Ebenezer

I was 8 years old before my parents told me that my full name was Michael Raymond Ebenezer Prior.  I was enormously upset, as the only Ebenezer I had ever heard of was  Ebenezer Scrooge.  For years I tried to ensure that none of my friends would find out my 'extra' name.  When I was a bit older I shared my embarrassment with a senior pastoral officer at a boys' Christian summer camp, only to discover later that he had not kept my story confidential but had told someone else, who laughingly told me that he knew about it.  I was mortified.

But I now have a completely different perspective on it. Ebenezer was a name shared by my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father and myself, and also years ago by our family business, Ebenezer Prior Ltd.

(See my blog entry of September 10th 2007)

The name Ebenezer is an ancient Hebrew word, meaning 'Stone of Help'.  When the Hebrews were settling in the Promised Land, after they had escaped from Egypt, they were in grave danger from the pagan Philistines.  We are told in the bible, in 1 Samuel 7, this story:

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,  saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.

I come from a line of deeply committed Christians,  and am profoundly grateful for that.  Looking back on my lifetimes thus far, I'm now proud to say 'Thus far has the Lord helped me'.