How often we sing this familiar hymn without knowing what the words mean. What is an Ebenezer, anyway? We must go the first book of Samuel to find out. The story is related about a series of battles between Israel and the Philistines near a small town named, "Ebenezer." This region, about twenty five miles northwest of Jerusalem, was a favorite site for such battles. According to the biblical account, in one of these battles the Israeli army was defeated with a loss of 4,000 soldiers. When the news of this great tragedy reached the camp of Israel, there was great mourning. They reached the conclusion that the reason for the defeat was that God was not with them, and they decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle at Shiloh and put it before the troops in the next battle. When the Ark arrived in camp, the people shouted so loudly that the earth shook. The next day the battle continued, and there was even a greater slaughter of 30,000 Israelis. Even the Ark was captured by the enemy, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed. The wife of Phinehas was pregnant, and when she heard the news, she went into labor and gave birth to a son whom she called "Ichabod", meaning, "The Glory Has Departed." When Eli heard the news that the Ark had been captured, he fell out of his chair and broke his neck.
Subsequently, the Philistines suffered a great plague in which many died, and they decided it was a curse caused by the Ark, so they sent it back on an oxcart. When the Ark arrived in the Israeli camp, there was great rejoicing and celebration. Samuel prayed and made an offering to the Lord, and the next time the Philistines attacked, they were completely routed, and they never bothered Israel again during all the days of Samuel. To commemorate this great victory, Samuel set up a stone monument and called it "Ebenezer" saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord led us" (1 Sam. 7:12). This was a "stone of remembrance," and whenever the children of Israel looked at it they would remember their great victory.
We also need to be reminded of God's guidance, providence, and blessings. We are told that "We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us" (Testimony to Ministers, p 31). We need to raise "stones of remembrance" or banners or standards in our homes and churches and in our nation to remind us of our heritage, and the way the Lord has led us as a people of prophecy. Just as we place tombstones to remember loved ones from the past and sculptures such as Mt. Rushmore to remember heroes, so we need to hold before our children and one another a standard of righteousness and victory; that standard is the Holy Scriptures. We must "sound the battle cry and raise the standard high for the Lord." In these days of apostasy and spiritual indifference, it is time to "raise your Ebenezer."
