Originally posted: 11/25/2019

Ebenezer: From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance,“72. אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר ʾeḇen hāʿēzer:  A proper noun designating Ebenezer: The word means “stone of (the) help.”

His incredible grace. Steady, unfailing, the sure and solid rock, our very present help in trouble.

For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God, (Psalm 18:31).

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble, (Psalm 46:1).

Ebenezer, The Stone of The Help. Does it not amaze you, His unshakable, abiding grace? Time and time again, God’s people had turned away, and it is into their rebellious hearts He speaks…

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone, (7:3-4).

He speaks… If you return, I’m here, the Stone of the Help, your Ebenezer.

He hasn’t moved, as though waiting for His prodigals to return.

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him, (Isaiah 30:18).

And if you return… And what does He ask from us? That we return to the place of privileged relationship with Him, Our Ebenezer; to worship, love and serve Him, with all our hearts.

I can’t help but wonder if His grace ever runs out. But thus far…

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us,” (7:12).

Consider Him, Our Ebenezer

Our Ebenezer, The Stone of The Help.

Scripture openly identifies Jesus as the Stone of the Help, Our Ebenezer.

• Jesus, Our Ebenezer is THE STONE, The One and Only, and there is no other.
  • The stone which the builders rejected
    Has become the chief corner stone.
    ²³ This is the Lord’s doing;
    It is marvelous in our eyes, (Psalm 118:22-23).
  • Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
    A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
    He who believes in it will not be disturbed, (Isaiah 28:16).

• Jesus, Our Ebenezer is THE HELP, The One and Only, and there is no other.
  • Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” (John 14:6).
    
  • “…let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. ¹¹ He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:10-12).

How do we respond to Him, Our Ebenezer?

He is  Our Ebenezer, Who longs to be gracious to you…and waits on high to have compassion on you… (Isaiah 30:18).

How can we keep Him waiting? Let us return to Him, to the privileged place of relationship, as we pour out our hearts before Him, Our Ebenezer, in humility and confession.

They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord,” (7:6).

The reality is, we too have sinned against the Lord. But the good news is, IF…

“If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you, (7:3).

• Let us return to Him as we come with all our hearts.
• Let us return to Him as we put away anything challenging Him as the only One worthy of our worship.
• Let us return to Him as we intentionally set our hearts on Him alone.
• Let us return to Him as we desire to serve Him in all we do.

But we cannot return in our own strength. We must return by faith as we depend on Him, Our Ebenezer.

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
³ He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep, (Psalm 121:1-4).

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. ⁷ So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth, (1 Corinthians 2:6-7).

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, (Philippians 1:6).

…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, (Philippians 2:13).

Let us praise Him today; He is Our Ebenezer. He is faithful and “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” He began the good work in us, He causes the growth and He will complete it. He is Our Ebenezer, the Stone of the Help working in us to grow for His good pleasure.

Let’s Grow Together!