1 SAMUEL 7
Cleaning up. The ark had been returned to Israel, but Israel had not returned to the Lord, so Samuel called them to repentance. They put away their foreign gods and then met at Mizpah to renew their covenant with the Lord. For years, God had been preparing Samuel for this strategic ministry, and he rescued the nation.
Looking up. The Philistines thought that the assembly at Mizpah was preparation for war; however, Israel was not equipped for battle. But God’s people use spiritual weapons to defeat the enemy: Samuel prayed, and God sent the enemy back in confusion. Samuel was born in answer to prayer, and he lived in dependence on prayer.
Setting up. Ebenezer means “stone of help.” It was a memorial to God’s helping His people from the beginning to that very day. Missionary J. Hudson Taylor had a plaque in his home that read, EBENEZER and JEHOVAH-JIREH. That means, “Thus far the Lord has helped us—The Lord will see to it.” This takes care of the past and the future, so why worry about the present? God is in control!