Ebenezer…What The Dickens Does It Mean?

Charles Dickens authored story titled A Christmas Carol. Ever heard of it? The main character in the story was Ebenezer Scrooge. I’m not going to rehash that story, because you all know what the story is about…old Ebenezer Scrooge is stingy and doesn’t like Christmas, ghosts from the past, present, and future haunt him on Christmas Eve, he wakes up on Christmas morning a changed man, which in this case means, generous.

OK…so I did rehash the story, but then again, you read along while I rehashed it!

I’m not really concerned about Scrooge in this post, but I am very interested in his first name, ‘Ebenezer’. You see, Ebenezer is a Bible word. And the Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 7:12 that the prophet Samuel named a rock ‘Ebenezer’.

So now we have two ‘Ebenezers’! The name ‘Ebenezer’ we find is in reality a Hebrew word which means stone of help (eben=stone, ezer=help). I’m not sure if this was of any significance for Charles Dickens when he picked this name for the main character in his story, but when Samuel named the stone in 1 Samuel 7 ‘Ebenezer’, the name took on a great theological significance for Israel.

Let’s set the context, very quickly. Israel has been in the Promised Land for around 300-400 years. During this time in the Canaan, they have repeatedly fallen into sin followed by captivity or oppression from the Canaanite tribes around them. After a period of time God sends a Judge, Israel repents, and God delivers them from their oppressors. The context of 1 Samuel 7 is no different.

Israel has sinned once again. They have added pagan rituals into the worship of Jehovah. (1Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25) God promised to judge the house of Eli because of these pagan practices. (1Samuel 2:34) And, just as God promised, Eli’s two sons are killed on the same day as they carry the Ark of the Covenant into war. Eli dies and the Ark of the Covenant is taken from Israel by the Philistines. (1 Samuel 4:11, 17-18)

God miraculously brings the Ark back to Israel, where after being profaned by the Israelites of Beth-shemesh, God slaughters some of the people. (1 Samuel 5, 6) So the men of Beth-shemesh send the Ark to Kirjath-jearim, where it remains for twenty years. (1 Samuel 7:1-2)

During all of this time, the Philistines ‘oppress’ Israel. The Philistines have taken control, as it were, of the land that had been promised to Israel. But also during this time, Samuel is faithful to preach the Words of God to Israel. His message to Israel is,

“If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 7:3)

Over time the message sinks in and Israel’s heart is turned towards Jehovah once again. And God fulfills the promise that He has made through the mouth of his prophet, Samuel. Samuel gathers all of Israel at Mizpeh where they fast before the Lord. When the Philistines hear that Israel has congregated at Mizpeh, they send their armies to put down what they presume is an insurrection.

When Israel hears that the Philistines are coming they are afraid. contrast this with the rashness and over-confidence twenty years earlier as they assume that God will not let them lose to the pagan Philistines. This time is different. They have been broken. Instead of making sure God was on their side, they make sure this time to be on God’s side.

And God thunders from heaven against the Philistines, who are then easily routed by the Israelite armies. As Israel returns from the battlefield, Samuel sets up a stone as a monument to mark the occasion. He calls the stone ‘Ebenezer’.

As he does this he is making known to all Israel that God is their Rock. But he is also reminding Israel of their past. He calls the stone Ebenezer because, “Till now the LORD has helped us.”

Till now…As Samuel utters these words, he does not only acknowledge God’s help in the battle that was fought that day, but he acknowledges God’s help throughout Israel’s history. From the time that God called Abram out of Ur, to the exodus out of Egypt, to the crossing of the Jordan, through all of the battles and conquests, Samuel tells Israel, “God did it all.”

When Robert Robinson penned the words to Come Thou Fount, he remembered Samuel’s words at Mizpeh. He then applied those words to his own life,

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer, Hither by Thy grace I’ve come…”

These are good words. They are words that we need to continually be reminded of. As we pass through each day that God has given us, we must never forget where He has brought us from. And with that recognition we must daily acknowledge His grace in our lives. The only reason the Apostle Paul could give for his status as an Apostle was,

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1Co 15:10 ESV)

This too, is our testimony, I am what I am only by the grace of God. Hither by God’s grace we’ve come. It was God who knew us before we were, who created us, who sent His Son to die for us, who raised His Son from the dead, who sent His Spirit to seal us, and it is God who will bring us safely home. And all of that apart from any merit on our part.

Raise your Ebenezer.

Jehovah Went Down To Ashdod

1 SAMUEL 5

Introduction: Chapter four of 1 Samuel leaves us stunned. We are still early in Israel’s history and God has fought against them, has been ‘captured’ by the Philistines, and has taken his glory from Israel. Either God is not as strong as we all thought he was, isn’t as faithful as we all thought, or he isn’t one to be trifled with. As we will see today, the last answer is the right answer. God is strong, and he is faithful to his promises and people. But he certainly is not a God to be trifled with. He is not a God like all other gods, a God who needs men to work for him, feed him, or defend him. He is presented in Scripture as the God who creates, cares for, and defends mankind. And he will be honored as the God who can do and does all of these things. When he is not honored as such, he shows himself strong against those who do not honor him, whether it is Israel, the Philistines, or America.

I. God Among Other gods verses 1-5

A. The Philistines’ mistaken knowledge of God verse 1-2
B. Dagon’s worship of God verse 3
C. The death of Dagon verses 4-5

II. God Among The Philistines verses 6-12

A. The ‘heaviness’ of God verses 6, 11
B. God in Ashdod verses 6-8
C. God in Gath verses 8-9
D. God in Ekron verses 10-12

Conclusion: Although the Philistines, and perhaps even Israel, thought that God had been conquered in the battle at Ebenezer, we find that the truth of the matter is that God has never been conquered, he has never lost a battle, no matter how much it may appear to be so. The disciples of Christ thought that he had lost the battle when he died. But Christ was the victor in death and this is proved by his resurrection. He won the war at the cross. He is not losing battles in the world now, no matter what it may seem to be. When we see hearts bow before him, submitting to his rule, then we know that he is completing his victory. When we see those who reject him, we still know that he has never lost any of his own. When we see all the wars being fought and it appears that evil is winning, God is still victorious. God is putting all nations under the feet of Christ. We don’t see the end now, but we understand that it is to be so, because God has willed it.

Theology for Doxology

God Goes To War

1 SAMUEL 4
Introduction: Chapters 4 through 7 of 1 Samuel are commonly referred to as the ‘Ark Narrative’. In these chapters, the focus shifts from Samuel to the Ark of the Covenant. Samuel is not mentioned again until chapter 7. God is showing his might in these chapters. He does not need Israel to defend him. He can fight his own battles. The first of these battles is against Israel. Israel is defeated with a large casualties as God fights against them and fulfills his prophecy concerning Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Meanwhile, the Philistines ‘take the Ark into captivity’. But God is not captive. He continues to wage his war, now against the Philistines. In the end, through miraculous means, the Ark returns to Israel and the Philistines are defeated.
Today, we will focus on chapter 4. In this chapter God fights against Israel because of their sins and perverted worship, and then goes into ‘captivity’. The saddest word in any language is spoken, and an orphan must bear this word as his name for the rest of his life, “Ichabod”, meaning “No Glory”.

I. War With The Philistines verses 1-4

A. The initial defeat of Israel verses 1-2
B. Why? verse 3
C. A grave decision verses 3-4

II. God Goes To War verses 5-11

A. God is in the camp verses 5-7, Joshua 5:13-14
B. Israel and Philistia respond verses 5, 7-9
C. Is God with the Philistines? verses 10-11

III. The Glory Departs verses 12-22

A. Eli’s Response verses 12-18
B. Ichabod verses 19-22

IV. The Glory Of God Meets With Us In Christ John 1:14-18, Hebrews 1:1-4

A. He is

1. King, Hebrews 7
2. Priest, Hebrews 7
3. Sacrifice, Hebrews 10.

B. He dwells among us. John 1:14, Revelation 1:13, 21:3

Conclusion: May we always recognize that God is not our servant. We must understand that even those things that represent God’s presence do not guarantee his presence (Bibles, prayer, baptism, Lord’s Supper, church buildings, etc). We must remember that God has created us, he has chosen us, he has saved us, and he will fight his own wars.

Theology for Doxology

The God Who Speaks

1 SAMUEL 3

Introduction: One thing that is always assumed in Scripture is this, God speaks. From Genesis 1 though Revelation 22, one common assumption is that God reveals himself. God is a revealing God, and Christianity is a revealed religion. There are times in history when God is silent, and there are other times when he has spoken in abundance, but there are also those times when a Word from the Lord is rare. Samuel began his life in a time when a Word from God was rare, but his life ends in a time when God’s Word is abundant. Throughout the Monarchial period of Israel, God sends his prophets time and time again to the Kings for counsel, admonition, punishment, and reward. Samuel is the first of these prophets, the prophet by which God institutes the Monarchy.
The rarity of the Word of God in Samuel’s beginning days indicates two things to us concerning his time. It is a dark time, this darkness will be highlighted as Israel asks to be relieved of God’s rule in favor of a King. And it is a time of displeasure from God, God has slowed his revelation so much that we can only think that he must be angry at Israel’s repeated disobedience. But even in this time of darkness and divine displeasure, God will show his faithfulness to his covenant once again, and speak to Samuel as he sleeps in the Tabernacle of God’s presence, calling him to a life of service as God’s prophet.

