I Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us
First Samuel 5-7 is the story of the return of the Ark of the Covenant, which had been taken by the Philistines in battle, to Israel. It is the story of the return of cities Israel had lost. It is the story of the restoration of Israel to God.
In I Samuel 7:12 you find an odd word. It is a good word, but just one we don’t use very often. In verse 10 the Philistines were smitten before Israel, and verse 12 says, “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.” The word is Eben-ezer. Maybe you have sung the hymn “Come Thou Fount.” It is an old hymn with an old word. That hymn has the phrase, “Now I raise my Eben-ezer.” What does that mean? Eben-ezer means “stone of God’s help.” Samuel set up a stone that was to remind them of their rock. God was their Rock and ours. He is solid and unchanging. Samuel says, “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.” In other words, so far so good. Israel had sinned and made mistakes, been defeated, lost the Ark of the Covenant and the manifest presence of God, but now Samuel said, “We need to remember. So far so good.”
I remember years ago hiking up the South Base of Mount Elden in Flagstaff, Arizona. There were a boulder field and some ponderosa pines dispersed among it. As you climbed higher, it pitched at more an angle, the trees disappear, and I went hand over hand up these boulders. At some point I raised up over a ledge and there was obvious evidence that a mountain lion had been staying in those rocks. I remember thinking, “O boy! I’m in the wrong place.” I looked behind me, which went straight down. I did not realize the situation into which I had gotten myself. I felt like I couldn’t go back, but I couldn’t really go forward. I panicked for a moment, then regained my composure and was able to climb out of it.
Maybe you feel like you are in that spot. You can’t go back. You don’t know how to go forward. You are in a tight spot between a rock and a hard place. That is where Israel was and Samuel said, “So far, so good.”
In other words, as you look to the future, it is unknown. Your past and memories are not objective. You have imprinted your memories with some meaning, maybe correct or maybe incorrect, but the future is unknown. I would encourage you to glance back before you look ahead. Samuel said, “We have had some failures and defeats. We have turned from God, but so far so good. Hitherto the LORD has helped us.” Don’t miss God’s mercy.
In I Samuel 7:3 Samuel said, “If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods…” Who had returned? The Ark was returned to Israel, but Israel needed to return to God. What needed to be put away? Israel needed to put away the strange gods, some of the same gods perhaps that the Philistines were worshipping. The Philistines wanted to send the Ark back to Israel because God had judged them for holding the Ark, and now Israel needed to put away their false gods.
God is our Rock. He does not move. Here He gives them an if/then proposition: If you return to God and serve Him only, then He will deliver you.” Don’t look to your past and miss God. If you are just a victim or a hero, you are missing something crucial. None of us have an objective memory. We have a characterized story imprinted on our memory. Look back. Don’t see something that is not there, but acknowledge something that is there. God is there.
Maybe you look ahead and think, “I can’t see the summit, the end of the rocks. I feel like I am squeezed between a rock and a hard place.” Remember that God is good. Don’t miss God’s mercy. In Israel’s case, He subdued enemies, restored loss, and brought peace. Verse 13 says, “So the Philistines were subdued.” They bowed down before the God of Israel.
You are going to have enemies, but God can subdue those enemies. I’m not just talking about people you don’t like. I am talking about challenges, turmoil, and problems that may be embodied in a person, but God can subdue what is before you if you are following Him. He restores loss. Following Him doesn’t mean you are not going to have loss, but God is able to restore. Verse 14 says, “And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel.” God can restore loss.
God can bring peace. Verse 14 says, “And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.” It doesn’t mean you are not going to have enemies, but God is able to subdue. It doesn’t mean you are not going to have loss, but God is able to restore. It doesn’t mean you are not going to have turmoil, but God is able to bring peace.
James tells us that our wars with each other come from our wars within. My problem with other people is oftentimes my problem with myself, selfishness and sinfulness. It is never too soon to return to God and never too late to do what is right if you are still breathing. Samuel said, “Look, a lot has happened. I don’t know about the future, but so far, so good.” When you face an unknown future, glance back before you look ahead.