of help” in times past.

We know their story as well. The way God preserved humanity in the story of Noah and the flood. The way God chose Abraham out of all the people of the earth to build a nation. They way that God preserved Israel in Egypt and then delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt. The way that God parted the Red Sea and led Israel across on dry ground. The way that God drown Pharaoh and his army in the same Red Sea. The way that God spoke to Israel on Mt. Sinai and gave them the Law. The way that God fed and clothed them in the wilderness for 40 years. The way that God brought them into the Promised Land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.

And now, Samuel called on Israel to remember what God had just done for them by delivering them from the hand of the Philistines. Samuel raised up an Ebenezer as a reminder of what God had done for them.

Us

We’ve got so much to raise our own Ebenezer for today! All we have to do is think back on what God has done for us in the past. Just think of what He has done for us this past year:

New salvations

New baptisms

New members

New roof

New A/C

Church van

Healings

Deliverances

Outpourings of His Spirit

2025 has been a year of blessing and increase. We’ve got so much to thank God for.

But you may ask:

what about the defeats?

What about the setbacks?

What about the losses?

What about the difficulties?

What about the struggles?

What about all the problems?

Yes, there have been:

defeats.

Yes, there have been setbacks.

Yes, there have been losses.

Yes, there have been difficulties.

Yes, there have been struggles.

Yes, there have been problems.

But the Lord has been with us through it all! Stop erecting memorials to defeats. Stop focusing on the negative. Remember the faithfulness of God. Remember the preservation of God. Remember the Stone of Help, Jesus Christ, that has been with you through the ups and downs of life.

Second, there is a call for us to:

Recognize What God is Doing Now

Israel

Before Samuel setup the stone and named it Ebenezer, he asked the people to do something. He called on them to:

Put away the foreign gods,

Consecrate themselves to the Lord, and

Serve Him.

Before the revival, before the victory, before the deliverance, there needed to be repentance. There needed to be a renewal of their commitment to the Lord.

Us

As we come to the end of one year and the beginning of a new year, this is a great opportunity for us to focus on repentance and renewal. This is a great opportunity to get rid of some of the clutter in our lives. I’m not talking about that room or place in your house where you pushed all the Christmas clutter. I’m talking about your heart. Over time we can allow clutter to take over our hearts. Sometimes, we just need a good cleaning and reorganizing. We need to throw away the junk. We need to clean up the filth. We need to uncover the things we forgot we even had and we need to put them to use again.

“What are you talking about preacher?” I’m talking about those habits. Those vices. Those weights and sins that so easily beset you. I’m talking about getting rid of the “foreign gods.” You probably don’t have an idol to Baal or Ashtoreth at your house, but I’m guessing all of us have some “idols” in our lives that we allow to come between us and God. They get more of our time. They get more of our attention. They get more of our devotion than the Lord. Don’t just put them away. You’ll bring them back out when you think you need them. Destroy them. Demolish them. Dispose of them. Consecrate your heart to the Lord. Serve Him. This is God’s will for you life right now.

And finally, this is a call for us to:

Rejoice for What God is Going to Do

Israel

The statement by Samuel, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” was not only a call to remember what God had done for Israel in the past, and what God was doing right then, but it was also full of faith and hope for what God was going to do for them in the future. The idea in this statement is that thus far God has helped us, and He will continue to do so as we continue to trust Him and serve Him.

Us

I’m excited for what God has in store for us. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in 2026. This is a time for repentance and renewal. This is a time to consecrate ourselves to the Lord. This is a time to put away the foreign gods and serve the One True Living God. This is a time to allow God to expand the ministry of Farm Hill Church. This is a time to extend the boundaries of our comfort zones.

What is God wanting to do in 2026 at Farm Hill Church? What is He leading us to do? What is our Vision? What is our Mission? What are our Goals?

Here are the 4 Pillars of our Vision for 2026:

1. Focused Outreach

We intentionally engage our community and the world with the love of Christ by meeting real needs and building gospel-centered relationships. Scripture: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” — Matthew 28:19

2. Fearless Evangelism

We boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without compromise, trusting the power of God to save and transform lives. Scripture: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation…” — Romans 1:16

3. Fervent Prayer

We depend fully on God through persistent, passionate prayer, seeking His presence, guidance, and power in all we do. Scripture: “The prayer of a righteous main avails much.” — James 5:16

4. Faith-Filled Power

We walk in obedience and expectancy, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us in spiritual gifts, deliverance, healing, and transformed lives. Scripture: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” — Acts 1:8

Our vision for 2026 is to be a Spirit-empowered church marked by focused outreach, fearless evangelism, fervent prayer, and faith-filled power—proclaiming the gospel, advancing God’s kingdom, and seeing lives transformed by Jesus Christ.

CALL TO ACTION

Remember What God Has Done

Recognize What God is Doing Now

Rejoice for What God is Going to Do