Thus Far… and Forward on the Cornerstone

By Pastor Kobus Massyn

28-12-2025



Key Scripture

1 Samuel 7:12 (NKJV / ESV sense) - “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’”

 

Introduction

As we come to the end of a year, we naturally pause and look back.
We remember moments of joy—but also seasons of loss, pressure, and unanswered questions.

Some experienced breakthroughs; others simply survived.

And today, God brings us to a simple but powerful truth:

Thus far the LORD has helped us.

 

The Road to Ebenezer

Ebenezer was not a victory without history.
For many years, Israel had drifted spiritually. Their hearts were divided. There was pressure from outside and unrest within.



Then Samuel speaks clearly:

1 Samuel 7:3 - “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods…”

The people respond:

1 Samuel 7:4 - “So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.”

At Mizpah:

1 Samuel 7:6 - “They fasted that day and said there, ‘We have sinned against the LORD.’”

Before they asked for deliverance from their enemies, they sought restoration with God.

The Attack and the Prayer

 

As soon as the Philistines heard Israel had gathered:

1 Samuel 7:7 - “The lords of the Philistines went up against Israel.”

Fear grips the people, but this time they do not run.
They turn to Samuel:



1 Samuel 7:8 - “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us.”

And Scripture says:

1 Samuel 7:9 - “Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.”



God’s Intervention

1 Samuel 7:10 - “The LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines… and they were routed.”

The victory is clear:

1 Samuel 7:13 - “So the Philistines were subdued… and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”

Israel did not win by strength or strategy.
God Himself fought for them.

 

The Meaning of Ebenezer

Only after repentance, prayer, and divine intervention does Samuel raise the stone and declare:



1 Samuel 7:12 - “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”

This truth echoes throughout Scripture:

Psalm 127:1 - “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Ebenezer is not a statement of perfection—It is a confession of grace.



From Ebenezer to the Cornerstone

The Old Testament points forward:

 

Psalm 118:22 - “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”

Jesus applies it to Himself:

Matthew 21:42 - “Have you never read in the Scriptures…?”

The apostles affirm:

Ephesians 2:20 - “…Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.”

1 Peter 2:6 - “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious.”

And Paul declares:

1 Corinthians 3:11 - “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Conclusion

Today we look back and say with gratitude:

Ebenezer — Thus far the LORD has helped us
(1 Samuel 7:12)

 

But we also look forward with faith and declare:

Jesus Christ is our Cornerstone
(Psalm 118:22 | Ephesians 2:20 | 1 Peter 2:6)

 

The God who has carried you to this point
is the same God who will carry you forward.

And when your life is built on Christ,
it will stand—no matter what comes.

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