They Said It

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Daniel

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Here are four thoughtful quotes from respected spiritual leaders and influencers on the Book of Daniel.

Augustine of Hippo — on God’s rule over history

“Daniel shows that kingdoms rise and fall, but the City of God endures without end.”

John Wesley — on Daniel’s holy courage

“Daniel’s faith was not occasional but constant; therefore he stood unshaken when trials came.”

Billy Graham — on Daniel’s prophetic clarity

“The Book of Daniel reminds us that God is never surprised by the future; He holds it.”

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein — on Daniel’s faithfulness in exile

“Daniel teaches that loyalty to God is possible anywhere, even in the courts of power.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Ezekiel

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Here are four thoughtful quotes from respected spiritual leaders and influencers on the Book of Ezekiel.

Matthew Henry — on Ezekiel’s call to faithfulness

“Ezekiel stands as a watchman to remind us that God warns because He loves, and He calls because He seeks to restore.”

A. W. Tozer — on Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory

“The opening vision of Ezekiel shows that God’s majesty is never diminished by human rebellion; His glory remains unshaken.”

Eugene Peterson — on Ezekiel’s message of renewal

“Ezekiel refuses to let despair have the last word. He teaches us that God can breathe life into any valley we stand in.”

Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) — on Ezekiel’s symbolic actions

“The prophet’s signs and enactments are God’s way of making the unseen visible, so Israel might understand the seriousness of their path.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Lamentations

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“There is no voice in the Bible that gives such sorrow words to speak as the Book of Lamentations. Yet even here, hope flickers in the dark: ‘Great is thy faithfulness.’” — Charles Spurgeon

“Lament is not the opposite of faith. It is one of the purest expressions of faith. The Book of Lamentations teaches us that God’s people are allowed to grieve honestly before Him.” — N. T. Wright

“The tears of Jeremiah in Lamentations remind us that holiness does not make a man cold. The closer we are to God, the more deeply we feel the tragedy of sin and suffering.” — A. W. Tozer

“Lamentations is the cry of a broken heart that still believes God reigns. It shows us that even in judgment, God’s mercy has the final word.” — Tim Keller

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Jeremiah

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Here are four thoughtful quotes from respected spiritual leaders and influencers on the Book of Jeremiah.

Charles Spurgeon

“Jeremiah shows us that faithfulness to God may break your heart, but it will never break your calling.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel

“Jeremiah is the prophet who feels the pain of God; his tears are the echo of divine sorrow.”

John Calvin

“In Jeremiah we learn that God’s warnings are themselves acts of mercy, calling His people back before judgment falls.”

N. T. Wright

“Jeremiah’s message insists that true hope is not denial but the courage to trust God in the ruins.”

Why Did God Permit The Holocaust? Rabbi Sacks Answers

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As I’ve said before, question everything. Faith requires a healthy dose of skepticism about everything we think we know.

One of the most often asked about and pondered upon questions is a simple one: why does God allow evil to thrive?

And to narrow it down to a more concrete example: why did God permit the unspeakable horror of the Holocaust to occur?

I recently came across some of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks videos and writings. Rabbi Sacks, who has passed away, articulated the answer very well. Here are four of his quotes.

“The Holocaust was not God’s will. It was the result of human beings choosing evil and refusing to see the divine image in others.”

“God did not permit the Holocaust. God does not will evil. What happened was what happens when humanity walks away from God.”

“The question is not ‘Where was God?’ but ‘Where was man?’ God calls us to be His partners in defending life, dignity, and justice.”

“The Holocaust teaches not that God abandoned humanity, but that humanity abandoned God’s command to honor every life as sacred.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Isaiah

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John Wesley

“Isaiah is the evangelical prophet, speaking Christ’s gospel centuries before His birth.”

Charles Spurgeon

“In Isaiah we see the majesty of God and the misery of man, yet also the miracle of grace that bridges the two.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel

“Isaiah’s words are not echoes of the past but shouts meant for every age.”

N. T. Wright

“Isaiah gives us the script Jesus Himself believed He was fulfilling.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Song Of Solomon

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Here are four rich, historically grounded quotes from respected spiritual leaders and influencers on the Book of Song of Solomon—a book that has stirred devotion, mystery, and deep reflection for centuries.

Charles Spurgeon

“The Song teaches us the intimacy of Christ’s love for His people—love so strong, so tender, that only the language of bride and bridegroom can carry its weight.”

Watchman Nee

“In the Song of Songs, the believer moves from initial love to mature union with the Lord. It is the story of a soul learning to rest entirely in Him.”

Bernard of Clairvaux

“No book draws the soul toward God with such sweetness as the Song of Songs. It is the kiss of Scripture, where divine love meets human longing.”

Rabbi Akiva (1st–2nd century)

“All the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Ecclesiastes

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Here are four powerful quotes from well-known spiritual leaders and thinkers about the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Donald Miller (Christian author & speaker)

“It’s interesting that in the Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes, the only practical advice given about living a meaningful life is to find a job you like, enjoy your marriage, and obey God. It’s as though God is saying, Write a good story, take somebody with you, and let me help.”

Mark Driscoll (Pastor & author)

“Even a cursory reading of the book of Ecclesiastes shows that culture is a stationary bike that each generation climbs on in hopes of getting somewhere only to die and fall off so that the new young stud can take his turn peddling… We would be wise to see postmodernity as simply the new guy on the old bike and not mistake cultural change for kingdom progress.”

Philip Yancey (Christian thinker & bestselling author)

“As Ecclesiastes tells it, a wholesale devotion to pleasure will, paradoxically, lead to a state of utter despair.”

Paulo Coelho (International spiritual writer)

“A time to be born, and a time to die… a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Proverbs

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Here are four insightful quotes from well-known spiritual leaders and thinkers about the Book of Proverbs.

John Chrysostom

“Proverbs trains the soul by little sentences, as a father trains a child—shaping character one line at a time.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“In Proverbs we learn that wisdom is not speculation but obedience—truth lived out in the ordinary.”

Charles Spurgeon

“The Proverbs are the deep sayings of a wise father to his children, and every generation finds them newly true.”

C.S. Lewis

“Proverbs reminds us that God’s world has a moral grain; to go against it is to break ourselves, not His law.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Psalms

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Here are four insightful quotes from well-known spiritual leaders and thinkers about the Book of Psalms. 

Athanasius of Alexandria

“Among all the books, the Psalms not only speak to us, but they speak for us.”

John Calvin

“The Psalms are an anatomy of all the parts of the soul.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The Psalms are the prayerbook of Jesus Christ… In them we learn to pray as He prayed.”

C. S. Lewis

“The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight in God which made David dance.”