What Has War Taught Us?

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. The Philistines had surrendered unconditionally to their age-old enemy. The battle had been conclusive and Samuel, who was prophet, priest, and king, in order to commemorate the victory, took a stone and set it up on the battlefield and called it “Ebenezer.” The word “Ebenezer” is now a good English word and has found its way into the hymnal and into the dictionary.

It means “the stone of help,” and its interpretation is to the effect that “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” It was a memorial stone, a stone of remembrance, a stone of thanksgiving. On this Memorial Day we, too, should think of erecting our Ebenezer, our memorial to the goodness of God and the brave men who have fallen in battle.