What's with the name?

The inspiration for the name Ebenezer's comes from a story found in 1 Samuel chapter four.  There we find the people of Israel on the heels of a battle with the Philistines in which they had been defeated and lost 4,000 men. As they returned to their camp they began to wonder why God had just allowed them to suffer such a defeat, an interesting question given the fact there is no evidence of them asking God’s opinion as to whether or not they should enter into battle in the first place. So they decide it would probably be wise to invite God’s presence the next time. However, rather than stopping, praying and asking how He felt about the battle they figured sending for the ark of the covenant would pretty much ensure He’d show up. In the second battle, Israel lost 30,000 and the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines. While all this was happening Eli, the leader of Israel was sitting in his chair far removed from what was going on while his two corrupt sons were in the midst of the battle.

A few chapters later after Eli and his sons die and the Philistines have returned the ark because it was causing all kinds of trouble in their camps, we find the people of Israel saying they want to return to the Lord. The prophet Samuel comes to them in the midst of their repentance and tells them, if they are truly returning with their whole hearts then they must destroy all of the false gods they have turned to and serve only the One true God. It is only in Him that Israel can truly find hope for deliverance. In the midst of their repentance the Philistines come up again, seeking to destroy them, but Samuel cries out to the Lord on their behalf. The Lord hears Samuels cry and responds by “thundering with a loud thunder” against the Philistines, throwing them into a panic and delivering them into the hands of the Israelites. At the end of the battle Samuel goes and finds a big stone, sets it up and calls it “Ebenezer” saying “thus far the Lord has helped us.”

This story really is two separate stories.  One is the story of Israel and what happens when they try to add God into their own plans. Following their own desires led them into defeat and the loss of 34,000 men along with the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence in their midst. The other is the story of God and what He can accomplish through a group of surrendered people. When we as a surrendered people join in God’s story we are ushered out of our own limited foresight and resources and tossed in to His vision and provision. I think it’s significant that when Samuel sets up the stone as a reminder of what God had just done for His people he names it “Ebenezer”, the same name as the camp where Israel had stayed during their first failed attempt in battle with the Philistines, the attempt where they were leaning on their own ability rather than on God’s. It’s a reminder that it is God who is the rock on which we stand, the rock of help and not our own abilities or ideas.

Every time we speak the name of the church/café we want to be reminded that we have been invited to join in God’s plan, not our own. If we lean on our own abilities and our own resources then we will likely end up with a lot of people dying during the battle. However, as we lean into the story of God we surrender our own resources and abilities and ask Him to include us in the battle He is waging.