Read an Excerpt
Zondervan's Great Bible Trivia Workout
By Brad Densmore Zondervan
Copyright © 2003 Brad Densmore
All right reserved. Chapter One
PUTTIN' ON THE SWEATS PIOUS PAIRINGS: Matches Made in Heaven (or Possibly Israel)
Pair the following spouses with their respective mates:
___1. Abraham
___2. Paul
___3. Ruth
___4. Joseph
___5. Moses
___6. Lamech (Cain's grandson)
___7. Sapphira
___8. Noah
___9. Jacob
___10. Herodias
___11. Priscilla
___12. Cuza
___13. Gomer
___14. Fred
A. Ananias
B. Joanna
C. Leah
D. No spouse mentioned
E. Wilma
F. Hosea
G. Zipporah
H. Mary
I. Boaz
J. Adah
K. Name unknown
L. Sarah
M. Aquila
N. Herod the tetrarch
(For extra credit, name at least fifty of Solomon's wives and/or concubines.)
Now see if your answers "pair up" with the ones on page 38.
JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM! (OR SIR!)
Which of these were part of Matthew's account of Jesus' birth and early childhood?
(Y = yes; N = no-I like to keep things as simple as possible!)
____1. Magi from the east follow a star
____2. An angel of the Lord appears to Mary in a dream
____3. A decree from Pontius Pilate
____4. A trip to Egypt
____5. A visit from John the Baptist
____6. Joseph's plan to divorce Mary
____7. The angel Gabriel's visit with Mary
____8. A manger in Bethlehem, and shepherds who search for it
____9. The circumcision of the baby Jesus
___10. Joseph's abstinence from sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus is born
___11. Herod's interest in Jesus' whereabouts
___12. The killing of all male children in Bethlehem aged two and under
___13. An edict by Caesar Augustus requiring a Census
___14. The Christ Child's blessing in the temple by Simeon
___15. A problem with Blue Cross of Bethlehem, which claimed it wanted maternity benefits to remain "stable"
Here's a fact that requires less thinking: answers are on page 38.
MIRACLE MATCH
Ready? Let's begin with some Bible miracles. Match the act with the person(s) responsible.
____1. Bitten by a poisonous viper with no ill effect
____2. Led the people across a temporarily divided Jordan River
____3. Produced water from a rock
____4. Made the head of an ax float in the Jordan River
____5. Turned water into wine
____6. His donkey spoke to him
____7. He died after lying about proceeds from a sale
____8. He was fed by ravens
____9. He was rescued from prison by an angel of the Lord
___10. This idol could not survive when placed next to the Ark of the Covenant
___11. Jesus raised him from the dead (he had "crashed" permanently!)
___12. He killed a lion!
___13. Almonds grew on his staff. (Though he preferred "plain.")
___14. Turned computer software into a multi-billion-dollar empire
A. Elijah
B. Lazarus
C. Bill Gates
D. Moses
E. Peter
F. Aaron
G. Balaam
H. Jesus
I. Paul
J. Samson
K. Dagon
L. Ananias
M. Joshua
N. Elisha Smaller miracle: the answers appear on page 39.
TOTAL RECALL
(Hey, at least it's not your CAR that's being recalled!) Do your very, very best to fill in the blank with the correct answer. We're going to try one interesting fact from each book of the Bible in succession. Good luck!
1. Noah's ark landed on the mountains of _________.
2. When the Israelites grew tired of waiting for Moses to return from Mt. Sinai, they melted their gold earrings into an idol in the form of a _______.
3. Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, were destroyed for making an improper offering of ________.
4. When the Israelites complained about not having meat, God eventually sent ________ (along with a great plague).
5. God commanded Moses to utterly destroy all of the _________ nations in the "promised land."
6. When Joshua sent spies to scout Jericho, they were aided by a prostitute named ________.
7. ____________, a prophetess who judged Israel, instructed Barak to do battle with the Canaanites, and accompanied him.
8. Ruth told Naomi, "Where you go I will go." Naomi was Ruth's _______________ .
9. God told Samuel that he was grieved that he had made ________ king of Israel.
10. After David's sins of adultery and murder, the prophet ________ came to tell David of God's impending judgment.
11. When King David was dying, he told Solomon, "Do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace." He was referring to __________. (Get this and I'm impressed!)
12. The prophet Isaiah told King __________ that the Babylonians would eventually carry off all the wealth stored up by his fathers.
13. Saul's death was ultimately caused by __________________________.
14. "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes." This was said to King Solomon by ____________________________.
15. While the Israelites were in captivity, __________________________ issued a decree that the temple of Jerusalem should be rebuilt.
16. When Nehemiah was attempting to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, one of his detractors said that if as much as a ________ ran across the wall, it would break down.
17. Because of Mordecai and Esther's righteousness and courage, the Jews survived Haman's plot to destroy them. The celebration that commemorates their victory is known as the Feast of ________.
18. Job's three friends came to visit him, but when they saw how great his grief was, no one spoke for ____ days.
19. Psalms is a collection of _______ (how many?) songs.
20. Proverbs says that it is better to have ___________ than great riches.
21. The Teacher of Ecclesiastes says that "Everything is _________________."
22. The woman in Song of Solomon is referred to as the _____________.
23. In chapters 46 and 47, Isaiah predicts the destruction of this empire and its idols. It is ___________.
24. God told the prophet Jeremiah not to ________.
25. Ezekiel was instructed by God not to grieve after _________________.
26. By interpreting the dreams of King ________________, Daniel achieved rank and power in Babylon.
27. Hosea married Gomer, who was a ____________, because God told him to.
28. When Joel asked the elders if "anything like this" had ever happened in their days, he was referring to a ______________.
