Travels with Moses Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Red Sea

In this incident, Moses was instructed to hold his arms up to allow the people to pass. "The people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left," recorded Exodus 14:22. When the Egyptian army followed, Moses let his arms down after the people has passed.

The waters crashed down and drowned the army. The exact place of crossing is unknown, and some skeptics have noted that the Red Sea could have only been a few inches deep. Traditionally, most place the crossing on the Western side of the Sinai peninsula in the Gulf of Suez.

Others have found what could be remains of Egyptian chariots on the sea floor of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Eastern side of the Sinai peninsula.

Answer: Manna

The food from heaven, commonly referred to as 'manna', appeared almost every morning after the dew lifted as "a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground." (Exodus 16:14) They were only allowed to gather a certain amount each day, except they were to collect double the day before the Sabbath. No manna appeared on the morning of the Sabbath.

The Lord was also shown providing drinkable water and quail for meat. This did not stop the people from grumbling about the conditions, and sometimes comparing it negatively against life in Egypt.

Answer: They began worshipping an idol.

Up on the mountain, the Lord had been giving Moses the laws for the people to follow. The worship of the idol went against the very beginning of the laws set down: You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3) The people approached Aaron with the charge that Moses had been a while, and Aaron created a golden calf for the people to worship.

He declared to the people that the golden image had brought them out of Egypt. The Lord told Moses what they had done and was prepared to consume them. Moses asked the Lord to not wipe them out.

However, Moses was pretty upset when he saw what they had done. He burnt the idol and ground it into powder. It was then scattered into water for the people to drink.

Answer: The skin of his face was shining.

Moses was reflecting the glory of the Lord. The people were afraid to come near Moses in this altered state. After he finished delivering the Lord's message he would cover his face with a veil. In the New Testament, it was recorded that Moses and Elijah visited Jesus up on a mountain with Peter, James and John along for the ride. Jesus' face was also changed and his clothes "became dazzling white" (Luke 9:29). Similarly Moses and Elijah "appeared in glory" (Luke 9:30).

This event was recorded in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36.

The idea of horns on Moses came from the Latin Vulgate translation.

Answer: They offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, failed in their priestly duties almost immediately. Unauthorized fire meant that they had used common fire and had not given God the respect he deserved by using holy fire. God wanted to show that his directions were not arbitrary but were to be taken seriously. Aaron and his other sons were not to mourn Nadab and Abihu.

Their cousins dragged the bodies out of the camp. Some suggest that Nadab and Abihu were drunk at the time since the Lord cautioned in Leviticus 10:9, "Drink no wine or strong drink...when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die." Most of Leviticus was concerned with statutes set down by the Lord for how priests were to remove the sins of the people.

Answer: Joshua

Twelve spies were sent out, representatives from the tribes of Israel except for Levi. The spies reported back that the land was good, flowing with milk and honey. Yet ten of the spies cautioned against going into the land since the people were strong and the cities were fortified. Only Joshua and Caleb believed that they would be successful in taking the land.

The people believed the ten spies, and the Lord punished them by not allowing any of them to see the land. Joshua and Caleb, the faithful spies, were exceptions.

The people would wander in the desert for forty years. Joshua's name was Hoshea, which meant 'salvation'. Joshua means 'the Lord is salvation'. Joshua would later succeed Moses as leader and lead the people into Canaan. The book of Joshua was named after him.

Answer: Struck it with his staff

Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and the water poured out. Yet Moses and Aaron both disobeyed the Lord. They were specifically told to speak to the rock, and they did not. For their disbelief, the Lord informed them that they would not go into the promised land with the rest of the Israelites. Aaron's death was recorded later in that chapter. Aaron's garments went to Eleazar, his son, to show that the transfer of office. "And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days." (Numbers 20:29)

Answer: Fiery serpents

The adjective 'fiery' may have referred to the serpents' coloring or a description of their bites. Many of the Israelites died from the bites, and the people repented. Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord instructed him to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who looked to the bronze serpent would survive the bites.

Some see the bronze serpent as an analogy for Christ, who was also on a pole. People look to Christ on the cross to save them from the punishment of their sins. In 2 King 18:4, King Hezekiah had the bronze serpent destroyed since the people had turned it into a god.

Answer: Balaam

Balaam was perhaps mostly noted for his argument with his donkey. The angel of the Lord had blocked Balaam's pathway to go to Balak. At first, only the donkey saw the angel and his sword, and Balaam struck the donkey three times to get it to continue. Finally, the Lord enabled the donkey to talk and have a short conversation about its conduct.
Balaam warned Balak that he could only speak the words that the Lord put in his mouth. Balaam spoke four oracles all in favor of Israel.

Answer: Showed him the land of Canaan

The Lord brought Moses to Mount Nebo in the land of Moab where he could see the land of Canaan. He was only allowed to view it from afar since he had disobeyed the Lord at the rock. The people mourned for Moses for thirty days. Then Joshua, who was described as "full of the spirit of wisdom" (Deuteronomy 34:9), took over as leader, and the people obeyed him.

In Moses' epitaph, the writer stated that there was never anyone like Moses "whom the Lord knew face to face". (Deuteronomy 34:10)