I. The Setting verses 1-3

A. Samuel Is Ministering
B. God Is Silent
C. Eli Is Blind

II. God Calls Samuel verses 4-14

A. God’s Persistence
B. Eli’s Dim Perception
C. Samuel’s Prophecy

III. Samuel Begins His Ministry verses 15-21

A. His Fear
B. He Speaks
C. His Fame

Conclusion: We live in a day like Samuel’s. A Word from God is rare, not because we do not have it (counting the Spanish, Greek, New Testaments, and different translations of the English Bible in my office, I have 32, +1 at work, +2 for my kids, and hundreds of books about the Bible), but because it is not proclaimed. God has spoken and he has spoken clearly, but where are his preachers? We can always hear about someone’s experience, or some practical lessons on marriage, parenting, finances, or any other topic, but our time is calling out for men who will speak God’s Words. God’s Word is rare also, because those who have God’s Word preached to them are dull of hearing. There is no evidence of God’s Word at work in their lives. Hearing God’s Word must also involve practicing his Word. May God grant us the mouths to speak, the ears to hear, and the hands to do his Word.

Theology for Doxology

The Anger And Favor Of God

1 SAMUEL 2:22-36

Introduction: In this passage we see a life devoted to God, a life devoted to family, and two lives devoted to self. Only one of these lives receives God’s favor. The message of the prophet is a message of love for God, abandonment of the world, mortification of self, judgment upon sin, and the good news of a coming priest.

I. The Sins Of The Sons

A. Perverted Worship verses 12-17
B. Perverted Lives verses 22-25, 29

II. The Sins Of The Father

A. Hypocritical Service verse 29
B. Hypocritical Worship verse 29

III. The Judgment Of God

A. Immediate Judgment verse 34
B. Future Judgment verses 30-33, 36

IV. The Favor Of God

A. A Devoted Life (Samuel and Aaron Exodus 28:1)
B. Samuel Grows
C. A Faithful Priest (Samuel, Zadok 1 Kings 2:27, 35, Christ Heb 7:11)

Conclusion: Unlike the Ninevites, Eli did not receive this message of impending judgment with repentance. Instead Hophni and Phinehas are hardened and Eli is ambivalent, knowing the message to be true, yet he puts the vision in a category of ‘someday’. But today is the day of repentance. (2 Cor. 6:2) In Christ is the favorable time, and in him is our salvation. Turn from your sins to Christ or face the judgment of Almighty God. The day of his judgment is only a heartbeat away. Christ is the Priest who has offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for sins forever.
This message is for believers as well. Show your faith in Christ by living a life devoted to the worship of God. Love him, and love other as you do your own self.

Theology for Doxology

The Proper Worship Of God

1 SAMUEL 2:12-21

Introduction: In this lesson we will see the families of Eli and Elkanah contrasted. Eli is pictured as a good man who loves his children more than God (2:29), while Elkanah and Hannah are pictured as faithful servants who love God more than their only son. Not only is their attitudes towards God very different, but their attitudes before God’s people is different. Finally, God’s pronouncements on the different families are very different. While Elkanah and his family are blessed, Eli and his family will be cursed.
Some lessons we will learn here are very important. God must be worshiped as he has commanded. We are to come together as Christians to give of ourselves…not to receive. We must learn that our own actions in worship can cause others to fall short of their goal of worship. And finally, God’s blessings upon us should cause us to worship him, and not to focus on what we can do to merit God’s blessing.

I. The Sons Of Eli Verses 12-17

A. Their Description verse 12

1. Sons Of Belial
2. Did Not Know The Lord

B. Their Custom verses 13-16 Lev. 7:22-36

1. Taking More Than Their Allotment
2. Taking The Lord’s Part

C. Their Sin verse 17

1. Before The Lord
2. Before Men

II. The Family Of Elkanah Verses 18-21

A. Samuel Ministered Before The Lord verse 18
B. Hannah Equipped Samuel To Serve verse 19
C. Elkanah Was Faithful To The Lord verses 19, 20
D. God Blesses Elkanah And His Family verse 21

Conclusion: We must be careful to remember that nothing we do can earn God’s favor or blessing. Really it is just the opposite. God’s goodness to us and His blessings upon us should cause us to serve Him faithfully with the whole heart.
We must also remember that God has commanded in Scripture how we are to worship Him. When we disregard those commandments it will inevitably lead us to the blatant disobedience of God. And this sin does not affect only ourselves, but we cause men and women to sin by taking lightly the worship of God.

