Who is ebenezer in the bible

In the confusion that followed, the Israelites soundly defeated the Philistines. As a reminder of the great victory God gave to Israel, Samuel took a great stone and raised it as a memorial between Mizpeh and Shen. Whenever the Israelites looked at the stone, they would remember how God had helped them. Unfortunately, the exact site of the stone is unknown today. The words fit well with the sentiment expressed in the hymn: O Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me ever to adore Thee, May I still Thy goodness prove, While the hope of endless glory Fills my heart with joy and love. The words of the hymn remind us that God is truly the fount of every blessing, Who deserves our worship and our praise. Although the words, Here I raise my Ebenezer sound obscure to us, they do express the sincere attitude of gratitude we should have to God Who is our help in time of trouble.

Well said. FYI- this same expression is use as a title of a book written by the late Mack Lyon about his life serving the Lord. No other man have I known has been so mindful of the help he received from God. Good article, thank you. Glad to see some of my articles being more broadly circulated.

The Philistines received word that the children of Israel journeyed to Mizpeh and went there against them. The children of Israel pled for Samuel to continue to pray to the Lord for them that they may be spared from the Philistines.

Samuel offered a lamb as a burnt offering and then cried out unto the Lord for Israel. The Lord heard his prayers. This state of dismay allowed Israel to prevail. Samuel memorialized the victory and set a stone between Mizpeh and Shen. We often find ourselves guilty of the reliance on superstition, formality, or the worship of external symbols in times of spiritual stagnancy, turmoil, or discontent.

But the stone of Ebenezer should signify to us that trusting in anything or anyone short of Christ is a precursor to failure.

In defeat or failure, we must repent from misplaced trust and from leaving Christ out of the equation. If we recognize our misplaced trust and reverse course, He is there faithful to forgive, grant us mercy, and provide his guidance and protection.

Chad is a believer in Christ, attorney at law, wannabe golfer, runner, dog lover, and writer. He enjoys serving his church as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. Whenever the Israelites would pass by the stone, they would remember what they were capable of, and how the LORD acted on their behalf.

So when people today refer to setting up an Ebenezer, they are using something physical to remind them of spiritual truth, especially God's faithfulness and goodness. For example, in the future I will be setting a bottle of real maple syrup on our table at each meal. It will serve as a reminder and as my Ebenezer. Why a bottle of maple syrup? It's a reminder to me of my sin; to be specific, my stinginess. The other person in my household wanted real maple syrup on his pancakes this morning.

But that stuff is expensive! It's too precious. I need it for cooking certain recipes. Needless to say, I didn't choose my battle very wisely, and I had a meltdown.