Is That A Holy Cow? Trivia Quiz

Answer: bull calves

Bull calves were originally worshipped as symbols of fertility and physical strength. The Egyptian word "Ka" was a religious concept for force and power and was also a word that meant "bull".

The calf was used throughout the ancient Near East as a symbol of the moon god Sin, or "night time", and it is mentioned several times in the Book of Exodus. The influence of Sin may be seen in all of them, including one that contains a reference to the "wilderness of Sin". (Exodus 16:1)

The ancient Israelites grew impatient with Moses meeting with God on Mount Sinai, as he received the Ten Commandments from God, and decided to make a "molten calf" to worship instead. They melted down their gold jewelry and turned it over to Aaron, Moses' brother, to have him form it into an idol for them to worship. They stated that this 'god' was the one who had brought them out of Egypt, and if it had not been for Moses intervention, God would have destroyed them all. (Exodus 32)

Ironically, perhaps, Moses had been given the Ten Commandments while communing with God, and one of those commandments spoke specifically of not having other 'gods' before the true God of the Hebrew people.

(Moses was not simply just receiving the Ten Commandments during the 40 days that he spent atop Mount Sinai; he was also receiving explicit, detailed instructions from God as to the future construction of the tabernacle.)

Answer: in Dan and Bethel

Dan and Bethel was the correct answer.
As if the problems caused by overly-ritualistic and pagan practices were lost on Jeroboam, he decided to create a double problem by using two golden calves. The lessons of the past were totally wasted on him as he attempted to unite the people of his nation with another form of 'god' worship, very similar to the one that had caused such trouble for Aaron at the foot of Mount Sinai.

Now, let's look at Jeroboam's own selfish interest and his lame excuse for pursuing his OWN idea of a course of action, that ran exactly contrary to God's will in 1 Kings 12:

"And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense."

Answer: Jonah

Jonah was extremely upset and angry with God's mercy being extended to the citizens of Nineveh, who were mortal enemies of the Jewish people. God responded to his anger with the following question - "And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"

The Hebrew word for cattle that is used here is the word "behemah", a feminine form of the masculine "behemoth". It signifies a domesticated dumb animal, as opposed to a wild beast. Cattle have long been considered a sign of wealth, especially in the agrarian societies of the Bible, and that continues to be true today. (Priced any steaks lately?)

The hundreds of thousands of people, (roughly 120,000), that occupied the ancient city of Nineveh used cattle for food, milking and as a method of barter or trade. It almost seems an incongruous afterthought that God would mention cattle to Jonah as worth saving, and rather anticlimactic to His concern for the people of the city, until one considers the alternative of all cattle being destroyed. This would have led to starvation, instant poverty, and could possibly have reduced the people to cannibalism in an effort to stay alive. (Don't flinch; there are actually Biblical accounts of such desperate measures.)

Jonah was the ONLY Old Testament prophet to ever be sent out of either of the nations of Judah or Israel to prophecy to non-Jewish people of God's impending judgment. He was an unwilling participant, and later grew angry with God because of God's tender mercies towards Jonah's enemies. The object lesson here seems to be that God's mercies are extended to ALL people everywhere, if they will only turn to Him.

Answer: sheep or goats

One example, (of many), may be found in Isaiah 43:23.

"Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense."

The word used for small cattle in this text is "seh", and it typically means a "sheep", although it can also mean a "goat".

Answer: David

In David's lament over his sufferings, he noted that many strong, young men, (whom he referred to as "bulls", were closing in around him. Bulls are known for their strength and could certainly overpower a man, especially if a herd of them encircled him.

David seems to be pleading for God's supernatural assistance to relieve his stress.

Answer: Pharaoh of Egypt - feast and famine

"Kine" is a word often used for cattle in the King James Version of the Bible. In the 41st chapter of Genesis, the Pharaoh, (ruler of Egypt), had a dream which was eventually successfully interpreted by a Jewish man named Joseph. He informed the Pharaoh that it would be wise to store up corn and other staple items during the seven good years that were soon to come in preparation for the seven years of famine that would follow on the heels of the prosperous years.

Pharaoh heeded his advice, and the Egyptian people and others that they helped through the tough times were able to avoid massive starvation as a result.

Answer: Psalm 148

Oh, there are plenty of things that were given the instructions to praise the Lord, not just cattle. The King James Version of Psalm 148:7-13 says,
"Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."

Imagine, all the people, all the animals, all the birds, even the mountains, the hail and the snow are all instructed to praise the Maker of all things!

Answer: the ark of the covenant

In 1st Samuel, chapters 4-6, we see that the Philistines had not only beaten Israel in battle, they had also taken away one of their prize possessions; the ark of the covenant. It caused them such misery, that they begged Israel to remove it after only holding it for seven months.

God instructed Israel to transport it using two milk cows, and after a twenty-year hiatus, it was eventually returned to its rightful place, but only after the Israelites stopped pursuing other gods. (The ark was notorious for causing problems for those who tampered with it, if they did so without God's approval and authority.)

Answer: Adonijah

As king David lay dying, one of his son's, Adonijah decided on his own that he would be the next king of Israel. Never mind that he had several brothers, not the least of which was Solomon.

While he was busy celebrating what he must have felt was a shoo-in as the next ruler of the kingdom, Solomon's mother, Bathsheba paid a visit to king David and informed him of the impropriety of his son Adonijah. While she was speaking to the king, the prophet Nathan also came to report the same story.

Long story short: Solomon became the king of Israel after the death of his father David, and his brother, Adonijah was forgiven when he came in bowing and scraping to Solomon. Shortly afterwards, he tried to manipulate Solomon through his mother, and Solomon determined to have him put to death.

End of story of Adonijah. Perhaps he was a tad TOO ambitious and over-reaching!

Answer: eating and sleeping together

Not only does Isaiah say that the cow and the bear will get along well together, but that the calf and the young lion will do so as well. Furthermore, and even more incredibly, it says that a little child shall lead them!

The new heavens, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem spoken of by John the Revelator have a parallel in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. In chapter 11 of the King James Version we read about the impending restoration of all things. I have capitalized the verse in question for an easier read:

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the CALF AND THE YOUNG LION and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
AND THE COW AND THE BEAR SHALL FEED; THEIR YOUNG ONES SHALL LIE DOWN TOGETHER: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."