Hitherto Hath the LORD Helped Us

The Story

For twenty years after the ark came back, Israel mourned and drifted. Then the prophet Samuel called the whole nation together. If you really want to return to the Lord, he told them, get rid of your foreign gods and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the Philistines.

The people did it. They gathered at Mizpeh, poured out water before the Lord, fasted, and confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.”

But when the Philistines heard that all Israel had gathered in one place, they saw an opportunity. Their army marched toward Mizpeh. The people were terrified. They begged Samuel, “Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us.”

So Samuel offered a young lamb and cried out to God for Israel. And while he was still offering the sacrifice, the Philistines arrived for battle.

That day, the Lord “thundered with a great thunder” on the Philistines and threw them into confusion. Israel chased them down and won a great victory.

Afterward, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpeh and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, which means “stone of help,” and said, “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.”

Reflection