Thought for the Week
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." (1 Samuel 7:12). A good deal of our lives is made up of landmarks; the first day at school, the time in hospital, the wedding day. We mark such occasions with an entry in the diary.- A ring on the finger. A photograph.
They have never been short of stones in Israel, and a stone was Samuel's choice. It had been a dangerous period for God?s people. The ark of the covenant - the very emblem of God?s presence with them - had been recovered, after being in enemy hands, and the Philistine hordes had been routed.
Ebenezer - "Stone of help" - such monuments or landmarks bring a three-fold reminder to us:
When it was that we received help. "Thus far" pointed the people backwards to past blessings and help received. They could not forget.
Who it was who helped us. "The Lord" is identified as the source of Israel's protection in a time of danger. The credit is always His!
The pledge of help in the future. Thus far (Hitherto KJV) - the implication is that if God helped us in the past, He will do so again.
THOUGHT: Identify your own landmarks of the past twelve months.
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