Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.
The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.
-- 1 Samuel 4:1-2
The Israelites were soundly defeated.
As the narrative continues, the elders of Israel asked
each other, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go well with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."
So men went to Shiloh and brought back with them the sacred ark.
When the ark of the LORD'S covenant came into camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.
When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid.
"A god has come into camp," they said. "Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues....Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!"
-- 1 Samuel 4:5-9
The Philistines fought hard, and the Israelites were defeated again. They fled back to their tents and "the slaughter was very great" -- Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
Not only that -- their sacred ark of God was captured
and taken by the Philistines from Ebenezer to Ashdad and placed in the temple of their pagan god, Dagon, and set beside the idol.
The Philistines were in for a surprise, because the next morning Dagon has fallen prostrate on the ground before the ark of the LORD.
They stood the idol back in its place, but the next morning when they came into the temple, there was Dagon fallen again on its face before the blessed ark, with its head and hands broken off.
The ark of the LORD caused destruction and panic in the land of the Philistines and they begged Israel to
retrieve it and stop God's judgment on them.
So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.
-- 1 Samuel 7:1
So the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim and the Philistines continued to plague Israel.
Finally, "The people mourned and sought after the LORD," we read in 1 Samuel 7:2.
The prophet Samuel told them:
If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods...and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the LORD only.
Then Samuel assembled all Israel at Mizpah and they prayed to God, fasted and confessed their sin.
The Philistines heard the Israelites were gathered at Mizpah, and advanced.
The Israelites were frightened, telling Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."
The Philistines drew near to engage in battle.
But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued them along the way to a point below Beth Car.
So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.
He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."
(Read all of this important saga in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel, chapters 4-7.)
Ebenezer means "stone of help."
Samuel was marking the occasion and site of God's help in defeating the enemies of Israel.
It wasn't the ark that saved them: they had the ark with them when the Philistines defeated them
in battle.
What saved Israel was their repentance and re-commitment to serve their God.
Samuel placed the large commemorative stone at the place where their restoration began.
And that stone stood there, visible for all to see, to remind them, not just of God's judgment, but also of His mercy and grace "to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
An "Ebenezer Stone" represents a fresh beginning, a reversal of our course. It also reminds us that His mercies are everlasting and His covenant is forever.
As I look back on my life I see some "Ebenezer stones" I have placed at critical times in my journey with Christ.
They point to a time when I changed course - when I reconsidered my life and decisions - when I reversed my direction and came back to God's purpose for me.
But even more, these "Ebenezer stones" remind me that I am forgiven, that I chose a new direction, and that God has a permanent covenant with all who put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Samuel was a wise Servant of God. He understood the importance of "markers" and he understood that we are all forgetful and need reminders of God's calling.
Israelites could stand beside that Ebenezer Stone and remind themselves that they served a living, loving and faithful God, whose mercies are everlasting.
Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to in heaven.
--Philippians 3:13-14, written by the Apostle Paul to
the Christians at Philippi, in the New Testament
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
--Psalm 136:1, recorded in the Old Testament.
No comments:
Post a Comment