Theology for Doxology

Hannah’s Prayer

1 SAMUEL 2:1-11
Introduction: If we didn’t get the point that the birth of Samuel was special in the first chapter, then we certainly can’t miss that point in chapter 2. The only other places in Scripture where a birth is attended with this much fanfare is found in the Gospels. Those births are of John the Baptist and Jesus. And here in Samuel, we get a look into the future as Hannah sings her prayer to God, a prayer that foreshadows Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46-55. We get to see Samuel ministering before God in the tabernacle at Shiloh as he prepares the way for King David, while in the future another Levite, John the Baptist, will minister before God in the wilderness as he prepares the way for Shiloh to come.
(The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Genesis 49:10) Before when Hannah prayed, she prayed silently while only her lips moved. Now she is emboldened by her God’s deliverance and offers up her prayer as a song to be sung throughout generations.

I. Hannah’s Worship verses 1-3

A. Her Deliverance

1. Her joy is in God
2. Her strength is from God
3. Her boldness is by God’s salvation

B. Her God

1. Holy
2. Solitary
3. The Rock (Deut. 32:4)

C. Her Admonition

1. Humble yourself
2. God knows and judges

II. God’s Rule verses 4-8a

A. God’s Choice

1. God has chosen the weak, hungry, barren, dead, and poor.
2. He has rejected the strong, full, fertile, living, and rich.

B. God’s Choice Is To Show His Power (1 Cor. 1:26-31)

III. God’s Kingdom verses 8b-10

A. His Creation
B. His Judgments

1. He guards the faithful.
2. He destroys the wicked.

a. Preface to the judgemnt on Eli’s house

C. His King

1. In the Kingdom of Israel
2. In the Kingdom of God

a. Anointed=Messiah

Conclusion: Verse 11 ends this section very simply. Elkanah and his family go home while Samuel stays and ministers before the Lord. Hannah’s blessing in Samuel was used as a blessing for the whole nation of Israel. And this should be a lesson for us. The blessings God gives us are not only for our enjoyment, but are to be used to,

1. Motivate us to worship God,
2. Edify God’s people, and
3. Remind us of the coming Kingdom.

Theology for Doxology

A New Hope

1 SAMUEL 1
Introduction: The Book of Samuel begins much like the Book of Luke, so don’t be surprised when you see these foreshadowings of the Gospels when they come up. I’ll try to point them out as we come upon them. But, like in Luke, a Levite family has traveled to the Tabernacle (Temple by Luke’s time) for one of the yearly feasts. The Levite’s wife is barren. In any case, both stories begin as though things are normal. But this year, things are not normal, because in Luke, Zechariah and Elizabeth are promised a son who would be the forerunner of the great King and in Samuel, Elkanah and Hannah have been promised a son who is the forerunner of King David. In many ways, the books of 1 and 2 Samuel (actually one book in the earliest manuscripts) could just as easily be called the books of David, because the events that take place after Ruth, where David’s genealogy is given, are all building up to the moment where David is crowned King of Israel. Could he be the promised one? No, he is not. But he is the ancestor of that Great King! Let’s listen in now on Hannah’s prayer to God and subsequent conversation with the high priest, Eli.
I. The Heritage of Samuel verses 1-10

A. His Land
B. His Genealogy (1 Chronicles 6:22-28, 33-38)
C. His Mother

1. The first of two wives
2. Barren-by God’s will
3. She was loved
4. She was mocked

II. Hannah’s Prayer verses 11-18

A. Her God-Lord Sabaoth
B. Her cry- Look, Remember, and do not Forget (Exodus 2:23-25, 3:7)
C. Her petition
D. Her promise
E. Her conversation with Eli

III. Her Prayer is Answered verses 19-20

A. God remembers
B. Samuel-Heard of God

IV. Hannah’s Promise Honored verses 21-28

A. Hannah doesn’t go!
B. Preeminence of God in the family
C. Hannah makes good on her promise

Conclusion: What started out as a normal yearly ritual turned into something far better! The barren woman has given birth to Samuel the prophet. And the blessings would continue for Hannah. After Samuel is given to the Lord, she is blessed by God with three more sons and two daughters. The last sentence of chapter one says, “So they worshiped the Lord there.” Next week we’ll see Hannah’s song of praise, but listen to the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 113.
Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

Theology for Doxology