A simple but profound act of acknowledgement in 1 Samuel 7 led to far reaching repercussions for the nation of Israel.
Samuel, the judge and de facto leader of the nation, engages in a simple act of publicly acknowledging the goodness of God that quite literally reverses the nation’s fortunes. This simple act had lasting implications for the entire nation and generations to come.
Samuel’s unassuming act was neither elaborate nor extravagant. It was very down-to-earth and simple. All he did was take a stone to openly remember and acknowledge God’s help in the life of the nation. This simple act had profound implications. This simple act of commemorating the goodness of God through the erecting an ordinary stone, played a huge role in the expansion of God’s goodness to the nation. It added impetus to the further unfolding of God’s enduring goodness in the life of the nation.
In answer to Samuel’s prayer, God had just averted a major onslaught of Israel’s archenemy, the Philistines through His divine intervention. In response, Samuel thought to mark the occasion with a stone monument to God’s goodness and faithfulness, to His unfailing help thus far. Samuel chose to lead the nation in public acknowledgement of God’s enduring help so for and not just for His most recent intervention. He wisely led the nation in openly acknowledging God’s help. It was a monument to God’s unfailing help
1 Samuel 7:12
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.”
God appreciates and is pleased with the conscious effort we make in remembering and proclaiming, in giving thanks and openly declaring His goodness in our lives – when we intentionally pause to consciously reflect and with gratitude acknowledge Him for His goodness in our lives.
Samuel’s thoughtful and open acknowledgment of God’s goodness in the life of the nation resulted in the nation reaping more benefits than they bargained for. Thereafter, the nation experienced an increase of divine goodness. God not only delivered them from their enemies on that occasion, but subdued them comprehensively – even going as far as restoring cities they’d lost to them. He literally reversed their fortunes.
1 Samuel 7:13-14
So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites
It is vital we periodically pause to acknowledge God’s goodness and help along the path of our lives.
Intentionally and openly acknowledging God’s goodness and help along the path of life has multiple benefits for us. The rewards of such an exercise are manifold as can be seen from Samuel’s simple act of openly acknowledging the goodness of God. Here are some of the benefits as illustrated in this story.:
1. Thoughtful acknowledgment of God’s goodness toward us paves the way for more of it to unfold in our lives. In the case of the Israelites in 1 Samuel 7, it led to the further expansion of God’s intervention on their behalf. As a result, they experienced more of God’s goodness. As we give thanks for and appreciate His goodness in our lives in the past, we are quite literally inviting more of it in the future as we are acknowledging our need for Him.
It’s as if conscious and intentional thanksgiving to God for His enduring goodness (not as an afterthought) is key to unlocking the floodgates of heaven for more of it in our lives.
2. Thoughtful acknowledgement of God’s help for the past represents a confident assertion of His ongoing and unfailing help in the future. Such a commemoration is a powerful proclamation of God’s faithfulness and His unfailing goodness. We are openly declaring our trust in Him and His help and at the same time reaffirming faith in Him too.
3. Conscious and open acknowledgment of God’s goodness in our lives increases our awareness to it. We are able to more easily detect and discern His helping hand. The less we give thanks, the less we see His goodness in our lives – both because of our lack of gratitude but also (and as a result of) our inability to discern His hand upon our lives. As we give thanks for and appreciate His goodness in the past, our eyes are opened to see more of His goodness in our lives in the future – which we would have otherwise not discerned.
Thoughtfully acknowledging God’s goodness in our lives, simply paves the way for more of it to unfold in the future and makes it easier for us to discern it too. Conversely, not doing so, not only restricts our ability to discern it but our ability to receive more of it too.
Take time out to thoughtfully and publicly acknowledge the goodness of God in your life.
Acknowledge His goodness and enduring mercy in your life intentionally.
Make a big noise celebrating Him and His goodness to you.
It is interesting that The Lord Himself hardwired His remembrance in the life of the nation of Israel through the multiple festivals they were commanded to keep under the Old covenant. There were seven in total three of which were major festivals requiring mandatory male pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to appear before The Lord. These feasts commemorated God’s redemptive acts in the Exodus and marked His faithfulness in the agricultural harvest seasons. These were hardwired into the nation’s life precisely because God desired them to consciously remember His goodness lest they and the generations after them forget.
King David went a step further encouraging the giving of thanks day and night, morning and evening hardwiring it his daily routine for our own good – fully aware of and appreciating its benefits for his own emotional wellness and mental wellbeing.
Psalms 92:1-2
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
To give thanks to and acknowledge God through songs of declaration of His steadfast love and faithfulness is a good and wholly beneficial exercise to routinely engage in.
grace unbound 