This evening as I settled down to do my devotions, a much loved hymn came to mind and its sweet words wafted through the recesses of my mind: youtube/watch?v=gD9tCHpINUA In the second verse, are the words Here I raise my Ebenezer. For the longest time, I did not know what this meant till I came across the origins of this word. In 1 Samuel 4:1-11, the Israelites without the explicit instruction from God took the Ark of the Covenant onto the battlefield against the Philistines in hope of it bringing them a divinely assured victory. They lost and as a result of the Philistines captured the Ark and it was not returned until many months later (1 Samuel 6:1-2). Later after the Prophet Samuel offered prayer and a sacrifice, the Israelites prevail over the Philistines. In commemoration, Samuel takes a stone, names it אבן העזר (Eben-Ezer) which means Stone of Help and erects a monument. It is this to which the writer of the hymn was referring Christ as his Stone of Help. Truly, Christ is our rock and our foundation, a sure a present help on this journey we call life.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 00:15:39 +0000
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