Notice the pictures above of a palace and a man building a wall. Let's learn about a man named Nehemiah who was willing to leave the palace where he was a cupbearer for King Artaxerxes and become a lowly persecuted labourer that built a wall for Jerusalem and the Jews. This reminds me of Moses who left the prospect of being Pharaoh in Egypt and suffered affliction with his people to lift up the name of Jesus.
Hebrews 11:24 says By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.
Esther also was willing to die for the Lord Jesus to save her people Israel and go before the king at an improper time according to the law. Notice Esther's blessed words at Esther 4:16 that says Go, gather together all the Jews that are present to Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Esther also was willing to die for the Lord Jesus to save her people Israel and go before the king at an improper time according to the law. Notice Esther's blessed words at Esther 4:16 that says Go, gather together all the Jews that are present to Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Although Esther was safe in a palace, she was willing to sacrifice her life to save her Jewish people from Haman's law to kill all the Jews. All these stories remind me of Matthew 16:25 where Jesus said For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. If Jesus tells you to go help a poor widow, orphan, prisoner, or anyone in need, be willing to leave everything to help that poor person and you will lift up the name of Jesus like Nehemiah and Esther. Jesus said at Matthew 25:40 Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Let's be like Nehemiah and no matter how rich we are in life always remember the poor and take time to remember Jesus. Nehemiah, though he enjoyed much prosperity being in great favour and high honour being the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, yet suffered with Jerusalem's sufferings, and was troubled with Jerusalem's troubles. Oh how holy was Nehemiah who willingly left a rich pleasant king's court for a ragged and tottered city and forsook the company of illustrious lords for twelve years to toil and moil like a day labourer.
Let's be like Nehemiah and no matter how rich we are in life always remember the poor and take time to remember Jesus. Nehemiah, though he enjoyed much prosperity being in great favour and high honour being the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, yet suffered with Jerusalem's sufferings, and was troubled with Jerusalem's troubles. Oh how holy was Nehemiah who willingly left a rich pleasant king's court for a ragged and tottered city and forsook the company of illustrious lords for twelve years to toil and moil like a day labourer.
When Nehemiah delivered wine to King Artaxerxes, he thought of the water that the poor subjects at Jerusalem drank. And though his own particular condition called him to be merry, yet the sepulchres of his fathers caused him to mourn. While Nehemiah built the wall, he was persecuted by Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, but Nehemiah rejoiced in the persecution and finished building the wall.
The story of the two pictures above is at Nehemiah 2:1. And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king. Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
The story of the two pictures above is at Nehemiah 2:1. And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king. Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
Job also praised the Lord Jesus when he was both rich and poor. Job remembered Jesus and praised the Lord daily when he had family, wealth, and many material possessions. Job also praised Jesus when he lost everything and his wife told him to curse God and die. This is stated at Job 2:9 that says Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Notice the pictures above of a house and a man sitting in an empty wilderness with nothing around him. This reminds us of David and Ziklag. The house represents what David owned before it was burnt to nothing by the Amalekites. The man sitting in the empty wilderness reminds us of David returning to Ziklag and finding nothing left of his possessions. But David kept rejoicing and encouraged himself in the Lord after he lost his house and wives when the Amalekites burned all his possessions and took away his family. David also continued to praise the Lord Jesus after his own depressed soldiers spake of stoning him blaming David for the loss of all their possessions.
1 Samuel 30:6 says And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Let's all continue to praise the Lord Jesus at all times like David and encourage ourselves in the Lord no matter what goes on around us. Every day tell the devil I am crucified with Jesus Christ and praise the Lord Jesus for dying on the cross of Calvary for you and destroying all your problems past, present, and future (Hebrews 2:14 and Luke 9:23).
