This is Episode 9 of Bible Rebel’s 10-part ‘Bible 101’ series. It’s about seven minutes in length and briefly covers the exceptions to the principle of understanding scripture in a strict literal sense.
You can find the complete 10-part series here.
Here are some interesting and insightful quotes about the fourth book of the Bible, Numbers.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
This post was originally published on in April, 2025 and updated on November 22,2025.
Howdy, I trust all is well with you as you sit here on death row with the rest of us.
Someone recently asked me why an all-loving and all-powerful God would hide and allow for so many folks to doubt His existence.
The so called ‘hiddenness of God’, which has been debated in philosophical/theological discussions for a long time, raises the question of why God doesn’t just make His presence undeniably clear to everyone.
Do we ask why the clockmaker doesn’t show himself every time we look at a big, beautiful grandfather clock? Nope. Because the clock is proof of the clockmaker.
God isn’t hidden, you can see Him everywhere you look.
Psalm 19:1-2 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. (KJV)
How can any intelligent person look at the creation and not see the Creator? So, no, God is not hidden – people who claim He is are in denial.
Romans 1:19-21 – Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Not only has God revealed Himself through the Book of Creation, He has also shown Himself perfectly through the written Word of God, the Bible, and in complete fullness by the Word made flesh, Jeshua our Messiah, the only begotten son of God.
Even so, I understand the argument: Why doesn’t God just do a bunch of magic tricks for everyone all the time so that they will see Him and love Him?
Well, part of the answer to that question is imbedded in the question itself. See if you can figure it out before our next little chat when we’ll dig a little deeper into the hiddenness of God.
Until then,
Your fellow death row occupant
Some interesting and insightful quotes about the third book of the Bible, Leviticus.
“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
“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
“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
“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
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At Bible Rebel, this is our one and only creed:
Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will.
Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, expect some controversial viewpoints and uncomfortable ideas in some of the coming content from Bible Rebel.
More in our “Your Life and What Comes After” series.
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Often, looking at the stars, contemplating how many I can’t see in the middle of town with street lights all around, I think about God’s promise to Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the stars. If you’ve ever been out in the desert at night, away from population, if you’ve ever been up in the mountains in a place like Montana, the enormity, the immensity, the sheer number of stars is wondrous. You can’t really imagine it unless you’ve seen it. So many stars stretching through the Milky Way alone that it looks like a sheet of soft light spread across the sky. Spilled milk. The Way of Milk.
Yet the Apostle Paul notes that the promises of God to Abraham were to his seed – not as of many seeds, but as of ONE seed, who is the Lord Jesus, the Christ.
Galatians 3:16 KJV
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
So how are we included in God’s promise to Abraham? As many as believe on Christ, The Seed, are welcomed under the umbrella of Abraham’s seed by faith and we represent that vision of stars stretching through the Milky Way and beyond.
Galatians 2:7 KJV
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
In this Biblical account of the exchange between God and Abraham, God gets Abraham to look up, and in effect, to get a greater vision for his life and purpose. Many success-oriented coaches teach that if we want to be truly successful in life, we need to get our vision up.
One of the great phrases I heard years ago from such coaches (probably Jim Rohn) was to set a goal so big it scares you. The reason? You have to grow up into the goal to achieve it.
So there I am this week, reading through these excerpts in the Bible, pondering the beauty of being part of the family of Christ, welcomed in as Abraham’s seed through Christ, and I was inspired to read Psalm 2.
Psalm 2:7-8 KJV
(7) I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
(8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
It came to me, that as the seed of Christ through faith, God is asking us to get our vision up. The Body of Christ, the body of believers, can ask the Father to give us the heathen (the yet unsaved) as part of the inheritance of Jesus Christ, in whose inheritance we share.
Romans 8:16-17a KJV
(16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
(17a) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
God the Father is declaring that we can ask to possess the uttermost parts of the earth for Him by declaring the witness of Christ. Not a material possession, but a spiritual realm. That what Christ began and then commissioned disciples to continue, equipped with the Gift of Holy Spirit and all its manifestations, as well as the written Word, was prophesied in Psalm 2 not just for the Messiah, but for his seed. And if we can grab the vision and see the goal, what we will become in the process of trying to achieve it? Why, we will grow up into Christ, we will mature as members of his body.
You reading this must think me dull-witted! How could I have not seen this so clearly before? God is so lovely to break things down for me in the most simple terms. What is required here to get my vision up is to see the vision God already gave.
Ask of me, He says. Ask.
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Here are four common ‘old sayings’ that many folks mistakenly believe are bible verses. While these sayings may contain practical wisdom, and even reflect values taught by scripture generally, they are not inspired scripture.
This one is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1736).
The Bible teaches dependence on God, not self-sufficiency (see Psalm 121:2, Proverbs 3:5–6). The phrase reflects a moral idea, but it’s not scriptural.
Popularized by John Wesley in a 1778 sermon.
While the Bible values purity of heart and spiritual cleanliness (James 4:8), it never equates physical cleanliness with godliness.
Likely from ancient Persian or Hebrew proverbs, but not found in Scripture.
The Bible expresses similar sentiments (e.g., 2 Corinthians 4:17–18, Psalm 30:5), yet the phrase itself never appears.
This one is a misquotation of 1 Timothy 6:10.
What the Bible actually says: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” The difference is crucial — Scripture warns against greed, not wealth itself.
“Make sure to seek God’s presence more than His power…”, someone recently said.
I’m a bit befuddled. How do I separate The Creator from His power? He who is almighty, whose power spoke light and the earth into being, who infused man with His spirit, who BY HIS POWER raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, ummmmm WHAT??
It seems silly and futile and a waste of time to entertain such notions that don’t appear in any scripture. Just logically thinking, the power of God in the love of God saved me from a life of darkness and misery. Without His power, what is He?
He would be just one of the many gods, indistinguishable from the gods of the Greeks and Romans. It would in fact be foolish to worship such a god.
When the Prophet Elijah said choose ye this day whom ye worship, and fire rained from heaven on his sacrifice and not on that of Baal, was not the presence of God power?
When Moses was on the mount, when the pillar of fire went before the children of Israel, when the sea parted, was not the presence of God power and did not the people worship?
I seek the presence of my God who is powerful, who raised Christ from the dead and whose Kingdom on earth is yet to come. Whose Son will return in Power and glory and righteousness. And I seek His son, who reflects the Father and who has the power to forgive my sins and heal me.
So when I seek God’s presence, I don’t worry about whether I’m splitting hairs between His presence and His character. How can I be in His presence and not be changed by His Power? Ultimately we seek the Father because He has the power to change us. His presence is perfect Love, who gave His only begotten son and raised him to be the first fruits of those that believe, and that, my friends, is power
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