Something that has become a Christmas tradition for our family every year is going to see the play, A Christmas Carol, at an Atlanta theatre. It's one of those stories that I never get tired of seeing. As you know, the central figure is a bitter old man by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge. For much of the play Scrooge is a real downer.

But at the end, Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas, and with his heart totally changed, a man who once lived in the desert of bitterness, now swims in the river of blessing.

The story that we are going to read about today, is a very strange but wonderful story of how God can take the most bitter circumstances in our lives, and literally turn them into showers of blessings. It was a happy time. The children of Israel had just been delivered from th…