Samuel was a very sad, disappointed man. After all that he had done in loving service to the Israel of God, for which he sought no reward, in which no-one could find any blame, his office as judge in Israel had now been rejected. The people were determined to have a king. But you notice the grace in Samuel. Though he was so upset, he did not show a wrong spirit. What about this: “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you”? Now what grace there was that shone there!

This is a suitable word for the last Lord’s day of the old year. It is a word that speaks of looking back, a word that speaks of remembering; also a word which can make an important statement, and then there is the thought: Can you and I make this same statement? “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house.” O the wonderful privilege of meeting through another year, to hear the glorious gospel of the grace of God! What has it meant to us? O can we say it: “Lord” – whatever other people have found – “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honour dwelleth”?

There is not a more simple statement in the whole Word of God than this, that “Jesus was born in Bethlehem.” But there is not a more sublime, more sacred word in all Scripture than this. How especially it rests on my spirit at the beginning this morning is exceedingly solemn. When we come across a word like this, when we read it, when we hear it read, our hearts should be filled with absolute amazement, with wonder, with love. We should be filled with repentance, a sense of unworthiness, that the great God of heaven should send His beloved Son, that the Son of God should come.

This must surely be one of the best-known chapters in the minor prophets, and surely this verse that I have read out to you must be one of the most important words in the whole of the Old Testament. There is so much in it; there is everything it. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Let me just remind you of the background to this chapter. God’s ancient people were in great trouble, great sadness, and especially their governor Zerubbabel, both personally and also concerning the state of Israel at that time. It seemed they were disappointed. It seemed there was no answer. It seemed they had failed. It seemed their enemies had prevailed. It seemed…

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was about to remind His beloved disciples that He was going to be crucified, put to death by the hands of wicked men. A verse or two after this, we read, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”