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.
Messes tend to begat more messes. That is why it seems to take so long to get things right after they have really been messed up. However, that is the case in David’s reign and that is often the case in our own lives. The best thing is to simply pay the price and do whatever is necessary to put things right.
David is still reaping what he had sown. One of the judgments given by Nathan is fulfilled by David's son Absalom. Galatians 6:7 is fulfilled in this lesson.
We were once bombarded with the images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The disciples asked Jesus about similar tragedies in His day. Will you wait until it is too late?
Ab is the Jewish name for the fifth month in the religious calendar and the eleventh month of the civil calendar. This non-biblical name began to be used during the Babylonian captivity. The Bible simply calls this month the “fifth month.” This designation is found ten times in the Bible. The month of Ab begins with the new moon of August and always has thirty days. Agriculturally, the month of Ab is known in Israel as the time for the ripening of grapes, figs, and olives.
