They Said It

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Books Of Samuel

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Here are four insightful quotes about the Old Testament Books of I and II Samuel.

On the overarching purpose of Samuel
“The First Book of Samuel was written to show who the true Shepherd‑King of Israel must be: the Son of David, a man ‘after the Lord’s own heart’; Second Samuel was written to show that this true King of Israel will finally establish God’s forever kingdom.”
The Gospel Coalition

On what Samuel teaches about God and obedience
“In 1 and 2 Samuel what you really see is how God operates, what He requires of His people, and what He does when His people fail… Hope is never found in a human king; hope is found in the King of kings.”
Paul Tripp

On God’s sovereignty in the narrative
“The books of 1 & 2 Samuel reveal God’s sovereignty in history: God humbles the proud and exalts the humble, and He sovereignly works through the rise and fall of kings to accomplish His purposes.”
Randy McCracken

On the theological significance of Samuel’s leadership and the kingship theme
“Samuel’s story and the monarchy narratives show that God providentially draws His people back into right relationship with Himself by choosing and exalting leaders according to His will, even amid human failure.”
Jonathan Anderson

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Ruth

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Here are four poignant quotes about the relevance of the eighth book of the Bible, the Book of Ruth.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
“The Book of Ruth is the supreme example in Tanakh of hesed—loving-kindness—shown not by miracles or power, but by ordinary people in everyday life.”

Martin Luther
“This is a lovely and comforting book, for it teaches that God works through the simplest and most ordinary events to bring about His greatest purposes.”

Augustine of Hippo
“In Ruth we see the Gentile brought into the people of God, prefiguring the calling of the nations through Christ.”

John Piper
“The Book of Ruth shows us how God is always doing ten thousand things in our lives, and we may be aware of only three of them.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Judges

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Here are four interesting and insightful quotes about the seventh book of the Bible, Judges.

G. Campbell Morgan

“The book of Judges reveals the awful peril of forgetting God and the inevitable chaos that follows when there is no recognized authority under Him.”

Judges 21:25 (KJV):

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

Barry G. Webb

“Judges is not a book of heroes so much as a book of failure—failure of leadership, failure of faith, and failure of the people to live as God’s covenant community.”

Judges 2:10–11 (KJV):

“And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim.”

Daniel I. Block

“The judges were not saviors in the full sense but instruments of divine mercy, raised up in a time of moral and spiritual collapse.”

Judges 2:16 (KJV):

“Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.”

Tremper Longman III

“The repeated refrain, ‘Everyone did what was right in his own eyes,’ is not a celebration of freedom but a diagnosis of Israel’s sickness.”

Judges 17:6 (KJV):

“In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Joshua

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Here are four awesome quotes about the sixth book of the Bible, Joshua.

Origen of Alexandria (3rd century)

“Joshua, the son of Nun, is a figure of Jesus Christ; for he leads the people into the promised land, as Jesus leads believers into the kingdom of heaven.”
— Homilies on Joshua

Augustine of Hippo (4th–5th century)

“It was not Moses, but Joshua, who led the people into the land of promise—showing that the Law brings us to the border, but grace brings us in.”
— Sermons on the Old Testament

John Calvin (16th century)

“In the victories of Joshua, God displayed that the land was given not by human strength, but by His own hand and promise.”
— Commentary on the Book of Joshua

Matthew Henry (17th–18th century)

“Joshua’s book is a record of God’s faithfulness in the performance of His promises, and of Israel’s duty in the enjoyment of them.”
— Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Joshua

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Deuteronomy

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Here are four interesting and insightful quotes about the fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

“Deuteronomy is the great book of moral and spiritual challenge, calling on each generation to see itself as part of the covenant story and to choose the way of life.”
— Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

John Wesley

“In Deuteronomy, God gives His people a second law, not because the first failed, but to press it upon their hearts with greater earnestness and love.”
— John Wesley, Methodist founder

Christopher J.H. Wright

“Deuteronomy is a manifesto of God’s mission—revealing how a redeemed people are to live differently in a world of injustice, idolatry, and oppression.”
— Christopher J.H. Wright, Old Testament scholar

Matthew Henry

“The book of Deuteronomy renews the covenant and reminds us that God’s laws are given for our good, to keep us close to Him and safe from the snares of the world.”
— Matthew Henry, Bible commentator

They Said It: Four Quotes On The Book Of Numbers

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Here are some interesting and insightful quotes about the fourth book of the Bible, Numbers.

R. K. Harrison (Old Testament Scholar)

“Numbers reminds us that spiritual progress requires trust and obedience. Israel’s wanderings reveal that unbelief stalls the journey, but God’s patience endures even in the midst of human failure.”

Timothy Keller (Pastor & Author)

“In Numbers, we see a God who walks with His people even when they complain, rebel, and wander. Grace is not a New Testament invention—it’s woven throughout the wilderness story.”

Gordon Wenham (Biblical Scholar)

“Numbers is a book of transition—from promise to fulfillment. It shows that while God prepares His people for blessing, He also forms them through discipline, shaping them into a covenant community.”

John MacArthur (Pastor & Commentator)

“The Book of Numbers reveals the seriousness of sin and the faithfulness of God. The wilderness becomes a classroom where God teaches His people to trust His word above their fears.”

They Said It: Four Quotes On Leviticus

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Some interesting and insightful quotes about the third book of the Bible, Leviticus.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

“Leviticus teaches us that holiness is not an abstract concept but a way of life, shaping how we live, how we love, and how we treat one another.”
— Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the UK

John Calvin

“In Leviticus God shows that true worship must begin with atonement. Without reconciliation to God, nothing we do can be pleasing in His sight.”
— John Calvin, Reformer and theologian

N.T. Wright

“Leviticus forms the vital foundation for understanding Jesus’ work. Its sacrifices and purity codes point forward to the healing, forgiveness, and restoration He brings.”
— N.T. Wright, New Testament scholar and bishop

Matthew Henry

“Though many parts of Leviticus appear obscure to us, the whole book points to Christ, the true sacrifice and our great High Priest.”
— Matthew Henry, Bible commentator

Our Free Monthly Newsletter: What Is ‘Curious Fearless Faith’?

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  3. To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.
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So, expect some controversial viewpoints and uncomfortable ideas in some of the coming content from Bible Rebel.

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More in our “Your Life and What Comes After” series.

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They Said It: Four Quotes On Exodus

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Here are some famous quotes about the second book in the Bible, Exodus.

“Exodus is the story of God’s power to deliver, not just from Egypt, but from every form of bondage.”
— Charles Spurgeon

“The Exodus is the central act of redemption in the Old Testament; it is to Israel what the Cross is to the Church.”
— Philip Graham Ryken

“The story of the Exodus is not only Israel’s story—it is the human story of liberation from oppression into the freedom to serve God.”
— Walter Brueggemann

“In Exodus, God reveals Himself not as an idea, but as a living Redeemer who steps into history to rescue His people.”
— A.W. Tozer

They Said It: Four Quotes On Genesis

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Here are some famous quotes about the first book in the Bible, Genesis.

Saint Augustine (354–430 AD)

“In the beginning, God created — these words are the foundation of all that we believe. The world is not eternal; it had a beginning, and that beginning was God Himself.”

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

“The first chapters of Genesis give the story of the human condition — not as science, but as revelation — showing us not how man came to be, but why he is as he is.”

John Calvin (1509–1564)

“The Book of Genesis is the fountain from which the whole of Scripture flows. For there we see both the origin of the world and the covenant of God with man.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020)

“Genesis is not a book about beginnings alone; it is a book about relationships — between God and humanity, man and woman, brother and brother — and how the drama of freedom unfolds.”