An Upbeat Word for a Downbeat World, #3 (Alternate)

Mark Twain was a writer of great charm and wit, Twain could communicate important insights in a way that won him many admirers. He was welcome in the highest social and literary circles both in this country and abroad. On one of his trips abroad the Emperor of Germany sent an invitation for him to come to the palace to dine with the royal family. When Twain's little daughter heard about it, she exclaimed, "Daddy, you know most everybody in the whole world now, don't you . . . except God?" Out of the mouths of babes . . .

Our lesson today contains an invitation for us to know God. But first let's form the backdrop for the little drama that we are going to survey.

There was once a man named Elkanah who had two wives. That makes for an in…