I Samuel 4-7
And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”
I Samuel 4:3
Do you believe in magic? The people of Israel apparently do. They treat the Ark of the Covenant as some kind of talisman, a good luck charm that they can just place in the midst of the army so that it (not the LORD) can save them. Even if they have some recognition that the power really lies with the LORD, they still see the Ark as a means by which they can direct His power, without regard to the deplorable condition of their relationship with Him.
But the LORD does not deal in magic. He is not some “cosmic force” that can be so manipulated by a magical token. Neither is He yet another territorial god, just one of many in the pantheon, represented by an idol. He is a living Person Who desires a real relationship with His people.
In judgment upon Israel and upon Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas, even though the Ark is indeed special and holy, the very place where the LORD is enthroned on the cherubim (I Sam. 4:4), the LORD gives the victory to the Philistines, allowing the Ark to be captured and Hophni and Phinehas killed. (I Sam. 4:11) When Eli hears the news, he also dies, falling backward and breaking his neck. (I Sam. 4:18) And so God begins to bring upon the house of Eli all that He declared against him through the man of God (I Sam. 2:27-36) and through Samuel. (I Sam. 3:10-14)
The Philistines soon discover that possession of the Ark does not mean control of the God to Whom it belongs. Instead they find the image of their god Dagon fallen down before the Ark of the LORD, and the LORD brings plagues of tumors and mice upon them until they send the Ark back to Israel.
In all of this the LORD clearly affirms the holiness of the Ark. He affirms it as His earthly throne. It is not just an ordinary box covered in gold. It is not to be trifled with, as the men of Beth-shemesh could attest! (I Sam. 6:19) It is the LORD’s. But it is not magic. Neither the Israelites nor the Philistines can channel God’s power for their own purposes by wielding the Ark.
So what about us? We no longer have the Ark as a focal point, but do we substitute something else as a “charm”? Perhaps it’s not some physical object we endow with special power. No, we laugh at superstitions and scoff at good luck charms. We know better than that. But perhaps it’s instead a way of doing things so that if we “do it right” then it will “work”. If we just pray a certain way, or use the right words, or raise our hands just so, or go to church often enough, then God will give us what we want — never mind that our hearts are far from Him. Take a good look. Is there some formula you expect to “work”? Do you believe in magic?
Isn’t it amazing that the Lord keeps his promise to be faithful to his people? Even when they substitute other gods for him, treat his Ark like a lucky rabbit’s foot and try to control his intervention on their behalf, God still shows up. When they finally put away the other gods, fasted, and prayed, he literally thunders at their enemies and brings the victory.
So Samuel erects a large “ebenezer”—a stone of remembrance. I think many people probably sing “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and wonder what the line “Here I raise my Ebenezer” means. It’s a reminder to us to honor God for the saving work he has done in our lives “up to this point” (Samuel 7:13), over and over again.
So let’s raise our own Ebenezer!
By the way, there’s a wonderful little article about this song and that line at this link: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/here-i-raise-my-ebenezer
Praise the Lord!