THE STONE HAS BEEN ROLLED
Scripture Reference …1 Samuel 7:1-12
Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.5 And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the LORD. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.7 Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
In this scripture we are told of outside influences that threatened the ark, the representation of God’s presence. When a believer faces problems, God’s presence empowers him to dwell in an atmosphere of peace. It makes us confident that God is indeed our refuge and strength. On the other hand, when fear threatens and we invoke His presence, it causes us to focus on Him. Take note that to envelope that presence, there has to be a time of sanctification (being set apart).
During that twenty- year period that the ark was taken, Israel yearned after God and Samuel stood in the gap. He itemized steps to be taken so that the Israelites would be delivered from the Philistines (everything that sets forth to stand against us). Samuel said: “Return to the Lord wholeheartedly; put away strange gods and idols; prepare your hearts and serve the Lord only.”
As we examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, this should result in our having “no other gods.” Samuel emphasized this when he assembled everyone at Mizpeh. This watch tower was the place of their sanctification and of pouring themselves out before the Lord.
In the meantime the enemy, as always, kept close tabs on what Samuel did and as a result the Israelites became fearful. Instead of calling on God for themselves, they were crippled by fear to the extent that they could not pray. They were so conscious of the sin of idol worship that they would not approach God. Yet, if we confess our sin, we can go boldly, but not arrogantly, before the throne and find grace and mercy.
The process that would lead Samuel to roll the stone, had begun. When he offered the lamb as a sacrifice, God accepted that and the Israelites witnessed the confusion and ultimate destruction of the Philistines. At this defeat, Samuel placed a stone as a memorial to the Lord, saying, “Ebenezer, hitherto the Lord helped us.” That stone had to have been of significant size, in that it was named and placed in a visible place. It was a reminder of God’s intervention on the Israelites’ behalf, so it served as a demarcation for the place where divine help was experienced.
Can we do that? Let the enemy know that we too recognize God’s intervention on our behalf. God expects us to walk in humility, pray, seek Him and reject evil. His promise is that He will forgive and heal our land.Note that the people acknowledged their idolatry, set themselves apart and then were given a reason to memorialize the Lord’s help. He is waiting for us to roll a stone.
A stone may serve any of the following purposes: defense (David and Goliath…1 Samuel 17:29-37); security (Genesis 29:1-3); a memorial (Joshua 4:20); figurative language (Genesis 49:24); a building block (Genesis 11:3). When and where a stone is placed, speaks to its purpose.
When Jacob escaped Esau’s anger, he used a stone for a pillow, but later realized that God was in that place. He then called it Bethel- a place of worship (Genesis 28:11-22). In that place, Jacob had a vision of angels ascending and descending to and from heaven. He did not realize it then, but his blessing continued to roll.How can a hard situation be viewed as a place of worship? That’s only possible when we realize that even in our hardships God gives us dreams and visions that He wants to fulfill in our lives, but we must be attuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 29 :1-3, Jacob wanted to water his animals, but there was a stone at the mouth of the well. If the stone remained there, the animals would remain thirsty. It took some amount of effort on Jacob’s part to roll that stone away so the livestock could be refreshed. God requires us to participate in rolling the stone of: discouragement, low self-esteem, inadequacy, weariness, past hurts and / or unforgiveness that has isolated us from our God-given promises. He has created us to be well-fed in the Word and watered with the Holy Spirit.
That which separates us from His presence is the barrier that blocks our blessing. You may say, “What blessing?” Well, it’s the one that began to roll your way when you decided to put God in His rightful place in your life so that He can reign supreme. He is ready to do for us even more than what we are ready to receive. Yes, this includes both material and spiritual aspects, but there is a process. We have a role to play.
In Matthew 27 and 28 another stone was rolled. One that served two purposes. The soldiers placed it at the tomb to keep the body of Jesus away from possible thieves, then the angel rolled it to show that a stone could not keep Jesus in. Sad to say, sometimes we too have rolled stones that keep us from experiencing the magnitude of His power. We know that He has the power to remove any stone, but He requires us to take the necessary steps.
In John 11, Jesus told the people to remove the stone from Lazarus grave. They hesitated because the expectancy was that a stench would hit them, but Jesus had other plans. His might and power were about to be manifested right before their very eyes. Instead of a stench, the opportunity to participate in a great miracle was handed to them. They rolled the stone from the grave and loosed the linen that held Lazarus in bondage as he came up from the dead.
Even when we cannot figure it out, we must approach God with faith, knowing that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. That means we commit ourselves to His keeping, withholding NOTHING and say, “I surrender ALL!” In order to loose things that may hold us in bondage we should:
1. Ask for revelation knowledge and act on what He shows us.
2. Depend on the Holy Spirit to make us sensitive to His leading.
3. Leave the results to be manifested in God’s time.
4. Praise while we wait.
God wants to build us (lively stones) with most holy faith. As in any building, the cornerstone, must be put in a strategic place. It is the most solid stone, one of the largest and the first to be placed in the foundation. It sets the tone for the other stones to be positioned in the building. You see, the cornerstone causes the building to be fitly joined together and establishes the security of the foundation. In Isaiah 28:16, Christ is described as a precious cornerstone and once we put Him in His highest place we can expect security, fellowship and advocacy.
Jacob, Samuel, and angels rolled respective stones. Today, once we roll any stone in our life, we can either set up a memorial, delve into a blessing, worship or be hit with a stench. What will it be? Are our expectations of the Lord? The stone has been rolled.
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
When we roll the stone what role did it play in our life?