Scrooge in Scripture?
As I continue my topical study of stones in the Bible I was delighted to come across a reference I remember from the past: A stone set up by Samuel called "Ebenezer". I have no trouble remembering this reference because I always think of Ebenezer Scrooge but I can never remember what Ebenezer means. What happens in my brain that such an outstanding Dickensian image can be retained as well as the entire plot line for A Christmas Carol, yet no matter home many times I look this up...I cannot remember what Ebenezer means. I can also remember obscure song lyrics but have no idea where I left my glasses.
Once and for all (I’m being optimistic), here is the explanation. As we have discussed, stones in the Bible can represent Memory Pillars. They can be set up to remember a vow we have made as in the case of Jacob or in the Ebenezer example, set up to commemorate the occasion of God’s provision of victory in battle.
Twenty years have passed since the ark of the covenant had been taken to Kiriath-jearim (1 Samuel 7:2). Apparently some of the Israelites had begun to worship other gods. Samuel told the Israelites to dedicate themselves to the Lord and worship only the Lord. He promised that if they did this then God would rescue the Israelites from the dreaded Philistines. The Israelites removed the Baals and other things and only worhsipped the Lord.
While the Israelites were meeting in Mizpah the Philistines marched toward them to overtake them. The Israelites asked Samuel to continue and to not stop crying out to God on their behalf. Samuel offered a burnt offering to the Lord for them.
Verse 10 says (and I love this part) “The Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.” I have a list of people I would like the Lord to thunder loudly against! I should be careful, I might be on someone’s list as well. The men of Israel pursued the Philistines and struck them down.
“Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shem. He named it Ebenezer explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point”. (1 Samuel 7;12).
So here is the part where I look up the meaning of Ebenezer once again, (this information was gathered here.
The word "Ebenezer" comes from Hebrew and is actually two words pronounced together: Even Haazer. Written in Hebrew it looks like this:
It is usually transliterated as a proper name by dropping the definite article (Ha) from the Hebrew word for "help" (Ezer) and putting it together with the Hebrew word for "stone" (Even) to create: "Ebenezer." The etymological roots of the word, thus defined, should demonstrate that an "Ebenezer" is, literally, a "Stone of Help."...Literally speaking, an Ebenezer is a "stone of help," or a reminder of God’s Real, Holy Presence and Divine aid.
Hebrew word for “help” is Ezer. Hebrew word for “stone” is Even. Stone of Help. Unfortunately, Hebrew and Greek are so unfamiliar to me that I cannot form word associations for them. If it were Latin then I might be able to picture the word or relate it to my very limited Spanish vocabulary. ‘Help’ doesn’t look like EZER. ‘Stone’ doesn’t look like EVEN or EBEN.
I am trying those memory tricks (as I type this) where you make up a picture in your mind with all the words you are supposed to remember on a table with objects that remind you of the words. Hmm. Samuel (who is dressed as Scrooge), let’s call him Ebenezer Samuel, is standing behind a table. There are dead Philistines lying on the ground behind him (you can tell they are Philistines because they have the letter “P” on their tunics). Ebenezer Samuel places a big rock on the table, written on the big rock is EVEN (this doesn’t really help because the word is Ebenezer not Evenezer). Next, God thunders (because I like that part of the story)- that can be a lightening bolt in our picture. Across the lightening bolt is written EZER in bright red superman letters. It could be that I’m not very good at this word picture memory thing.
It could be that when I next sing, “Come thou fount of every blessing” and come to the second verse, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come..." that I will continue to have no idea what I’m singing and will yet again have to look it up. The author of the helpful information quoted previously, Dr. Gregory S. Neal, commented in his article that every time he sings that hymn he “cannot shake the mental image of someone holding up Ebenezer Scrooge.”
Regardless of the unintended whimsy of this reference, it brings up a good point. An Ebenezer stone was the stone set up by Samuel to remember and honor the help God had given the Israelites. The Word of God is my Ebenezer. I am so fortunate to have God’s word, written in so many easily understood translations to remind me that God has helped me in the best way possible. He has provided eternal salvation for me through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Dr. Neal said in his article:
“ an Ebenezer can be nearly anything that reminds us of God’s presence and help: the Bible, the Sacramental Elements, a cross, a picture, a fellow believer, a hymn – those things which serve as reminders of God’s love, God’s Real Presence, and God’s assistance are "Ebenezers."
In a general sense that may be true but it seems that God deliberately gave us The Word, His Son, The Cornerstone to be our everlasting Ebenezer, the rock who helps. I am probably getting ahead of myself by including the cornerstone before actually reading all the verses on stones. However, these are the verses I was thinking of, verses about Jesus as the Word and a precious cornerstone:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with god in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1: 1-5
Therefore the Lord said: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable. Isaiah 28:16
Sometimes in our rush to application I think we can get too general, maybe sometimes God is more specific than we think. Maybe anything CAN be an Ebenezer, maybe not. Either way it is safe to say that Jesus is our rock, our salvation, a tested cornerstone and He is our Ebenezer, our stone of help.
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