Raising an Ebenezer in the Presence of Your Enemy

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12

Have you ever felt like the enemy was breathing down the back of your neck? Heard the warning signal indicating danger is ahead? Perhaps you have become fearful in these moments. Or maybe you became prideful and tried to take on the enemy by yourself. I have reacted in both manners, fearfully and pridefully. But God has shown me faithfulness, repeatedly, when I have put my faith in Him alone.

In our verse today the Israelites are about to face one of their greatest enemies, the Philistines. As Samuel summons the people to the hill of Mizpah to meet the Philistines, they could hear the thundering approach of their adversary. They become fearful and ask Samuel to cry out to God for help on their behalf.

A little back story may be helpful. For the past 20 years, the Israelites have been distant from the Lord. The ark had been taken from them, and in place of God, they had adopted many foreign gods. At this point they are just getting the ark back and returning to a relationship with God.

Return to the Lord

Have you ever cried out to God, “LORD, help me!” and then just sat there and waited for God to act upon your demand? The Israelites may have tried that, too, but Samuel challenges them to do more. He says in 1 Samuel 7:3, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only.”

Often we cry out to God to do something on our behalf, but it comes with unspoken conditions. Like, heal me from my addiction, but don’t make me uncomfortable. Or, asking God to give your life a deeper purpose, but then set conditions—don’t intrude upon my leisure time or ask me to give up my hobby budget. If we are honest, we, too, have accumulated idols we don’t want to give up. So, I challenge you today. If you want to return to the Lord with all your heart, then rid yourself of the idols and commit yourself to God.

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 4:3-5

I love how gracious God is with me. How very gentle and sweet He is when I have messed up. I love how the Lord assures me with His promises. Just like God promises to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Philistines, He declares victory over our enemies, too. So we need to keep our commitment to Him, put away our idols, and serve only the Lord.

Don’t Hold Back

I am glad to see the people of Israel willing to dethrone their false gods. The Israelites confess to God, “We have sinned against the Lord.” They also repent by pouring water on the ground “before the Lord,” and they follow up by fasting (1 Samuel 7:5-6). These actions prove their intent to serve only the One True God.

I have been in a spiritual battle for about a year now regarding how I spend my time. In my time with Him, God has been dealing with me regarding some things—sin, to be honest. There have been places I have been disobedient to God and allowed other pursuits to come before Him and His plans for me. I have cried out to God for help. I have confessed my sin and even repented about it. However, I still tried to control how much I will give the Lord. Guess what? He wants it all.

Sin is not always illegal or taking part in something wrong. Sin is knowing what God wants from you and not doing it.

The enemy will try to trick you, as he did me. He has been using the same strategies since Eve,  saying, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). So, no, the part I held back from God may not have been wrong in its own right; however, God said to let it go. If you continue to make excuses for not obeying, it won’t be long before you have taken a bite of something you can’t spit out.

Go get yourself a prayer partner.

When the Israelites heard the Philistines were about to attack, they shuddered. At the point of fear, they went to Samuel and said to him, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” When the going got tough, the tough sought prayer.

When I recognized I did not need to fight this battle on my own, I asked for my prayer warriors to join me in prayer. Just like Samuel cried out to the Lord on behalf of the Israelites, my warriors petitioned on my behalf. And the Lord answered.

God will THUNDER on your behalf.

The Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. Let’s read together what happened next:

“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 the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.”

1 Samuel 7:10-11

God took control of the situation and maneuvered the battle to a place where the Israelites would win. I wondered why didn’t God make the enemy go away and avoid the fight altogether?

Sometimes, God will fight the actual battle for you. Other times, He will fight the battle through you. The power of God to win the fight is the same in both situations. God wins the battle either way. God will teach you essential lessons in both cases. So trust God to know what is best for you.

Now it’s time to raise your Ebenezer

Once the people handed over their idols and kept their promise to worship only the Lord, God destroyed the wall that had separated them for 20 years. Dethroning foreign gods makes room in our hearts to worship and serve the only True God.

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.”

1 Samuel 7:12

Samuel takes a stone and sets it up as a monument. He names it “Ebenezer,” which means the stone of help. Using a stone as a memorial to remind generation after generation of God’s past victories helps us gain confidence and strength for our current battles.

It is so easy to collect idols and be unaware of the place they have set themselves up in our lives. So, if you feel the breath of a Philistine chasing after you, follow the example of Samuel and the Israelite. Confess your faults to the Lord, repent authentically, and offer something back to the Lord as you prepare a place to set up your Ebenezer.

Our Father in heaven, I place at your feet those things I have held onto for too long. I confess, like the Israelites, I have sinned against you. Please forgive me. I will set up a memorial of praise to you as a remembrance for the millions of battles you have already won on my behalf. To you be all the glory. Amen.