It is estimated that around three hundred direct quotations from the Old Testament appear in the New Testament. References and allusions bring that number closer to one thousand. We often take for granted how often the New Testament writers incorporate a quotation or reference from the Old Testament—especially in their conversations where they appear to be quoting from memory. And we have to remember that they had no computers or complete copies of the Old Testament to work with when writing the New Testament.

Jesus appears to quote the Old Testament around 75 times in His teachings and verbal exchanges with others. Take, for example, His exchange with the devil during His 40-day sojourn in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Three times He refuted the devil’s temptations by quoting verses from Deuteronomy. Paul quotes or alludes to the Old Testament around 75 times just in the book of Romans. How did they do this? Memorization and in-depth familiarity with Scripture.

Consider setting a goal of memorizing one verse or passage of Scripture each week. After all, the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and the foundation of faith (Romans 10:17).

Memorization is the first step to meditation.
Jerry Bridges