The book of Lamentations tells us to place our hope in the Lord Jesus instead of family, friends, money, or any material possessions. Lamentations 3:24 says The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. Lamentations 3:26 says It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Isaiah also told us to place our hope in the Lord Jesus at Isaiah 25:9. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
Notice the blessed picture above about how an angel saved Hagar and Ishmael's lives and provided a well of water for them to survive. If you feel like no one is around to help you, the Lord Jesus will send angels to encourage you and provide for all your needs. Hebrews 13:6 says So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. When family, church members, and everyone leaves you, the Lord Jesus loves you and will send angels to bless and keep you alive in peace. Even though Hagar had no more water in her bottle, the Lord Jesus loved her and provided a well for Hagar and Ishmael.
The story about Hagar and Ishmael is at Genesis 21:15. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
Let's continue our discussion about praising the Lord Jesus at all times. Don't let prosperity cause you to forget about Jesus. Even when you are rich and own many material possessions please help the poor and remember Jesus. Solomon gave us all a warning about this at Proverbs 1:32 that says For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. Noah, who had seen the whole world drowned in water, is himself no sooner delivered and becomes drunken with wine. After Lot is delivered from Sodom, he commits incest with his own daughters. Solomon, the wisest king that ever the world had, was notorious for apostasy, worshipping his heathen thousand wives' idols and false gods.
Though thy mercies be like the sail and wind to further the vessel of my soul in its heavenly voyage, yet, except thy Spirit O Lord Jesus steer, I will be driven off course. Lord Jesus keep us all humble in our highest estate, knowing that thy mere mercy and not our merit is the reason for all of our comforts.
Let's be like Obadiah who even though he was a stately governor for Ahab, he feared God greatly and considered the poor when he hid the prophets that Jezebel wanted to kill in a cave and fed them with bread and water. 1 Kings 18:3 says And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water. Also let's remember how Stephen praised the Lord Jesus through all his troubles. Under a shower of stones about Stephen's ears, Stephen continued to praise Jesus when his eyes beheld one of the greatest sights ever seen by a mortal man. Stephen's testimony is at Acts 7:56. And (Stephen) said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man (Jesus) standing on the right hand of God.
Notice the picture above and praise the Lord Jesus. The picture above represents the monument and stone that Samuel built to glorify the Lord Jesus. Samuel called the stone Ebenezer (Hitherto hath the Lord helped us). So many monuments are built before buildings to remember people or great men. Brother Bob has posted this message about Ebenezer to remember the Lord Jesus and tell everyone reading this that the Lord Jesus hath helped us. Glory to the name of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1:31 says That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord (Jesus).
The scripture that speaks about Samuel's stone called Ebenezer is at 1 Samuel 7:12 that says Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Twenty years earlier, Israel suffered a devastating defeat by the Philistines at a place also called Ebenezer, where they lost the ark of the covenant. By raising this new stone and declaring Hitherto hath the Lord helped us, Samuel was spiritually redeeming the name and the location, turning a symbol of failure into one of victory.
The scripture that speaks about Samuel's stone called Ebenezer is at 1 Samuel 7:12 that says Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Twenty years earlier, Israel suffered a devastating defeat by the Philistines at a place also called Ebenezer, where they lost the ark of the covenant. By raising this new stone and declaring Hitherto hath the Lord helped us, Samuel was spiritually redeeming the name and the location, turning a symbol of failure into one of victory.
1 Samuel 4:1 and 1 Samuel 5:1 speak about Israel's prior defeat at Ebenezer. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel,. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
Under Samuel's leadership, the people repented of idolatry and turned back to God. When the Philistines attacked again at Mizpeh, God intervened with a great thunder that confused the Philistines, allowing Israel to secure a decisive victory. To commemorate this miraculous victory over the Philistines, Samuel placed a large stone called Ebenezer between Mizpeh and Shen.
The Ebenezer stone between Mizpeh and Shen marked the geographical midpoint between two key stages of the battle against the Philistines. Mizpeh was where the Israelites gathered together in prayer and repentance. Shen was where the retreating Philistines were ultimately overtaken. By placing Ebenezer between these two points, Samuel created a physical reminder that God's help (the meaning of Ebenezer is stone of help) had brought them from their point of spiritual gathering to their final military triumph. Ebenezer served as a spiritual marker so the people would never forget that their victory came from God and not their own physical strength.