29. According to the book of Amos, his prophecies came two years before a significant ____________.
30. Obadiah, the shortest book of the Old Testament, is a judgment against the land of __________.
31. The men on the ship on which Jonah was a passenger decided by _____________ (what process?) that he was the cause of the tempest.
32. The only element that was capable of killing Superman was _______________.
33. Micah says that the country of __________ will be left "a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards."
34. Nahum predicts the fall of ___________, the capital of Assyria, where Jonah preached more than a century earlier.
35. Habakkuk is concerned that although Judah is guilty of sinful behavior, justice would not be served if they were conquered by the _____________, who were even more evil.
36. Zephaniah referred to Jerusalem's officials as roaring lions, and her rulers as evening __________.
37. Haggai questioned the people about living in "paneled houses" while the _________________ remained in ruins.
38. Zechariah's third vision involved a man with a measuring line, who told Zechariah that he was going to measure ___________.
39. Through Malachi, God says the people have corrupted his covenant with ___________.
40. ___________________________ asked Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
41. After Jesus walked on water and got into the boat with his disciples, they crossed and landed at ________________.
42. Buzz Lightyear's favorite saying is, "To infinity ... and __________!"
43. In the parable of the Lost Son, after wasting all of his money, the young man goes into the fields to _______ _________.
44. When Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Jewish __________, he drove the vendors and moneychangers out of the temple.
45. While Stephen was being stoned to death for preaching about Jesus, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named ________.
46. Paul tells the Romans that everyone should submit himself to the _____________________.
47. Paul told the Corinthian believers, "I planted the seed, __________ watered it, but God made it grow."
48. Paul tells the Corinthians that they should not be "yoked together with ______________."
49. The Galatians are instructed to "not become weary in ________ ________ ."
50. The final article in the "full armor of God" is the "__________ of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
51. Paul told the Philippian believers, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is ________."
52. Paul warns the Colossian believers about the fallacy of worshiping _________.
53. Although Paul and Timothy wanted to return to their friends at Thessalonica, they were hindered by _______.
54. The second letter to the Thessalonians admonishes the people that "If a man will not work, he shall not _______."
55. Yogi the Bear can sleep 'til noon, but before it's dark, he'll have every picnic basket that's in _______ ______.
56. In order for a widow to be supported by the church, she should be at least ______ years old.
57. Timothy's mother is a lady named ________. (Extra credit if you know Timothy's grandmother's name, too.)
58. Titus had been left by Paul to lead the church on the island of ________.
59. Philemon had been the owner of a slave named ______________.
60. The author of Hebrews reiterates how Abraham gave a tithe to _______________, the king of Salem and priest of God Most High.
61. James compares the __________ to "a fire, a world of evil."
62. Peter says that the wife's role in a marriage is to be ______________.
63. Second Peter (First Peter's identical twin brother) reminds us that with the Lord a day is like a _____________ years.
64. First John tells his readers that "this is the last hour ... and the ___________ is coming."
65. In the Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof, the instrument played by the fiddler was the _______. (This is NOT a trick question. It is what we call a "gimme". If you get it wrong you may want to consider going back to comic books as your primary source of literature.)
66. Second John is addressed to the "chosen _______", which may be a reference to a specific person or church.
67. John says in book three that ___________ (who?) is well spoken of by everyone.
68. Jude identifies himself as "a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of _________."
69. Between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals, the apostle John saw an angel preparing to put a seal on the foreheads of __________ (number?) Israelites.
70. After taking this "Total Recall" challenge, I need to _________. (Fill this in according to your own feelings at this time.) Some options might be:
grab a snack
say a quick prayer
take a long vacation
get some counseling
stick with "Wheel of Fortune"
enter a monastery
Congratulations on finishing. Recall questions tend to be the most challenging, and while I realize you're pretty brilliant-you will discover how much so by checking out the answers on page 40.
So pat yourself on the back, take a deep breath, and let's head on to ...
CORRECTION, PLEASE!
There seems to be a problem with this version of Solomon's "time for every purpose" soliloquy found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. I tried to write it strictly from memory, but I guess my memory ain't what it used to be! See if you can make the necessary corrections before you look it up!
(Hint: You may want to start by marking each statement that doesn't belong.)
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to walk and a time to run,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to pray and a time to refrain from praying,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to get your driver's license and a time to sign up for Social Security,
a time to gain and a time to lose,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to tend the vineyard and a time to drink the wine,
a time to water the flocks and a time to slaughter the lambs,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace,
a time to work and a time to read another Bible trivia book,
a time to share a lime with a mime and a time in your prime when you would climb in grime for a dime.
As I said, I have some real doubts about the accuracy of this. Are you finished with your corrections? Okay, let's turn to page 42 and see what the real version says.
Now it must be time for ... the very first Top Ten List! (Trumpet fanfare.)
TOP TEN THINGS THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL RESENTED ABOUT MOSES
10. Could never summon up Coney dogs
9.
Continues...
Excerpted from Zondervan's Great Bible Trivia Workout by Brad Densmore Copyright © 2003 by Brad Densmore. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.