The Miracles of Moses -- #2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: twice

Moses struck a rock twice at Kadesh to miraculously produce water for the Israelites. However, Moses' actions were in direct contravention of what God had told him do. According to Numbers 20:1-13, God had told Moses to simply speak to the rock in front of the people and water would gush out. Because Moses failed to obey God's specific instructions, he was denied the right to lead the Israelites into Canaan, known as the Promised Land.

Numbers 20:12 quotes God in the NJKJV as telling Moses: "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

Scripture goes on to tell of Joshua being selected to lead the Israelites into Canaan.

Answer: Three days

Egypt was engulfed in a thick, impenetrable darkness for three days, as per Exodus 10:21-23. According to the passage, the darkness descended after God requested Moses to stretch out his hand to heaven. Verse 21 states the darkness was so thick it could be even felt. The passage goes on to state the Egyptians did not see one another, "nor did anyone rise from his place for three days."

The plague of darkness was the ninth of ten plagues unleashed by God on Egypt.

Answer: True

Scripture states no hail fell on the Israelites in Goshen, an area near the mouth of the Nile River. According to Exodus 9:22-26, the plague of hail started after God commanded Moses to stretch out his hand toward heaven. It was the seventh of ten plagues unleashed on Egypt.

According to Verse 24, the hail was accompanied by fire. (In the NIV, it uses the word lightning rather than fire.)

Answer: Red Sea

The Red Sea was parted, enabling the Israelites to leave Egypt and begin a forty-year-long journey to Canaan, known as the Promised Land. Details about the miraculous parting of the Red Sea are found in Exodus 14. According to Verse 21, the water was parted when Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and "the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided."

When the Israelites had made it safely to the other side, the Egyptian army proceeded to cross the sea in their pursuit of the Israelites. God then instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea so "the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen." And sure enough, that's exactly what happened, with the entire Egyptian army drowning.

Answer: Korah

Korah is the correct answer. Details about him leading a rebellion against Moses' leadership are found in Numbers 16. Clearly, Korah was not acting alone as Verse 24 tells of Dathan and Abiram being allies of Korah.

The rebellion against Moses, however, came to a screeching halt when a miraculous event took place. In a case of divine retribution, the earth opened up and swallowed Korah and his supporters.

Verse 33 tells what happened to those involved in the rebellion: "So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly."

Answer: True

True. A cloud hid the Israelites prior to their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. Exodus 14:19-20 explains things this way in the NKJV: "And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night."

Answer: Death of the firstborn

Death of the firstborn was the tenth and final plague unleashed on Egypt by God, as per Exodus 11 and 12. The plagues took place to convince the Pharaoh to give approval to the Israelites to leave Egypt and to settle in Canaan, known as the Promised Land. According to Exodus 12:29, "it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock."

Shortly after the tenth plague, the Pharaoh granted permission to the Israelites to leave Egypt. However, as the Israelites were leaving the country, the Pharaoh had a change of heart as he ordered his army to pursue the Israelites.

Answer: True

True, the staff blossomed and bore almonds when it was placed in the tabernacle of witness. Numbers 17:1-12 tells of the Israelites placing twelve rods -- one from each tribe -- in the tabernacle of witness, or tent of meeting. However, one day later Moses discovered Aaron's rod had "sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds."

Answer: Aaron

Aaron, the brother of Moses, is the correct answer. Exodus 7:10-12 provides an account of Moses and Aaron appearing before the Pharaoh to seek permission for the Israelites to leave Egypt. To impress the Pharaoh, Aaron cast down his rod and it became a serpent. In turn, the Pharaoh called upon his wise men and the sorcerers and amazingly they too were able to cast down their rods and they became serpents.

However, to everyone's astonishment, Aaron's rod swallowed up the other rods.

Answer: A bronze serpent

Numbers 21:5-9 tells of Moses attaching the head of a bronze serpent to a pole to cure the Israelites who were bitten by fiery serpents sent by God in a case of divine retribution. According to the passage, the fiery serpents were sent after the Israelites complained about the lack of food and water, suggesting they would have been better off if they stayed in Egypt.

Scripture goes on to tell of the people confessing to Moses they had sinned after the fiery serpents started attacking them and Moses fervently prayed for his people.

In response to the prayers of Moses, God provided specific instructions: "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."

In response, Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole "and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived."