Match These Old Testament Characters -- #14 Quiz

Answer: Fingers write on wall

According to the fifth chapter of Daniel, the fingers of an disembodied hand started writing a message on the wall after King Belshazzar hosted a lavish banquet in which he, his wives and his concubines drank from goblets taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem. Scripture states the king's gathering drank the wine from the sacred goblets and "praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone."

When the king brought in the prophet Daniel to interpret the writing on the wall, no punches were pulled. Daniel told the king "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end". The chapter concludes with these two verses from the NKJV Bible: "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old."

As result, the term 'to see the handwriting on the wall' refers to when one can envision their misfortune or fall.

Answer: Orpah's husband

Naomi was the mother of two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. (In the NIV Bible, Chilion is spelled as Kilion.) However, not much is known about her two sons as they are mentioned in passing reference. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state Mahlon and Chilion mean 'Sickly' and 'Failing'. According to Ruth 4:10, Ruth was married to Mahlon.

As a result, it is safe to state Chilion was married to Orpah. The Website Christiananswers.net states Ruth means friend, while Orpah means forelock or fawn.

Answer: Divine retribution

According to Scripture, Nadab and Abihu were "devoured" by fire from the LORD for offering "profane fire" in the tabernacle of meeting. (The NIV states the men were killed because they offered "unauthorized fire".)

Leviticus 10:1-3, in the NKJV, explains things this way: "Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the Lord spoke, saying:
'By those who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.'
So Aaron held his peace."

According to notes in the NIV Study Bible, 'censers' were "ceremonial vessels containing hot coals and used for burning incense."

Answer: Lapping water

According to the seventh chapter of Judges, Gideon led a handful of soldiers to victory over a gigantic number of warriors battling for the Midianites. Judges 7:1-7 tells of Gideon having 32,000 soldiers and the number being reduced to 10,000 when 22,000 of them were excused for being fearful of fighting the Midianites. Then the LORD instructed Gideon to lead 10,000 men to water where they were apparently told to drink.

Then things got downright interesting. The men who drank by lapping the water from their cupped hands like a dog were selected for battle while those who knelt down to drink were rejected. Only 300 men lapped water like a dog, yet those were the ones the LORD told Gideon to take into battle. Sure enough, the chapter ends with an amazing victory by Gideon's 300 men over their opposition.

According to Judges 6:12 in the NIV Bible, Gideon means "Mighty Warrior."

Here's how Joshua 7:1-8, in the NKJV, tells of Gideon's selection of the 300 warriors: "Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. And the LORD said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. But the LORD said to Gideon, 'The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go.' So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, 'Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.' And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, 'By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.' So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men."

The death of Gideon is reported in Judges 8:32. The passage states: "Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites."

Answer: Hanged on gallows

Haman ended up being hanged on the gallows he had specially built for the execution of Mordecai, according to Esther 7:10.

It was a classic case of "what goes around, comes around." Haman, of course, had a diabolical plan to have all the Jews exterminated in the vast area ruled by the man who is known as King Ahasuerus in the NKJV Bible and King Xerxes in the NIV Bible.

Haman was thwarted in his attempt by Queen Esther and, according to the seventh chapter of Esther, he ended up being hanged on the very gallows he had erected for the execution of Mordecai, the cousin of the queen.

Answer: Swallowed by earth

According to Scripture, Korah and his associates died after the earth opened up and swallowed them as divine retribution for their stubborn refusal to follow Moses' leadership.

Numbers 16:31-34, in the NIV Bible, tells what happened: "...the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, 'The earth is going to swallow us too'!"

Verse 35 goes on to state that 250 men who were offering incense were consumed when fire came out from the LORD. By the time you read down to verse 49, no less than 14,700 people had died from a plague "because of Korah".

Answer: Died in fire

After seeing the city had been taken by rival forces, Zimri went into the citadel of the royal palace, set it on fire around him, and died in the flames, according to Scripture.

1 Kings 16:15 states Zimri reigned for seven turbulent days. In his quest for power, he killed Elah, the reigning king, as well as his entire family and his friends. (1 Kings 16:10-11)

1 Kings 16:16-18 in the NKJV Bible has this to say about his downfall and his eventual suicide: "Now the people who were encamped heard it said, 'Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king.' So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house down upon himself with fire, and died..."

Answer: LORD'S covenant

It's a bit of a long story, but basically God promised Abraham, who was known as Abram at the time, that He would make a great nation out of him, with Genesis 15:5 stating his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Scripture states the LORD also said He would bless Abram and the families of the earth through him and He also promised Abram his people would live in a certain geographical area.

In Genesis 12:2-3, in the NKJV, the LORD tells Abram: "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Genesis 15:18-21 goes on to state: "On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates -- the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

Answer: At logger heads

Sarah and Hagar, it seems, were bitter adversaries.

Their dislike for each other ultimately resulted in Abraham making a decision to abandon Hagar and her son Ishmael. The problems apparently started shortly after Sarah gave permission to her husband Abraham to sleep with Hagar to produce a child. Sarah was barren at the time.

According to Scripture, Hagar started to despise Sarah for whatever reason. I suppose she felt superior because she could produce a child for Abraham while Sarah was unable. So she made a point of constantly trying to make Sarah feel small and insignificant.

It seems things snowballed with Sarah attempting to get even by being unduly harsh on Hagar. In fact, she was so harsh Hagar, even before Ishmael was born, fled from Abraham and Sarah. However,an angel of the LORD requested she go back to Abraham and Sarah and produce a child.

But things wouldn't work out. A number of years later, Abraham opted to abandon Hagar and Ishmael, sending them off with some food and water into the desert. (It appears the breaking point was Ishmael's 'scoffing', as per Genesis 21:9.) With the two women separated, the turmoil between them would finally come to an end.

Answer: Double portion

According to Scripture, Elisha requested, and apparently received, a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

2 Kings 2:9-10, in the NKJV, tells of Elisha making his request.

"And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?' Elisha said, 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me'."

Scripture goes on to tell of Elijah suddenly being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind and a distraught Elisha taking up Elijah's mantle. According to Verse 14, Elisha struck the waters of the Jordan River and "it was divided this way and that and Elisha crossed over".

Verse 15 goes on to state: "Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him."