Now this is the first turn of the tide against the Philistines, and as they came out he set up that stone, he said, "All right the Lord has helped us this far." The first of the beginning of God's work in bringing them victory over their enemies. Up to this point the Philistines had been beating them at every turn, every battle. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." So this was the beginning of the turn of the tide against the Philistines. So it is healthy sometimes to set up that memorial "Well God has brought me this far, surely He's not gonna leave me now. For the Lord will complete that which concerns you, having begun a good work in your life, He is going to finish it, He's going to complete it. The fact that God has helped me up to this point, gives me assurance He's gonna see me all the way. The help of the Lord in the past is a prophecy of the help of the Lord in the future. If He wanted to dump me, He would've dumped me a long time ago. For God brought me this far not to dump me. You set up Ebenezer, "Well, God brought me this far." Now in that there is always encouragement and hope. Now actually that's something we can set up every day. What in the world are you raising? "Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help that comes." Actually, it's a stone of memorial, it's a memory kind of a stone. Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise." Second verse, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer", and you've probably been singing that all your life. Now we sing the song, "Come the fount of every blessing to my heart to sing thy praise. And then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us ( 1 Samuel 7:1-12 ). And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came to Bethcar. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and discomfited them and they were smitten before Israel. And Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it as a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel and the Lord heard him. And they said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And the children of Israel were afraid of the Philistines. Now when the Philistines heard that they had gathered to Mizpeh, they set up the army against them. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. And so they gathered together at Mizpeh, and they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and he fasted on that day, and said, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. So the children of Israel put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. And Samuel spake to all the house of Israel, saying, If you do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts to the Lord, serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. And it came to pass, while the ark was there at Kirjathjearim, it was there for a long time for twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. The civil administration also centred on Samuel, as he moved in an annual circuit around four major towns where he held district courts to settle disputes (15-17).Īnd so the men of Kirjathjearim came, and they took the ark of the Lord and they brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill, and sanctified Eleazar the son to keep the ark of the Lord. With the destruction of Israel’s tabernacle at Shiloh, the nation’s religious life centred on Samuel, who set up an altar for sacrifice in his home town of Ramah. From this time on, as long as Samuel remained in control of Israel, the Philistines were of no great trouble to Israel (12-14). The Israelites continued to fight against the Philistines till they had driven them from Israel’s territory completely. In response to the people’s repentance and Samuel’s prayers for them, God gave Israel a great victory over the Philistines (7-11). As a civil leader he settled disputes among them (6b). As a religious leader he commanded the people to turn from idols and worship the Lord only, and the people responded (2-6a). During the years of Philistine oppression, Samuel’s position as chief ruler in Israel became firmly established.
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