One revival or restoration is never enough for the people of God. God’s people follow the natural lines of spiritual degeneration. They will naturally slide backwards toward the ways of the world. They require periodic revivals in order to remain close to the Lord. When the revivals cease, the people will fall further and further away from the Lord.
The Book of Jonah is a battle of wills. If there ever was a book of the Bible that dealt with a man matching his will and wits against the Lord, it’s the Book of Jonah. You don’t have to read very far to realize the fruitlessness of that endeavor! Have you ever battled the Lord over anything?
To understand the gospel record of Jesus Christ, we must go back before the beginning of time where the Son of God already dwells. This lesson deals with the very important truth that God’s Son did not begin at the time of His birth in a manger. He existed in eternity past and was the Creator of all things.
After the record of the miraculous birth of Samuel in chapter one and the praiseful prayer of Hannah in chapter two (1 Samuel 2:1-10), we are introduced to the spiritual famine of this time – which is still the time of the judges.
This chapter is one of the greatest chapters on Christ in the Bible. Of this chapter, the Baptist preacher J. Frank Norris said: “The greatest chapter, the highest mountain peak of the whole Bible. This chapter should be memorized by all.”
