My wife, Peggy, and I are enjoying the new church hymns. She is one of our ward organists; I really enjoy hearing her practice and play the piano and organ. We are starting to sing some of the new hymns in church; including “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” which I have previously enjoyed singing in our ward choir. I have always wondered about the “Eben-ezer” “that is raised” and I want to write about it. I am concerned that when we sing about Ebenezer, we immediately think of Ebenezer Scrooge.
But, a study of 1 Samuel chapters 4-7 gives the background of the significance of the title “Eben-ezer”. Eben-ezer means “stone of help – stone of God’s help, it is a monument stone!”. Chapter 4 starts out describing a battle at “Eben-ezer” between Israel and the Philistine’s armies. [On a side-note, this is an anachronism because the Eben-ezer stone monument was not erected at this time, it was erected many years later, but Israel’s army’s location was described as being at Eben-ezer, or where Eben-ezer would later be placed.] Anyway, the Israel army did not do well in that battle; 4000 Israelite men were slain. Considering the need for divine help, the Israelite leaders brought the Ark of the Covenant of God from the Tabernacle/Temple with the two sons of the Levite priest Eli to help them in battle. But that failed, for 30,000 Israel footmen fell before the Philistines. And the Philistines took the Ark as a war trophy.
Chapter 5 describes the Philistines taking the Ark and placing it in the house/temple of their god Dagon in the city of Ashdod. Because the image of Dagon fell and was broken, they felt that the Ark was a curse “The hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods” (footnote to this verse states that “emerods are tumor or boils). The Ark was then sent to the city of Gath, but “the hand of the Lord was against the city with a great destruction and he smote the men of the city …and they had emerods in their secret (private) parts”. The Philistines then attempted to move the Ark to the city of Ekron, but they would not receive it. (these three Philistine cities are located in what we now call Gaza in the Israel/Palestine area).
The Philistine leaders felt the Ark had cursed them. Their priests and leaders told them to send the Ark back to Israel, and to include a “trespass offering” that consisted of 5 golden mice (rodents) and 5 golden emerods (tumors) jewelry – on behalf of the 5 Philistine cities. “ye shall make images of your emerods (tumors, boils), and images of your mice that mar the land.” ! Samuel 6:5.
I think that this is an early description of what we call the Bubonic Plague (the Black Death). This is a disease that is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, that is transported on a flea that lives on rodents. The bacterial infection causes swelling, ulceration, and a foul-smelling open draining black sore in the person’s lymph nodes (especially axilla and groin). This is a tumorous bubo or emerod. Visualize a black sea anemone, that was the appearance of the black infectious tumors that was occurring among the Philistines. Contrast the foul-smelling draining black tumors/open sores and black rodents with the shiny golden tumors and rodents idols/jewelry. I can imagine the conversation between the Philistine leaders and the goldsmiths when they were directed to create not only a gold rodent but also a gold bubo. “You want me to create a what?”
Getting back to the Old Testament account: 1 Samuel, chapter 7. Twenty years transpired, and Samuel, the prophet/priest, instructed the Israelites to “return to the Lord with all your hearts” and put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth (fertility images), and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only (which they did), and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
The Philistines again came up in battle against Israel. Samuel sacrificed a lamb and he cried unto the Lord for Israel and the Lord heard him. When the Philistines drew near for battle, the Lord thundered with a great thunder (storm) upon the Philistines and “discomfited them and they were smitten before Israel”. This sounds like a great storm and flashflood condition (like Hurricane Helene in North Carolina) that caused great terrible damage to the Philistine army. The Israelite army was then successful against the storm-damaged Philistine army. “Then Samuel took a stone (monument), and set it…and called the name of it Eben-ezer (stone of God’s help), saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12.
The words to the hymn, “Come Thou Fount (fountain) of Every Blessing” were written by Robert Robinson (an English Baptist Methodist minister) in 1758 for his sermon on Pentecost Sunday when he was 22 years old. In the following year of 1759, the lyrics were included in a small hymnal entitled “A Collection of Hymns” used by the Church of Christ in Angel Alley Bishopsgate.
The fictional Ebenezer Scrooge was created by Charles Dickins in his novella “A Christmas Carol” in 1843. His name Ebenezer may refer to God’s help in his life.
So, think of the “Eben-ezer -Stone of God’s help” in 1 Samuel rather than Ebenezer Scrooge when you sing or listen to this wonderful hymn.
