Intro:
Amen! Hallelujah! Praise be to the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God is good, and His mercy endures forever. Amen! Turn to your neighbor and say, "It’s wonderful to be in the house of the Lord."
Tell them, "My helper", "My stone", Hallelujah! In the Bible, there are many kinds of stones. Stones have a purpose in the Bible.
1. Stones were used as weapons to destroy places and people.
2. There was a big stone that covered the well, which Jacob removed to fetch the water. Hallelujah!
3. There was a stone that was hiding the tomb of Jesus, and when He rose up, it was rolled away, amen!
4. In the Bible, it says Nehemiah used large stones to rebuild the temple wall, amen!
5. Stones were used as monuments to remember certain events. Amen!
6. The events are like the stone of the pillow where Jacob rested.
7. The stone of blessing between Jacob and Laban.
8. Bethel, where Jacob placed the stone to mark the event where he met God. Amen! Hallelujah!
Stones have significance in the Bible. Each stone has a purpose in the Bible, amen! Hallelujah!
Today, the particular stone we are going to look at is called "Ebenezer." In Hebrew, it is pronounced as "Eben Ha-Ezer." "Eben" means rock or stone, and "Ezer" means help. So, it means "stone of help," Ebenezer is a stone of help, amen! "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," amen! Hallelujah!
Explanation:
I’m going to title my short exhortation as "Ebenezer, My Stone of Help." Let’s turn to the book of 1 Samuel.
Samuel is recognized as a significant leader, a spiritual leader, a prophet, and a judge in Israel. He traveled throughout the land of Israel to perform his duties. Samuel’s ministry had a wide range of responsibilities throughout the land of Israel. A few of his duties included leading people to repentance, teaching God’s law, and leading them into worshiping Yahweh. Amen! Hallelujah!
Samuel played a crucial role in building up the nation of Israel and bringing them back to faithfulness to God. Samuel’s ministry, or his circuit of ministry, is explained in 1 Samuel 7:15-17. It says, "Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged the people there."
All three are key locations in Israel. Samuel went to these places regularly to make the people repent, judge them, and teach them the ways of the Lord, especially in how to worship Yahweh. Amen! Hallelujah!
Samuel is a significant person in the Bible, amen! Hallelujah!
The name Samuel in Hebrew is pronounced "Sh’muel." Can we say together, "Sh’muel"?
Now, let’s go back a little to the earlier chapters of 1 Samuel. We know the story of Hannah, who prayed earnestly for a son and promised to dedicate him to the Lord. During this time, there was an ongoing conflict between the Philistines and the Israelites. The Philistines are called "sea people" because they settled in the coastal plains of Canaan and frequently clashed with Israel.
One such battle was fought at Ebenezer. Let’s read 1 Samuel 4:1-2. The Israelites thought that by bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the battlefield, it would serve as a magical protection. However, they were defeated because they mishandled the presence of God.
The first battle showed the Israelites’ failure due to their ego and idolatry. But after 20 years of restoration under Samuel’s leadership, they returned to God with whole hearts. At Mizpah, Samuel called the people to repent, fast, and pray. When the Philistines heard about the gathering at Mizpah, they sought to destroy Israel again, but this time, God intervened.
The Lord thundered with a mighty sound that confused the Philistines, and the Israelites won the battle. After this victory, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpah and Shen and called it "Ebenezer," saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." Amen! Hallelujah!
This was a turning point for Israel. After this victory, the Philistines did not invade Israel for a long time. Amen! Hallelujah! Ebenezer—my stone of help!
If God could intervene in the lives of His people then, He is the same God today! If we believe that Jesus is the Cornerstone, the foundation of our faith, He is our Ebenezer today! Amen! Hallelujah! Jesus is the Cornerstone of our salvation, our hope, and our faith. As it says in Romans, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Amen! Hallelujah!
Conclusion:
Let us examine our hearts today. What are the ways we can come back to the Lord? Just like the Israelites had to remove idolatry from their hearts, we too must remove anything that takes God’s place in our hearts. Only then can we have an "Ebenezer" experience in our lives. Amen! Hallelujah! Let us trust in God alone, depend on Him alone, and surrender to Him fully, for He is our Ebenezer, our stone of help. Amen!
