Today's Reading:

1 Samuel 4
1 Samuel 5
1 Samuel 6
1 Samuel 7
1 Samuel 8

When Samuel set up the stone between Mizpah and Shen and called it Ebenezer- “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12), it wasn’t just a rock in the ground. It was a spiritual marker of gratitude. A visible reminder that victory did not come from war plans, the Ark, or human strength, but from repentance and the mercy of God. That moment always makes me think of the song Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, by Chris Rice:

“Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I’ve come.”

The lyric means exactly what Samuel declared, that up to this point, God has helped me. Every battle survived, every failure redeemed, every season sustained- not because he was strong, but because God was faithful. But the song doesn’t stop there. It continues:

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love…”

That line is deeply honest. Israel had wandered. They treated the Ark like it was magic. They demanded visible power instead of humble dependence. And yet, God helped them anyway when they turned back.

An Ebenezer stone was not just a celebration of past victory. It is also a confession of dependence. It says:

• God helped me then.
• I need Him now.
• And without Him, I will drift.

The song finished with a pledge:
     “Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.”

It is gratitude for past grace, acknowledgment of our tendency to wander, and a prayer for future faithfulness- all in one breath. Just like Israel, we set up spiritual markers, moments where we can say, “God carried me through that.” And every time we remember, it strengthens trust for whatever comes next. God helps us, and He is not finished yet. If you have the time today, listen to the song.

 

 

Oh, these are some of my favorite chapters in the Bible- I read 92 other days to get to this point! In 1 Samuel 4–7, it mixed holy reverence with unexpected humor as God defends His own glory, humbles idols, and taught Israel what it truly means to have Him as their King.

Scripture began with Israel’s initial defeat at Aphek, where they brought the Ark from Shiloh to the battlefield, hoping its presence would guarantee victory. The Philistines, hearing the Ark had come, were afraid, and both sides believed the outcome would be determined by their gods rather than military strength. Despite this, Israel was defeated again, and the Ark was captured! Later, after a period of repentance at Mizpah, God delivered Israel from the Philistines, and Samuel set up the Ebenezer stone to commemorate this victory, declaring, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).

A messenger had run from the battle line back to Shiloh- about 20 miles in a single day, carrying the bad report that Hophni and Phinehas died. When the news reached Eli that the Ark was captured and his sons had died, he fell backward and also died. Dying not in response to his sons’ death, which had been prophesied before (1 Samuel 2:34), but that the Ark was stolen.

Phinehas’s wife went into labor due to the news and died just after delivering. It was a moment for her that felt like God had departed from Israel due to their unfaithfulness. She died grieving personal loss and the spiritual downfall of the Israelites. She named her son Ichabod, meaning “the glory has departed.” Though the glory is not in the Ark, it is in God, and bad things do happen during judgment, but God never leaves.

The Philistines, part of the Sea Peoples (from the Aegean Sea), who had settled along the coast after arriving in the Levant (southern coastal plain- Gaza) around 1200 BC, after conflicts with Egypt during the reign of Ramesses III. They placed the Ark in the temple of Dagon as a symbol that they thought their fish-god was better. In a moment that almost carried humor, Dagon fell face-down before the Ark. They set him back up- only for him to fall again, this time broken (almost as though Dagon fell to bow to God). God shows He does not need Israel’s army to defend His name.

God in His ever so loving humor, as if having their god statue laying prone in worship to Him was not enough, He gave the whole city of Ashdod tumors (or hemorrhoids!) The Philistines panic and want the Ark out. They called together all of the rulers to ask what should be done. They shipped the Ark down to Gath- tumors, sent it east to Ekron- more tumors. They were basically playing hot potato with the divine Ark, wondering why it was cursing them. After 7 (complete number) months of misery, the Philistine priests and diviners gather, to cover both the religious and any omens, to decide what to do. They suggested sending the Ark back to Israel with a guilt offering of five golden tumors and five golden rats to match their troubles. These were golden statues of human rearends, and the rats representing the five cities and the plague of mice/tumors combo. They built a new cart with two milk cows, separated from their calves, as they would naturally want to return to the calf. The cows carried the Ark along with the golden statues and went straight to Beth-shemesh (Levite town in Judah).

The Levites (specifically the Kohathites) were the only ones allowed to be near the Ark. It was removed from the cart and placed on a rock. Some men peeked inside, which was forbidden, which led to God striking down 70 of them. (1 Samuel 6:19). Looking in the Ark was wicked; the mercy seat on the Ark was where God’s presence dwelt. God’s holiness was to be reverent, and here He had grace in returning the Ark to them. Men of Kiriath Jearim, close by, came to take the Ark up to Abinadab’s house. They consecrated Eleazar to guard the Ark (not the same Eleazar who was Aaron’s son, the high priest). This was a time of waiting, and Israel lamented after the Lord. It also showed God’s patience- He did not abandon His people despite their fears. Later, David would bring the Ark to Jerusalem.

Israel repented, removed idols, and returned to God with all their hearts. They have a national confession at Mizpah. The Philistines attacked during the gathering, but Samuel sacrificed and prayed. God thundered so loudly that the Philistines scattered. Samuel then set up the rock as a memorial marker and called it Ebenezer. God responded to the genuine repentance, and Israel was reset.

Chapter 8 brings us to the start of the monarchy. Samuel was old and had appointed his sons as leaders. They were corrupt judges (accepting bribes and were unjust- history repeating itself like Eli). The elders demanded to have a king like their surrounding nations. God warned Samuel about the consequences that the king would oppress and take from them. They could have a king, but it would not go well, and God would not listen when they cried out. They still fought to have a king. God told Samuel to go ahead and appoint a king, as it was not Samuel they were rejecting, but rejecting God as their King. Even in rejection, God’s gracious patience shone.

These chapters were an unexpected thread of divine humor- falling statues, tumors, golden rearend apology gifts, obedient pagan cows, and then the audacity to ask for a human king. God’s grace was always there, guiding the Ark home in judgment on the Philistines and patiently waiting for Israel to have the perfect King come. We are so relatable in our own bad ideas, yet God waits patiently for us to repent and find our King Jesus.

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