Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

• Genesis 34:25

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
“This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 

• Genesis:40:9-13

In the Scriptures above, there are a few references to “three,” but we will be taking threes in a different way.  In the following questions, take the question and toss it into any of the five buckets, figuratively (baskets if you prefer).  Put three questions into each figurative bucket.  If you put the questions that go together in the same bucket, you completed the quiz satisfactorily.  There are fifteen questions and five buckets.  That’s it.

Oh?  You want more instructions?!  Okay.  The answers to the fifteen questions all have one thing in common in the English language.  But within that uniqueness there are five variations that are unique to each set of three answers.  You can number your buckets.  You can call them Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty, and Pebbles.  (When I am on the spot to mention names at random, I come up with the same set of names – which would be not random at all – names from the cartoon, The Flintstones.)  Whatever!  But once you have enough of the questions answered, the bucket labelling and the order in which the buckets should be placed will become obvious.

And do not be frightened with the first few questions.  There should be enough questions that are fairly easy to label the buckets.  And then there is the Bible Reference section.

The questions are provided randomly.

Now, please commence and start “draining threes.”

The Questions:

#	Question	Bible Reference	Answer
1	This person is only mentioned five times in the NIV, except in section headings.  He was an expert craftsman and he worked with Bezalel to build the Tabernacle and all the pieces and parts thereof for worship at the Tabernacle.  Who was he?
2	The second of the named Judges in the book of Judges made a two-edged dagger and stabbed the obese king, Eglon of Moab.  Eglon had ruled over Israel for eighteen years.  The dagger sunk completely into the king due to his obesity.  This judge left the palace with no one aware that he had killed the king, shutting the door to the king’s chamber behind him so “that the king would not be disturbed.”  Once found, the king was dead, and this judge had brought peace back to Israel that lasted fourscore, or 80 years.  The judge before him was Othniel.  The judge after him was Shamgar.  Who was he?
3	He was the ninth son of Jacob?  He was the first born to Leah after her womb had been closed for a time.  In the blessings made by Israel, he is referred to as a “rawboned donkey lying among the sheep pens.”  The tribal lands for this son’s tribe was north of the half tribe of Manasseh, bordering the Jordan River, but south of the Sea of Galilee.  Who was he?
4	He was an accomplished orator, a Jew from Alexandria, well versed in the Scriptures, but he was only familiar with the baptism of John.  Aquilla and Priscilla guided him toward an understanding of Jesus and this man became a great evangelist, going from Ephesus to what is now Greece.  Who was he?
5	He was the son of Abraham and Sarah.  He married Rebekkah, who bore him two twin sons.  Who was he?
6	He was the prophet who was a shepherd (and he tended sycamore figs) from Tekoa in Judah, but he traveled to Israel to prophesy.  Who was he?
7	He was one of the four sons of Kohath.  Kohath, a Levite, was given the responsibility to maintain the sanctuary.  Although there were other brothers, this son of Kohath is mentioned in Leviticus as being Aaron’s uncle.  Who is he?
8	She was the “other” Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi who returned to her people.  Who was she? (And please, get the spelling correct.)
9	He was the eldest son of the answer to question 5.  Although he was older than his brother, he sold his birthright for some bread and lentil stew (NIV) and he was cheated of his blessing by his brother and mother.  Who was he?
10	He is referred to as Azariah in 1 Kings 14. When at sixteen, he became king of Judah upon the murder of his father Amaziah.  Yet, when referring to the changes of kings in Israel in 2 Kings 15, he has a different name, which is the name recorded in 2 Chronicles.  He was a good king, but he started to burn incense to the Lord late in his reign and was struck down with leprosy.  He reigned longer than any other king of Judah.  Who was he (the name other than Azariah)?
11	He was the son of Sarah’s Egyptian slave, Hagar, fathered by Abraham.  When Sarah became jealous, mother and son had to leave, but they too became blessed, in a way.  Who was he?
12	He was a Tishbite prophet who challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, was fed by ravens, and rose up to heaven on a whirlwind guarded by angels in a fiery chariot.  Who was he?
13	He is the main focus of the book of Philemon.  He was Philemon’s slave.  He stole Philemon’s money and ran away, but he turned to Christ and became a useful servant to the Apostle Paul.  The book of Philemon is a letter stating Paul’s request for Philemon to accept his slave back with mercy as a fellow believer and brother.  Who was he?
14	He was a Hittite and husband of Bathsheba, who was killed to cover up an act of adultery.  Who was he?
15	He was Simon’s brother, the Simon who became Simon Peter.  In a way, he was the first recorded evangelist as once John the Baptist identified Jesus as being the One, he went straight to Simon, his brother to tell him the Good News.  Who was he?

