Tuesday 26 August 2008
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us'." (v.12)
Background
Most of us do not instantly recognise Eben-Ezer as the Hebrewwords for 'stone of helping'. Yet in villages across Britain, andbeyond, we may come across an Ebenezer chapel. These buildings wereprobably built in the 1800s by Christians who found parallelsbetween their own journey and that of the Israelites in the OldTestament. It was their own way of saying, "This is the place whereGod has helped us".
There are several moments in the Old Testament where a rock orstone is set aside as a lasting reminder of a moment of commitmentor significant place for the Israelites. After seeing the celestialladder which rose up to heaven Jacob anointed a stone pillar to be"God's house" (
The battles between Israelites and Philistines may seem a long timeago - until we substitute the words with Israelis and Palestinians.In today's news we so often read about people who see theirconflicts in religious terms, each believing that their cause is aGod-given mission and that God will be their helper.
To Ponder
Today, do you have any sense of belonging to agroup of people on a shared spiritual journey?
Do you see God as one who helps you in yourbattles or as one who calls you to help in God's mission?
Where are there places (natural or constructed)that serve as landmarks or milestones on the life-journey that youhave travelled?