Ebenezer, ‘God is our Help’
by Sue Griffiths
In 1 Samuel we have the dramatic account of the Israelites fighting for their freedom from the Philistines. There is a battle at Ebenezer. Now, if you are going to win a battle, it must surely be at Ebenezer. ‘Ebenezer’ means ‘God is our help’! But on that day, four thousand Israelites are killed in catastrophic defeat. The people are stunned and shocked.
Things are so bad that for the next battle, they decide to bring out the sacred Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to help them. This, as the Philistines also know, is a very holy symbol of God’s Presence with His people.
But … the Philistines beat the Israelites in a ferocious battle, and this time thirty thousand Israelite foot soldiers are left dead on the battlefield! And the Ark of the Covenant itself is captured and carried off.
The godless Philistines have more respect for the holiness and great power of God than the Israelites seem to have. The Philistines remember what God did to the Egyptians! After seven months of boils and tumours on their own population, they are in awe of this mighty God of Israel. They send the Ark off on an oxcart, believing that God Himself will direct the oxen back to Israelite territory. And this is what happens.
What’s the lesson here?
Well, the Israelites were not in a right relationship with God. You can’t use God as some magic power! Fighting in a place called Ebenezer won’t do it for you. If you want to follow God, says Samuel, clean up your lives. Get rid of the idols in your life. Repent. Seek God’s healing and follow Him alone.
This is such a story for us. We can’t fool God. At the heart of it all is our personal relationship with Him. It’s a day-to-day thing: making Him Lord daily; forgiving others and knowing God’s forgiveness in my life; walking in prayerfulness, listening for Holy Spirit; showing His love and obeying.
Of course, we don’t always get it right. But if we are seeking that relationship, deep down and personal with God, we will get to know Him. Every single one of us has that challenge.
Sue Griffiths Sue found deep inner healing through the teaching and ministry at Ellel ministries and is now part of the associate ministry team at Ellel Grange. Previously, Sue was a specialist in English Literature and a vicar’s wife. Her passion is to see others coming into freedom in Christ in their personal lives. Sue’s an outdoors person, loves gardening, walking, and many creative things. She and Richard, her husband, now live in Northumberland and enjoy a great family of 3 grown up kids and some grandkids.
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