BBB Bible Series: Numbers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Moses

Moses, or Moshe, was the man whom God had chosen to lead his children out of captivity in Egypt. Moses is generally understood to have written this book, as well as the other first four books of the Holy Bible, commonly referred to as the "Pentateuch".
The book follows the 11-day journey that became a 40-year agony for the nation of Israel, largely due to their unbelief and complaining. The numbers involved are the two numberings of the people; first, of the generation that left during the Exodus, and second, of the generation that grew up in the wilderness and eventually conquered Canaan.
There are over 80 places where it states the Lord spoke to Moses in this book.

Answer: 39 years

Ahh... If you read the answer to the first question, you probably got this one right.
Covering a time that probably ran from 1444-1405 B.C., it records Israel's movements from Mount Sinai to their arrival in the plains of Moab (Jordan) in the fortieth year of their wanderings.
Whenever they were encamped and not traveling, their tents probably occupied several square miles, since according to the figures given in chapters 1 and 26, their population was over 2 and 1/2 million people!

Answer: Levi - reserved for priestly duties

Numbers chapter 1, verses 49 and 50 tell us that the Levites were not to be numbered but that they were to be appointed over the tabernacle to minister to it and serve in their capacity as priests.

Answer: 30-50 years old

This may have been ordered to ensure the maturity of individual priests as well as to prevent a type of "priest-for-life" mentality. Also, as a priest aged, it would have naturally become harder for him to perform as he had formerly, and the top age limit may have been implemented to provide eventual respite.

Answer: Kohath and his sons with Aaron and his sons

In Numbers, chapter 4, many of the items listed in the text are seen by Christians to indicate various aspects of Christ. For example, the blue cloth can be seen to represent His heavenly attributes, while the badger's skin may be interpreted as Him wearing mankind's sins on the cross. The purple cloth shows His royalty and the golden altar can be seen as His kingly place of worship.

Some Christians see the repetitive procedure of tearing down, rebuilding and transporting the tabernacle as a type of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Many of them also see it as applying to Christian beliefs of individuals "dying" to sin, burial (baptism) in Christ, and transporting of the individual believer (since people are a mobile entity), because they believe that Christ lives within their hearts.

Answer: a place for God to live among His people

The word tabernacle means "to dwell among", and this was what God did; He dwelt among his people.

According to New Testament accounts, Christians believe that Christ came to "tabernacle" among His people, the Jews. They further believe that because the Jewish people rejected Him as Messiah, and because the temple veil was torn in two on the day of His crucifixion, that this represents an opening of the way for the Gentiles to be able to enter into God's family. The interpretation is that Christ now "tabernacles", or indwells within the hearts of His people.
(See Hebrews chapter 8 for a comparison between the Old Testament and New Testament tabernacles.)

Answer: pillar of cloud by day; pillar of fire by night

Numbers 9:15 and 16 says, "And on the day the tabernacle was lifted up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony; and at even (evening) there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night."

If we read just a little further, we see that when the cloud or fire stopped, the people encamped around it and when the cloud or fire moved, so did the people as they followed it.

Answer: one month

We read in the Numbers 11:20 that God promised that they would eat of the flesh that He was going to give them for a solid month, until they found it "loathsome" or disgusting. Just a few verses later Moses questioned God and asked what kind of meat it was to be, and God challenged him to wait and see (verse 23).

Answer: by a wind from the sea

In Numbers 11:31 we are told that a wind from the Lord brought quails from the sea. In verse 33 we see that a plague smote the people even as they greedily ate on the flesh of the birds. God's displeasure at their greed and lack of trust in Him was manifested in their physical deaths.

Answer: when God's cloud lifted off the tabernacle she had leprosy

Ostensibly, Aaron and Miriam were upset at Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman. In reality, they were questioning his special status with God as God's spokesman. (Numbers 12:1)

They were called to meet the Lord in the tabernacle and when they glory cloud of the Lord lifted off the tabernacle, Miriam had leprosy. The entire entourage had to wait for a week before they could travel again, at which time the leprosy was removed from her by God.

(Could this be an object lesson in not questioning the leadership authority of God's chosen vessel? We'll see this theme later in the book...)

Answer: Caleb

Caleb and Joshua were the only two spies of the twelve that had been sent into the land of the Canaanites that brought back a good report. In verse 30, Caleb attempted to reassure the people that the land was theirs for the taking, but they would not hear of it because the other ten spies described the inhabitants as giants and themselves as "grasshoppers" amongst them. In the 14th chapter, Joshua made another impassioned plea to the people, but again, his words fell on deaf ears. In fact, they were ready to stone both men when suddenly God's glorious cloud appeared above the tabernacle.

In the 34th verse of the 14th chapter, we discover exactly WHY they had to wander for 40 years in the wilderness... "After the number of days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, shall ye bear your iniquities (sins), even forty years..."

Answer: the earth opened, swallowed them all and then closed back up

According to the 16th chapter of Numbers we find that these folks thought that they could provide better leadership than Moses and questioned his abilities as their leader. In verses 32-33 we read of the result of their rotten behaviour: "And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from the congregation."

(Perhaps one should think twice before questioning the authority of a person that God has chosen for His work. Maybe...huh? It comes up again and again in Numbers.)

Answer: a whopping 14,700 people died from plague

At first, God determined to save only Moses, intending to completely annihilate the nation, but Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces, and Aaron then followed Moses' instructions to make atonement for the people. He put incense on and made the atonement process. The plague had already begun to take its toll, but Aaron stood between the living and the dead, thereby protecting those who had not started dying already. (Read Numbers 16:41-50 for the full story of this act of rebellion.)

Before we feel too harshly about this bunch of folks, remember this: we are all made of the same stuff. Heads up!

Answer: Moses was told to speak to the rock to produce water

Moses lost his right to enter the promised land of Canaan over this one. He was angry at the people for staying in a state of constant rebellion, and his anger cost him dearly. It caused him to be disobedient to God himself, and while God honored His word, providing water for the congregation, Moses, who had struck the rock instead of speaking to it, lost his privilege of leading the people into the land. God did allow him to see it, but Moses died before being able to enter in.
God Himself buried Moses in a valley in Moab, modern-day Jordan. (See both Deuteronomy 34:4-6 and Jude 9.)

Answer: Numbers 27 and 36

The laws of family inheritance are given in chapter 27. A man died, leaving no male heirs and only five daughters. They appealed to Moses for inheritance from their father and Moses brought their case to the attention of the Lord. God gave explicit instructions as to the procedures that should be followed in such a case, as well as in other "unusual" cases.

The daughter's names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, all children of Zelophehad, the dead man. These same women are also mentioned again in Numbers 36:11.