In Jesus' final public teaching in the Gospel of John (10:22-42), the people of Jerusalem tried to pin him down. They wanted him to declare openly who he was. In keeping with his indirect public style, Jesus pointed them to his words and works. He also boldly declared, "I and the Father are one." This statement sent them looking for rocks to stone him, since they thought he was a man who made himself out to be God. They grasped that he claimed identity with God, but they got things exactly backwards. (sermon notes)
In response to King Saul’s second major error and his excuse, Samuel famously declared that to obey is better than sacrifice.
In Stephen's speech before the Jewish Council, he gave a master class on the meaning of Old Testament history, which culminated in Jesus.
In Jonah 3, we find that God did not give up on Jonah or on the people of Nineveh, which encourages us to believe...