Title Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12-14)
Contents
February 18th was the 20th anniversary of our founding. During my prayers, I thought of the grace of God who helped me up to this point. So, I prepared a sermon under the title of 'Ebenezer' based on the main text, and I am going to share it with you today.
'Ebenezer' is the name of the monument that Samuel built and placed a stone monument between Mizpah and Shen, the battle site of victory after Samuel's victory over the Philistines. It means, as we well know, "the Lord has helped us up to this point." But there is one thing we must remember. It is the fact that 20 years ago, in the same place and in the same battle against the Philistines, the Israelites suffered a great defeat. See 1 Samuel 4:1. “The word of Samuel was preached to all Israel, and Israel went out and camped by Ebenezer to fight the Philistines, and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.”
That was 20 years ago. But 20 years ago, in the battle with Bullet, they lost the 'Ark of God'. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were priests, were killed. At that time, 34,000 Israeli soldiers were killed by the Philistines. And when Eli, the priest, heard the news, he fell from his chair and died. But 20 years later, this battle was won. It was a great victory that was sure enough that the Philistines would never again think of going to war with Israel. What was the difference between this failure 20 years ago and success 20 years later in the battle against the Philistines? There was something clearly and distinctly different. I think that finding this other thing is a very meaningful message given to our church, which is 20 years old today.
1. It was idolatrous.
What did the Israelites do 20 years ago? Priest Eli was spiritually helpless and dull. And his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were world-centered priests, not God-centered. They valued eating and drinking more than worshiping God. And the people worshiped idols.
A man died in a dream, and a grim reaper appeared and asked where he wanted to go to heaven or hell. If there was a choice, he said he would compare the two and decide. When I looked at the heavens, I always seemed bored with only singing praises to God. But when I saw Hell, I saw a slender lady dancing at the disco and the people seemed very excited. I thought to myself that I had a hell constitution, and I sinned hard and went to hell. However, it was not the hell I had seen before, but a very hot and painful place. So I protested to the Grim Reaper why it was different from what I showed him then. Then the grim reaper said, well, that was for publicity. it is said
Don't be fooled by publicity.
This age was a rare and dark age. So we have no choice but to serve idols. Among the pagan gods that the Israelites worshiped and followed, Baal and Ashtaroth were the most popular. Baal and Ashtaroth were husband and wife gods, and were the gods of production and sexual immorality. Molexin was also a terrifying god who sacrificed children. These idols still exist all over the world, and countless lives are sacrificed to these gods.
Twenty years ago this couldn't be solved. However, in the second battle 20 years later, as Samuel commanded, Baal and Ashtaroth were eliminated and only the Lord was served. The people gathered at Mizpah repented together, prayed together, and restored their faith together, establishing a community of faith.
2. Prayer was alive.
Twenty years ago, we fought without a prayer meeting. Therefore, the priest took the lead and fought with the ark of the covenant, but in the end it failed. Going to war without prayer is chasing convenience. Praying in sweat may be as inconvenient as building a field in a cauldron in the old days. However, rice cooked in a cauldron can have 9 different flavors by simply adjusting the fire. However, a convenient electric rice cooker can only cook one rice. These days, seedless watermelons, seedless persimmons, seedless grapes, and more. why? Be convenient Yes, but the absence of seeds means that they have no value as seeds. Now that the seeds have been removed, is it a real fruit? I lost my fertility. I would say that is the perfect life.
Like the seedless fruit, the Christian without prayer is lifeless.
A life without prayer may be convenient, but you will not taste the subtleties that can taste life's nine. You cannot be blessed.
However, 20 years later, before the battle with the Philistines began, all the people gathered at Mizpah and held a prayer meeting. Because of that, God gave us victory.
From Genesis to Revelation, when did God help you the most? It's time to pray. That's why Psalm 50:15 says, "Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me." In 2 Chronicles 14, when Serah the Cushite attacked Judah with a million troops, when King Asa cried out, God heard his prayer and gave him victory.
Please remember that this principle applies to us today as well. If you start something without prayer, it is difficult to succeed. Because they don't want God's help, they do it on their own. We will have to prepare with Mizpah's prayer before big and small things ahead of us. There is no way to overcome the evil forces except through prayer.
3. We built a monument and thanked God.
Even when we fail, we must build a monument to our failure. That way, you can use it as a mirror of why you failed. In order not to make the same failure next time, and even if they have failed, they should write it down so that future generations will not fail. However, even if you wash your eyes, there is no such record in 1 Samuel 4, which records the battle 20 years ago. Only one woman, the daughter-in-law of the priest Eli, and the wife of Benehas, who was pregnant with a child, was pregnant, and her husband died, her father-in-law died, and the ark of the covenant was taken away. It is simply saying that the glory of God has departed.
The history of failure is also history. Even shameful history is history. Do not try to delete this.
We need to build a museum, make a memorial, and make it a history lesson.
According to the legend, after Kim Bu-sik finished writing the "Samguk sagi", the old records that were referenced were completely wiped out. So, the original spirit of our country was lost. Kim Bu-shik was originally a cultist of China, so in his eyes, all words and thoughts from our ancient times were considered insignificant. So, he said it was embarrassing, so he changed it all in Chinese characters and removed the rest of it. That being said, the "Samguksagi" may have more things that were hidden unknowingly than it did about the past. Was it only Kim Bu-shik? It still is. When a new person takes power, the old one tries to erase the traces of it without knowing it. Do you think that's how you feel that you're showing off your work? But such a culture is not developing. Culture develops and develops by preserving even those of the enemy.
Our Hankwang Church has now become a church with 20 years of history. Among the 20 years of history, there will be some that are proud and others that are not. But all of that is the history of our church. I hope that you will become believers who acknowledge and accept this as it is, love the Church, and take pride in the Church.
After Samuel won the battle, he erected a monument to thank God for his help.
When the war against the Philistines was won, the Israelites would have regarded Samuel as a hero. However, Samuel did not fall into narcissism on the spot of victory. He never gave glory to himself. He made it clear that he was victorious only because God helped him. That is why they wanted to erect a memorial stone for Ebenezer.
Just as it is important to pray at the beginning of work, it is important to pray during the process of doing work. And it's also important to thank God after work is done. Many people pray and beg when they are in a hurry, but when the work is done, they often forget the grace. After Samuel set up a 'stone of help' in Ebenezer for the Israelites, he took measures so that the people coming and going would not forget God's grace and serve him well.
What did you say in today's Word when you did this? Verses 13-14 "Then the Philistines gave in and did not come into the territory of Israel again; and the hand of the Lord stopped the Philistines all the days of Samuel's life, and the Philistines took them from Israel. And the city it had been restored to Israel from Ekron to Gath, and Israel restored its four quarters from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorites." This is the correct answer.