Sabbath Reflections

Taranaki Daily News, 27 July 1935, Page 9 (Supplement)

Sabbath Reflections

THE EBENEZER STONE OLD TESTAMENT INCIDENT. "HITHERTO GOD HAS HELPED US.” "Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah arid Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped t us’.”—l. Sam., 7-12. In the chapter from which the text i, taken is one of the memorable incidents of the Old Testament. What the cenotaph or the tomb of the Unknown Warrior is to the. Empire to-day, so was the Ebenezer stone to the ancient people of God. You are to imagine it, however, as set up, not in the busy thoroughfares of their chiefest city or in the sacred precints of their most holy temple, but in the midst of the green upland pastures, among the . hills and beside the highway. There, like Ruth in the comfields. . stood this ■ rough unchiselled monolith, deliberately set there as a stone of remembrance and encouragement. • •

It marked a magnificent. victory just accomplished. Under Samuel’s wise and just leadership the people had returned to their- allegiance to God and had built up anew the character and greatness of the state. But even for God’s people there is no assurance of ease and no promise of exception - from suffering, difficulty and peril.Sq -against this nation came their hereditary . foe,- the Philistines.-, You can imagine them, pressing up the passes to attack the army of Israel, camped beside Mizpah, a little to the North of Jerusalem. The.,lsraelites were making their .-final disposition for the battle; they were strengthening their , confidence in God. Stepping forward Samuel takes a ewer of water and pours it upon the -ground. See it flashing in the bright eastern sunlight! It is a beautiful and .significant -symbol, indicative that prophet and people freely and willingly poured out their penitence and confession of sins before God, hopeful of His -forgiveness and goodwill. As the enemy "drew nearer and shouts of alarm were raised the great prophet takes a lamb and sacrifices .it upon a rough- altar of stones to signify the entire surrender, of the people to God and His holy .purposes. While the smoke of the burnt offering ascended and the enemy- pressed up the final slopes the sky became darkened, the wind rose, the thunder crashed, and a pitiless squall of-rain lashed the faces of the enemy. Thr - the Israelites arose, and after the fashion of the clans familiar in our Highland story, rushed down upon the foe. The Philistines were driven backward and so utterly discomfited that never again in Samuel's reign did they come within the borders of the chosen people, and even the nations had peace round about.

With., that magnificent victory stirring their . minds and hearts we cannot wonder that .there .was set up a stone of remembrance; and we can easily imagine Samuel standing beside it, and with im/pressive. gesture uttering the words of the text' “This is the witness that the Eternal. has helped us” (Moffatt); or to use the better khown words, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” (A.Y.). Tire verse is usually read as denoting a chain of similar mercies of God; an unbroken succession of like divine interpositions and’ deliverances; as including in its historic sweep all the triumphs of the Lord from the day when Pharoah and hi., hosts were overthrown in the Red Fea to the recent glorious victory. It is- possible that this is one .of those utterances —memorable, great and thoroughly appropriate to the occasion, but yet not completely true. In the stress of high emotion' we sometimes .unwittingly become hyperbolic and give way to exaggeration. Has it been so here? Did, actually, God’s people always enjoy ascendancy and the fruits of victory? Had Samuel, for the moment, forgotten those humiliating centuries of exile and .ec-'- 1 ->m in Egypt;’that disgraceful rout at the not far distant Ai, where the Israelities at their first entrance into, the land had been scattered like autumn leaves before the winter’s blast; had he no remembrance of that poignant tragedy upon the very adjoining fields, where only a score of years before the blood of 30,000 of their men at arms, the very flower of their, chivalry, had darkened f thq earth, and the hosts had been crushmgly-' defeated and 'the yery. „Ark of the Lord taken? ~’••• x ’ We like to believe that with diviner judgment Samuel included all the past; the light and shadow, victory and defeat; for he saw God’s hand and good purpose in everything. It is, we are profoundly Convinced, a mistaken notion which sees, God, only in the flowers, the springtime, the" bright days and in Kappiness, success and visible progress, A view of

