Word Association -- Old Testament Characters #5 Quiz

Answer: Gideon

When the LORD told Gideon he would be used to save the people of Israel, the sixth chapter of Judges indicates he was filled with doubt. So to make sure what he had been told to him was true, Gideon told the LORD to confirm the fact by giving him a sign. To this end, Gideon announced he would put a wool fleece on the threshing floor and if there was dew only on the fleece and all the ground was dry, he would know that he would indeed be able to save the people of Israel. Scripture reports Gideon rose early the next day and he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew -- a bowlful of water. But this wasn't enough for him. Much like a doubting Thomas, he demanded yet another sign. Then Gideon said he would conduct one more test with the fleece, "but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew." Scripture reports Gideon found the fleece was dry and all the ground was covered with dew.

Gideon was a judge of Israel and his story appears in chapters 6 through 8 in Judges.

Answer: Nehemiah

Artaxerxes, king of Persia, granted permission to Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to construct a wall around the city, as per the second chapter of Nehemiah. Not much is known about the personal life of Nehemiah, apart from the fact he had a brother called Hanani and their father was Hacaliah, as per Nehemiah 1:1-2. Facing gigantic odds, Nehemiah successfully rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.

In Biblical times, walls around cities were a common feature as they were used to keep occupants safe from intruders. Although Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, it is not unanimously believed that he wrote the Old Testament book that bears his name. Some believe Ezra wrote the book, relying on Nehemiah's memories. Those who believe Ezra wrote the book point out that Nehemiah 7:5-73 and Ezra 2:1-70 are almost identical.

Answer: Joseph

Joseph rose to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. His story is told in Genesis 37-50. In a nutshell, he was sold into slavery by his 11 brothers and was imprisoned in Egypt on false charges of attempted rape, but he managed to rise up to become second in command, surpassed by only the Pharaoh.

The story of Joseph inspired the tremendously popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", by Andrew Lloyd Weber with lyrics by Tim Rice.

Answer: Jacob

According to Genesis 28:10-19, Jacob was at Bethel when he had a vision of angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven. According to Scripture, he was on his way from Beersheba to Haran. Bethel was west of Ai.

Bethel is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament. The first reference is Genesis 12:8 telling of Abram building an altar to call upon the name of the LORD.

Answer: Naomi

Naomi, it seemed, had everything going against her. According to Ruth 1:3, she was left a widow when her husband Elimelek died. Then things got worse when according to verse 5, in the NIV, her two sons Mahlon and Kilion both died. (In the KJV and the NKJV, Kilion is called Chilion.) According to Ruth 1:20, after the deaths of her husband and sons, Naomi told her friends to call her Mara, which literally translates as bitter.

Not much is known about Elimelek as he is mentioned in passing reference. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Elimelech means God his king.

Answer: Moses

Moses was guilty of murder, according to Scripture. Exodus 2:11-15 states Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and he responded by killing the Egyptian. According to verse 12, Moses thought there was no witness to the crime, with the exception of the Hebrew, and he buried the victim's body in the sand. Verses 13 to 15 state others had become aware of the murder and Moses reacted by fleeing to Midian.

It was in Midian that Moses married Zipporah and they became the parents of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.

Answer: Abraham

According to Genesis 15:2, Abraham's servant was Eliezer, who came from Damascus.

Many theologians believe Eliezer was the unnamed senior servant who found a wife for Isaac. In Genesis 24, the unnamed servant is requested by Abraham to go to the land of his relatives to get a wife for his son. Genesis 24:12-14 tells of the servant praying in this matter. The passage, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Then he said, 'O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' -- let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."

Verse 15 goes on to state that before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: Ruth

Ruth and sister-in-law Orpah were both from Moab. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Moab was east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. It bears the modern name of Kerak. Ruth and Orpah were both daughters-in-law of Naomi and when the three women became widows, Orpah opted to return to Moab. Ruth, however, remained with her mother-in-law.

The book of Ruth is largely an account of the romance between Ruth and her second husband, Boaz. They would become the parents of Obed, who would become the grandfather of King David, as per Ruth 4:17.

Answer: Naboth

Naboth was the owner of a vineyard and he was killed simply because of the greed of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. The king and his wife wanted ownership of the vineyard and it was apparent they would do whatever was necessary to achieve their goal, according to the 21st chapter of 1 Kings.

Scripture states Naboth was a Jezreelite and his vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. I Kings 21:9-10 reports about Jezebel ordering letters be sent to elders and nobles in Naboth's city. The letter, in the NIV Bible, states: "Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death." Sure enough, Jezebel would have her way and her husband would assume ownership of the vineyard.

Answer: Job

Job lived in the land of Uz, as per Job 1:1. According to the Web site Christiananswers.net, Uz may have been named after Uz, the son of Aram, who settled the region. Uz is also mentioned in various other passages in the Old Testament, including Jeremiah 25:20 and Lamentations 4:21.