He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

1 Samuel 6:13-7:12

These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

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.

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.”

Why?

 The people of Israel turned back to the Lord

This is the key point: Actions are to get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only.

Samuel cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him. Help Israelites defeat their enemies, the Philistines.

Kiriath Jearim： It was initially inhabited by the Gibeonites, who, in deceit, forged a bond of peace with the Israelites so that they would not be eradicated by the Israelites on their path of destruction throughout the Land of Promise. When the boundaries of the tribes of Israel were set, Kiriath-jearim was on the border of Benjamin, Dan and Judah.

How?

How great is the Lord Almighty! Do our duty to serve the Lord and the Lord will help us in his time and way.