life which excludes God and His overruling providence from the winter, grief, disappointment, hardship, reverse and defeat is not a wise, a just or a helpful- one. We ourselves do not expect the child to perceive the father’s love and protecting care’ in the chastening rod, the corrections, the withheld gifts; but nevertheless they may be truly there. And oftimes ours is but a child-like view of- life, and God, and the Universe; and thus our “hitherto” is apt to mean only the grace and joys of God and not His disciplines, the bright and shining phases of existence and not the deep waters and the dark valleys. That “hitherto” should be a great and comprehensive word, inclusive of all that has gone before, for always it is good for man that he was afflicted. It is really only because of setbacks, failures and defeats that we learn and grow and are perfected to be and do. Did not trial and suffering play this very part in Jesus’ life—“He was made perfect thereby.” Thus you see how wise it was of the old prophet to set up this Ebenezer stone, actually between Mizpah and Shen—the field of victory and the field of defeat; an altar of remembrance; a silent voice of wisest discernment concerning life a. strange and diverse experiences; a visible and unlifted symbol proclaiming hope and encouragement to every passer-by. To-day there needs to be set up in our troubled and distraught world just such a stone of help and strengthening. These are depressing and chastening times. The whole world is as the troubled sea. The nations are filled with suspicion and distrust and are feverishly sensitive and aggressively anxious to. assert themselves and their rights,' despite aU others. The peoples of the earth are unsettled, scarcely knowing what is wise, or good, or best for. themselves,, pathetic sheep without a shepherd. The Church of God lias become permeated with the spirit of the world; the Eternal’s. character and holy will have become darkened and obscured. In these, strangely difficult and >et awfully portentous days the world needs! a prophet in every town and community to set up j stone of remembrance on which shall be written, “Hitherto hath- the Lord helped us;”’ and the Psalmist’s words, “The Lord reigneth, be the earth ever, so disturbed. He sitteth between the cherubim, be the peoples ever so unquiet.” . And so in our- personal • life!’. Living amid strong tides of worldliness and indifferentism, With our mind confused by many problems—social, political and religious—with our. faith weakened by lack of private and public devotion we need someone t’B point us again to God, Who is ever the same, yesterday, to-day and forever, almighty in power and wisdom, infinite in love and tender mercy,. His gracious providence Over all and causing all things to work together toward His appointed ends. We need again and daily to renew our allegiance to God, to open our hearts to the entrance of His divine spirit, to trust Him to lead us in the accomplishment of that unto which He has called us.

We are told that on the northern slopes of the Ochil mountains in. Scotland there exists far up among the hills a curious stone called the "Ebenezer” stone. On its upper edge, deeply engraved, is the word “Ebenezer”; on one side, in Latin, is an inscription which says, “Here but of darkness fight shone forth; therefore glory be to the Father, the Sori and the Holy Ghost, my God; an ' the name of this place is Light.” On the other side are the well known words of Isaiah, “Who : is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of Jlls Servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God." ... What is the meaning of it all? The stone is the record of a soul’s history. More than 100 years ago a stranger came to those parts and set up as a sheep farmer. He was reserved, moody, distant. He had l>een trained for the ministry but owing to theological doubts had never taken orders. For long he was under the- cloud, walking in darkness and agony, until one blessed day on that lone hillside the fight shone upon his troubled soul and he found God again, and peace. So he, like the ancient, set up his stone of remembrance, and there it still stands, an encouragement to every troubled and benighted soul who sees or hears of it. Let us-never in any of life’s circumstances lose faith and hope, but ever remember:— . , He Who hath helped thee hitherto Will help thee al’bthy journey through. . Before us lie the hills, sunlit with promise,. . Fairer fulfilments than the past could know, t> New growths of soul, new leadings of the spirit, And all the glad surprises God will show.