They Said It

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Amos

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

Abraham Joshua Heschel

“The prophet’s fundamental objective is to challenge the apparently holy, to unmask the seemingly pious. Religion itself may become idolatry if it lends support to wrong. The prophet Amos reminds us that God is not impressed by worship divorced from justice.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“‘Let justice roll down like waters in a mighty stream,’ said the Prophet Amos. He was seeking not consensus but the cleansing action of revolutionary change.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Unless a man’s heart is right, the external forms of worship mean nothing.”
(King’s reflection on Amos 5 while studying the Old Testament.)

Kathryn Schifferdecker

“Amos insists that worship without justice is offensive to God. Genuine faith is measured not merely by religious ritual but by how God’s people treat the poor and the vulnerable.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Joel

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

Matthew Henry

“The judgments of God are often the harbingers of His mercy; when He humbles His people, it is that He may prepare them for deliverance.”

(Commentary on Joel 2)

Charles H. Spurgeon

“Joel’s trumpet still sounds across the centuries, calling men to repentance before the great and terrible day of the Lord.”

(From a sermon on Joel 2:1)

John Calvin

“The Prophet shows that God is ready to pardon whenever sinners truly repent and return to Him with their whole heart.”

(Commentary on Joel 2:12–13)

A. W. Tozer

“Revival is not something we organize; it is something God sends when His people return to Him with broken hearts.”

(A theme Tozer frequently connected with Joel 2:12–17 and the biblical call to repentance.)

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Hosea

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Here are four inspiring quotes from respected spiritual leaders and influencers on the Book of Hosea.

G. Campbell Morgan

“The message of Hosea is the revelation of the heart and holiness of God.”

This is the central theme Morgan developed throughout his book Hosea: The Heart and Holiness of God. He emphasized that Hosea reveals both God’s unwavering love and His uncompromising righteousness.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

    “There is no chapter in all the Word of God which more fully reveals the amazing grace of God than the story of Hosea and his unfaithful wife.”

    Spurgeon frequently pointed to Hosea as one of Scripture’s clearest pictures of God’s redeeming love toward undeserving sinners.

    J. Vernon McGee

      “Hosea is the prophet of the broken heart—God’s broken heart.”

      McGee often summarized Hosea this way to emphasize that the book is not merely about Israel’s sin, but about God’s grief over His people’s unfaithfulness.

      Tim Keller

        “The story of Hosea is the gospel before the Gospel.”

        Keller used Hosea repeatedly to show that God’s pursuit of His unfaithful people foreshadows the redeeming love of Christ for sinners, making Hosea one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of the gospel.

        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

        Rick Tryon1 Comment

        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

        Rick TryonLeave a comment

        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.”