HITHERTO AND HENCEFORTH
Samuel named the stone marker Ebenezer Hitherto hath the Lord helped us for the following reason. The word Hitherto (meaning up to this point) serves as a reminder of God's past faithfulness while simultaneously providing confidence that God will henceforth continue to help in the future. Ebenezer is a faith bridge that connects a believers past, present, and future. Ebenezer connects the hitherto to the henceforth.
The words Ebenezer Hitherto hath the Lord helped us creates a complete picture of God's reliability. The Ebenezer stone of help is a physical or mental landmark raised to ensure that a specific moment of divine intervention is never forgotten. The word Hitherto or up to this point or thus far is the historical record. It acts like a hand pointing backward, acknowledging that every step of the journey through trials, victories, and silent seasons has been sustained by God's grace. This leads to a henceforth future confidence to overcome this troubled world and the devil.
While hitherto technically stops at the present, its spiritual implication is that the God of the Hitherto is necessarily the God of the Henceforth. Because God helped you up to this point, you can trust God to help you for everything in the future. Ebenezer is the memorial or reminder of God's presence. Hitherto is the evidence or proof of God's past faithfulness. Henceforth is the hope and confidence about God's future blessings. By raising an Ebenezer, you are declaring that because God helped you hitherto, you have no reason to fear what happens henceforth.
The phrase Ebenezer is most famous today from the hymn "Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing," written by Robert Robinson where the singer says, "Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come." Many people today use the concept of an "Ebenezer" by keeping prayer journals to record answered prayers and track God's faithfulness over years. People keep physical objects like plaques that serve as reminders of a specific time that God blessed them.
Before his conversion, Robert Robinson lived a wild and reckless life in London, England as a barber's apprentice. He was part of a rowdy gang of young men who spent their time in debauchery and mischief. In 1752, Robinson and his friends decided to attend one of George Whitfield's tent meetings specifically to heckle and make fun of the "deluded Methodists."
Instead of mocking, Robinson was convicted by Whitfield's sermon on the wrath to come from Matthew 3:7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned yo to flee from the wrath to come? This led to Robert Robinson's eventual conversion and the writing of the hymn "Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing."
Years later, Robert Robinson had reportedly wandered from his faith and was struggling with disillusionment. While riding in a stagecoach, Robert Robinson sat next to a young woman who was humming and reading the lyrics to a hymn. Not knowing who he was, she asked him what he thought of the song that was his own hymn "Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing."
Robinson began to cry and famously replied "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then." The young woman gently reminded him of his own lyrics: "Sir, the streams of mercy are still flowing." Many accounts suggest that this encounter helped restore Robert Robinson's faith before his death in 1790.
Click this youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax_NMWLEb6U
And Sing Robert Robinson's Hymn Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
Come thou fount of every blessing; Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing; Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet; Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it; Mount of thy redeeming love
Sorrowing I shall be in spirit; Till released from flesh and sin
Yet from what I do inherit; Here thy praises I begin
Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by thy great help I've come
And I hope by thy good pleasure; safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger; Wondering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger; Interposed His precious blood
How His kindness yet pursues me; Mortal tongue can never tell
Clothed in flesh till death shall loose me; I cannot proclaim it well
O to grace how great a debtor; Daily I'm constrained to be
Let thy goodness like a fetter; bind my wondering heart to thee
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart O take and seal it; Seal it for thy courts above
O that day when freed from sinning; I shall see thy lovely face
Clothed then in blood washed linen; How I'll sing thy sovereign grace
Come my Lord, no longer tarry; Take my ransomed soul away
Send thine angels now to carry; Me to realms of endless day
Like Nehemiah, Esther, David, Job, Obadiah, Samuel, And Robert Robinson
Get Saved, Repent, Decide To Stop Sinning,
Confess That Jesus Is God, And Believe The Gospel
That Jesus Died On The Cross For You, Was Buried, And Rose Again
I pray in Jesus name that this bible study blesses multitudes everywhere with great joy, peace, and strength. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 746-7071. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.
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