Devotionals Explain the Bible Trivia Quiz

Answer: a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband

The dead are judged and those whose names aren't in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15). And then John sees the new universe, which he describes:

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' "
(Revelation 21:2-4, NIV)

Phil Ware writes, "I don't know about you, but I'm kind of ready for that old order stuff to go away. The end of tears, death, mourning, crying and pain sounds pretty good to me!" (Today's Verse from Heartlight.org, June 1, Year 1)

Answer: pays back in full

"The Lord is a God who punishes; He pays back in full. " (Jeremiah 51:56 NET)

This verse comes almost at the end of a long prophecy about the coming destruction of Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51. After God has given a detailed account of all the horrifying things that He's going to do to Babylon, He explains why He's going to do it: It's His nature to do justice by punishing evil.

"You never overlook sin or injustice, and You are always watching out for Your own. You are the God of retribution; vengeance is Yours." (Daily in Your Presence, by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, Day 153)

Answer: 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'

"Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for [God] has said, 'I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.' "
(Hebrews 13:5 NET)

(This verse is part of a collection of different instructions near the end of Hebrews 13:1-19. This section is similar to a lot of the book of Proverbs in that it's a hodgepodge of miscellaneous statements: each one doesn't build on the last.)

"We look to God in times of trouble and heartache, and for some of us that's about it. The problem is that we have too many little 'g' gods. These little gods are idols that we worship and sacrifice to everyday. We do so with our time, effort, and money. . . These idols promise the power of salvation, but never deliver. They are powerless, mouthless and earless (Isaiah 40:12-20)." (ShortDailyDevotions.com devotional; May 30, 2014)

Answer: righteousness

"I can testify that [my fellow Jews] are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth. For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes." (Romans 10:2-4 NET)

Here Paul expresses frustration about how the Jews rejected the message of righteousness through Jesus, preferring to try to find their own righteousness by obeying law.

"To some a religious person is someone who doesn't drink, goes to church all the time, reads their bible every morning, and can even serve as a role model. . . The problem is that we look at a person's religion through their actions. If they do a lot of good things then they are religious.
And often, with this 'religiousness' we apply a righteousness. Good deeds are good, but they don't make us righteous. Only Jesus' death on the cross can make us righteous."(ShortDailyDevotionals.com devotional; June 6, 2014)

Answer: accepted my prayer

"The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy; the Lord has accepted my prayer."
"The Lord has given ear to my request; the Lord has let my prayer come before Him."
(Psalm 6:9; NET and BBE, respectively)

The Psalms often make statements like this where the writer tells about how God had responded to and helped him: for example see Psalms 3:4, 28:6, 31:21-22 and 66:19-20.

C.H. Spurgeon writes, "I bring my poor prayer in my hand to the great King, and He gives me audience and graciously receives my petition. My enemies will not listen to me, but my LORD will. They ridicule my tearful prayers, but my LORD does not; He receives my prayer into His ear and His heart." (Faith's Checkbook, June 6)

Answer: I desire no one but You on earth.

The writer of Psalm 73 (NET Bible) struggles with envy for evil people: "I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked." (verse 3)

Later in the Psalm he understands the fate of the wicked: "Then I entered the precincts of God's temple, and understood the destiny of the wicked. . . You bring them down to ruin. . . Terrifying judgments make their demise complete!" (verses 17-19)

He admits that God is what he really needs: "Whom do I have in heaven but You? I desire no one but You on earth. . . God's presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, as I declare all the things You have done." (verses 25-28)

An "Our Daily Bread" devotional explains, "Even when we know God, we are often distracted by the prosperity of others. C. S. Lewis wrote, 'It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. . . We are far too easily pleased' with lesser things than Him. . .
Even though we may be tempted to envy what others have, [God] is continually guiding us and bringing us back to focus on Him." (June 7, 2014; written by Anne Cetas)

Answer: servant

See Matthew 20:26 NET. Jesus talked about the Gentile rulers who lord it over others and tells His disciples to be different, serving each other. (Matthew 20:25-28)

"Our world is all about 'who you know' and 'What have you done for me lately?' We are primed early on to look out for ourselves and to do whatever it takes to not miss the big break. But if you see yourself as a follower of Christ, that kind of thinking bears little resemblance to His life and teaching." (Strength For The Journey; June 8, 2014)

Answer: give to them their food in its season

The main text of the NET Bible says, "You provide them with food on a regular basis", while a note explains that the Hebrew literally reads "You give to them their food in its season." Finding this to be an unnecessary change, I am using the literal Hebrew from the note: "Everything looks to You in anticipation, and You give to them their food in its season." (Psalm 145:15) The NIV Bible does a good job: "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time."

"What you perceive as tardiness or indifference, I call a purposeful delay - only because I have ordained perfect timing which you know nothing about. Whenever you call, I always answer. My line is never busy. When you seek Me, you will always find Me. Promptness is something I delight in showing to My children." (Daily in Your Presence, by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, June 8)

Answer: house

"We know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens." (2 Corinthians 5:1 NET) In the context of 2 Corinthians 4:7-5:6, the house is a symbol the body. Paul had said shortly before that "Even if our physical body [in Greek, outward man] is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)

"Buildings made with man's hands can and will be destroyed, regardless of their size and strength. Our physical bodies are to be considered buildings that house our souls and spirits; and they, too, can and will die at some point, regardless of how healthy we try to be.
The only building that will remain is the one God builds- 'a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' This is the building we should be the most concerned about." ("Daily Disciples", June 8)

Answer: in my mother's womb

This is from the famous Psalm 139, which discusses some of the attributes of God.

"Certainly You made my mind and heart; You wove me together in my mother's womb. . .
You knew me thoroughly; my bones were not hidden from You,
when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.
All the days ordained for me were recorded in Your scroll before one of them came into existence."
(Psalm 139:13-16 NET)

"Each baby - born or yet-to-be born - is an example of God's marvelous workmanship. . .
Sonogram technology allows us to see exactly what David was talking about: a beating heart, a spinal cord, a brain, and eventually even fingers and toes- all visible as God forms them inside the womb!
The Bible says that God not only forms and watches (Psalm 139:15) babies in utero, but He also sees into the future of their lives (Psalm 139:16). . .
God sent a messenger to [Hagar]. . . :'This son of yours will be a wild man' (Genesis 16:11-12). . .
He told Jeremiah, 'Before you were born, I . . . appointed you as my prophet to the nations' (Jeremiah 1:5). . .
God created them all, knew their futures, and wanted them to be born.
As God's followers, we need to protect, provide for, and cherish the infants that reflect His image and show His awesome creative power (Genesis 1:27)."
(Our Daily Journey; October 23, 2012)