The comment regarding the proper spelling is a hint.  A famous person today was named after this person in the Bible, but they misspelled the name on the birth certificate (reversing the second and third letters) and the rest is history.

I liked this quiz style.  I may return to it with a different set of “buckets” to shoot threes into.

Some of these were obscure, but that was from the nature of the “buckets” that were selected.  I hope there were enough that were fairly easy so that the pattern for the “buckets” could be established and then that would be a hint for those that were a bit harder.  As always, we all win when we search for “answers” in the Bible.

Bible References:

#	Question	Bible Reference	Answer
1	This person is only mentioned five times in the NIV, except in section headings.  He was an expert craftsman and he worked with Bezalel to build the Tabernacle and all the pieces and parts thereof for worship at the Tabernacle.  Who was he?	Exodus 36:1
2	The second of the named Judges in the book of Judges made a two-edged dagger and stabbed the obese king, Eglon of Moab.  Eglon had ruled over Israel for eighteen years.  The dagger sunk completely into the king due to his obesity.  This judge left the palace with no one aware that he had killed the king, shutting the door to the king’s chamber behind him so “that the king would not be disturbed.”  Once found, the king was dead, and this judge had brought peace back to Israel that lasted fourscore, or 80 years.  The judge before him was Othniel.  The judge after him was Shamgar.  Who was he?	Judges 3:12-30
3	He was the ninth son of Jacob?  He was the first born to Leah after her womb had been closed for a time.  In the blessings made by Israel, he is referred to as a “rawboned donkey lying among the sheep pens.”  The tribal lands for this son’s tribe was north of the half tribe of Manasseh, bordering the Jordan River, but south of the Sea of Galilee.  Who was he?	Genesis 30:18 and Genesis 49:14
4	He was an accomplished orator, a Jew from Alexandria, well versed in the Scriptures, but he was only familiar with the baptism of John.  Aquilla and Priscilla guided him toward an understanding of Jesus and this man became a great evangelist, going from Ephesus to what is now Greece.  Who was he?	Acts 18:24-28
5	He was the son of Abraham and Sarah.  He married Rebekah, who bore him two twin sons.  Who was he?	Genesis 21:1-5 and Genesis 24:67
6	He was the prophet who was a shepherd (and he tended sycamore figs) from Tekoa in Judah, but he traveled to Israel to prophesy.  Who was he?	Amos 1:1
7	He was one of the four sons of Kohath.  Kohath, a Levite, was given the responsibility to maintain the sanctuary.  Although there were other brothers, this son of Kohath is mentioned in Leviticus as being Aaron’s uncle.  Who is he?	Exodus 6:18-22 and Leviticus 10:4
8	She was the “other” Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi who returned to her people.  Who was she? (And please, get the spelling correct.)	Ruth 1:4-14
9	He was the eldest son of the answer to question 5.  Although he was older than his brother, he sold his birthright for some bread and lentil stew (NIV) and he was cheated of his blessing by his brother and mother.  Who was he?	Genesis 35-36
10	He is referred to as Azariah in 1 Kings 14. When at sixteen, he became king of Judah upon the murder of his father Amaziah.  Yet, when referring to the changes of kings in Israel in 2 Kings 15, he has a different name, which is the name recorded in 2 Chronicles.  He was a good king, but he started to burn incense to the Lord late in his reign and was struck down with leprosy.  He reigned longer than any other king of Judah.  Who was he (the name other than Azariah)?	2 Chronicles 26:1-23
11	He was the son of Sarah’s Egyptian slave, Hagar, fathered by Abraham.  When Sarah became jealous, mother and son had to leave, but they too became blessed, in a way.  Who was he?	Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:8-21
12	He was a Tishbite prophet who challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, was fed by ravens, and rose up to heaven on a whirlwind guarded by angels in a fiery chariot.  Who was he?	1 Kings 17-18 and 2 Kings 2
13	He is the main focus of the book of Philemon.  He was Philemon’s slave.  He stole Philemon’s money and ran away, but he turned to Christ and became a useful servant to the Apostle Paul.  The book of Philemon is a letter stating Paul’s request for Philemon to accept his slave back with mercy as a fellow believer and brother.  Who was he?	Colossians 4:9
14	He was a Hittite and husband of Bathsheba, who was killed to cover up an act of adultery.  Who was he?	2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:15
15	He was Simon’s brother, the Simon who became Simon Peter.  In a way, he was the first recorded evangelist as once John the Baptist identified Jesus as being the One, he went straight to Simon, his brother to tell him the Good News.  Who was he?	John 1:40-41

Do you have enough questions answered correctly to determine what the answers all have in common?  Then can you arrange those answers in a way that five groupings of three each start to form?  One answer was given in the Bible reference of the same name, the book named for this person.

