The name Ichabod means “there is no glory.” This was the name of the son of Phinehas who was born just before his father died. His mother named him this because truly there seemed to be no glory left in Israel. This time in history was an Ebenezer moment for Israel. God had turned his back from them because they had followed their own ways instead of His laws. They had forgotten how to avoid Ebenezers.
What do you do when the glory is gone?
For starters; it might be a good time to avoid any Ebenezers.
You surely do not go out to battle to face your Ebenezer, but again Israel made a terrible mistake. Because of their last defeat they took the Ark of God out into the battle field with them. There were a few problems though. This was human logic, not God’s will.
They put themselves in line to face an “Ebenezer.”
An “Ebenezer” is a place where you have to face a hard battle which you might lose. It is an unforgettable moment in time which will forever stand out in your mind. Nothing is ever the same after Ebenezers happen. The ancients often placed stones at these places of Ebenezer moments so that they could always remember what happened there. This link helps to describe the definition of an Ebenezer: https://www.bing.com/search?q=what+went+wrong+when+the+israelites+met+their+ebenezer&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgcIAhBFGMIDMgcIABBFGMIDMgcIARBFGMIDMgcIAhBFGMIDMgcIAxBFGMIDMgcIBBBFGMIDMgcIBRBFGMIDMgcIBhBFGMIDMgcIBxBFGMID0gEKNzg1NTE2ajBqNKgCCLACAQ&FORM=ANAB01&PC=HCTS
Most would agree it is always best to avoid any Ebenezers. However; we humans learn as we go.
Of course in today’s story, the Ebenezer was the defeat in a place called Ebenezer for the Israelites.
If you are constantly facing Ebenezers, it is best to let God lead. Instead the people of Israel were treating the Ark of God like a “good luck charm.” God was not happy with these actions.
We’ve all done this haven’t we? We take God out of our pockets whenever things go wrong and expect Him to act like a magic genie who can change things, simply because we want Him to do so. That isn’t how God operates. The very practice wreaks of paganism. The ancients treated their pagan gods this way.
What do we do when God looks around our stupidity and allows mercy? We forget all about him and stick him back into our pockets out of sight until another problem comes along and the pattern repeats.
That was how Israel was operating in ancient times and that seems to be the way of the world today.
Will we ever learn?
Until we do learn, there will be one Ebenezer after another.
The sovereign God of The Universe does not work in this manner. As we worship and obey Him, He comes closer and saves us. If we disobey and are disrespectable toward Him, he sees that we are acting just like the enemy we are trying to defeat.
His perspective is different from our human perspective. Why should God take sides in battles where you can’t tell His people from the enemy? We must act in a way that produces God’s will if we want Him to give us a victory.
His power isn’t magic. It is pure Godliness and righteousness. It must act in accordance with that righteousness. The Israelites had no right to make God’s decisions. They could never out-think God. Instead they should have trusted Him to lead them instead of choosing their own ways.
When the ungodly priesthood came marching through the land with The Ark of God it was quite a show.
Everything looked right. In appearances Israel seemed to be on track and headed for victory. Even their enemies trembled.
The people had swallowed the propaganda from the evil and wicked priests who were leading them in the wrong directions. They shouted so loud that the Philistines could hear them for miles away. The Philistines trembled because they had heard of how God Almighty had led the Israelites out of the control of the Pharaohs and into freedom from slavery.
It was known that The God of Israel was mighty and strong in protecting His people.
Even when things look right but are all wrong, the appearance of righteousness will fool the enemies of God’s people for a while. The Philistines had no clue. They determined to fight harder than ever, since they knew the danger they seemed to be in.
The two priests who most disrespected God were Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s sons. They had used the priesthood and the leadership of the people to their own gain and glory.
I’m reminded of some quotes from Dale Carnegie when I read these passages. The first says “if you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.” These two men had done just that. They had desecrated the tabernacle of God in Shiloh. God had turned his back from them. They had been given many chances to change, to repent and turn around. This was probably due to God’s long-ago promises to Abraham. They had not turned and God’s mercy with them was done.
Still they arrogantly took the Ark of God and proudly put on a show to rally the people of the land.
That brings me to another quote from Dale Carnegie that seems to fit this tragic situation: “flattery is telling the other man exactly what he thinks of himself.” The Philistines had received the greatest form of flattery here. God’s people were imitating their ways instead of God’s and going into battle in error. From God’s perspective; all men in this battle appeared to be enemies.
Are there similar battles going on today?
I wonder.
Thus the Israelites met their Ebenezer, simply because they disrespected, dishonored and disobeyed God. They put on a show for the public in the process.
There are so many Ebenezers in this life. We all have them. Defeat comes to us because of our own arrogance and disobedience.
So what can we do?
Pray. Listen. Hear the voice of God. Confirm the voice we hear with the Holy Scriptures. Repent. Turn. Seek righteousness and obey God’s laws.
Worship. More Worship. Even more Worship.
Come closer to God and He will draw closer to you. He will not leave you when you meet your Ebenezer. Your Heavenly Father will be right there fighting for you, as long as you are within His will.
We do not need any more Ebenezers.
Today, we need more Samuels. Pray for God to send men who hear and obey His word.
Pray for the peace of Israel and you will be praying for the peace of the whole earth.