In my opinion, three of the groups of three are mostly, at least two of the three each, fairly easy.  That should get the pattern.  The other two groupings were harder to find well-known Bible stories about them, and one of the answers was extremely obscure, but being mentioned as Aaron’s uncle, it may be significant in that family, since there were two other brothers not mentioned.  Sometimes, we are not the person that raised his staff and sets his people free, but we can do things so that the staff raiser can raise his staff in the first place.

   …

   …

   …

The Answers:

#	Question	Bible Reference	Answer
1	He is only mentioned five times in the NIV, except in section headings.  He was an expert craftsman and he worked with Bezalel to build the Tabernacle and all the pieces and parts thereof for worship at the Tabernacle.  Who was he?	Exodus 36:1	Oholiab
2	The second of the named Judges in the book of Judges made a two-edged dagger and stabbed the obese king, Eglon of Moab.  Eglon had ruled over Israel for eighteen years.  The dagger sunk completely into the king due to his obesity.  This judge left the palace with no one aware that he had killed the king, shutting the door to the king’s chamber behind him so “that the king would not be disturbed.”  Once found, the king was dead, and this judge had brought peace back to Israel that lasted fourscore, or 80 years.  The judge before him was Othniel.  The judge after him was Shamgar.  Who was he?	Judges 3:12-30	Ehud
3	He was the ninth son of Jacob?  He was the first born to Leah after her womb had been closed for a time.  In the blessings made by Israel, he is referred to as a “rawboned donkey lying among the sheep pens.”  The tribal lands for this son’s tribe was north of the half tribe of Manasseh, bordering the Jordan River, but south of the Sea of Galilee.  Who was he?	Genesis 30:18 and Genesis 49:14	Issachar
4	He was an accomplished orator, a Jew from Alexandria, well versed in the Scriptures, but he was only familiar with the baptism of John.  Aquilla and Priscilla guided him toward an understanding of Jesus and this man became a great evangelist, going from Ephesus to what is now Greece.  Who was he?	Acts 18:24-28	Apollos
5	He was the son of Abraham and Sarah.  He married Rebekah, who bore him two twin sons.  Who was he?	Genesis 21:1-5 and Genesis 24:67	Isaac
6	He was the prophet who was a shepherd (and he tended sycamore figs) from Tekoa in Judah, but he traveled to Israel to prophesy.  Who was he?	Amos 1:1	Amos
7	He was one of the four sons of Kohath.  Kohath, a Levite, was given the responsibility to maintain the sanctuary.  Although there were other brothers, this son of Kohath is mentioned in Leviticus as being Aaron’s uncle.  Who is he?	Exodus 6:18-22 and Leviticus 10:4	Uzziel
8	She was the “other” Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi who returned to her people.  Who was she? (And please, get the spelling correct.)	Ruth 1:4-14	Orpah
9	He was the eldest son of the answer to question 5.  Although he was older than his brother, he sold his birthright for some bread and lentil stew (NIV) and he was cheated of his blessing by his brother and mother.  Who was he?	Genesis 35-36	Esau
10	He is referred to as Azariah in 1 Kings 14. When at sixteen, he became king of Judah upon the murder of his father Amaziah.  Yet, when referring to the changes of kings in Israel in 2 Kings 15, he has a different name, which is the name recorded in 2 Chronicles.  He was a good king, but he started to burn incense to the Lord late in his reign and was struck down with leprosy.  He reigned longer than any other king of Judah.  Who was he (the name other than Azariah)?	2 Chronicles 26:1-23	Uzziah
11	He was the son of Sarah’s Egyptian slave, Hagar, fathered by Abraham.  When Sarah became jealous, mother and son had to leave, but they too became blessed, in a way.  Who was he?	Genesis 16 and Genesis 21:8-21	Ishmael
12	He was a Tishbite prophet who challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, was fed by ravens, and rose up to heaven on a whirlwind guarded by angels in a fiery chariot.  Who was he?	1 Kings 17-18 and 2 Kings 2	Elijah
13	He is the main focus of the book of Philemon.  He was Philemon’s slave.  He stole Philemon’s money and ran away, but he turned to Christ and became a useful servant to the Apostle Paul.  The book of Philemon is a letter stating Paul’s request for Philemon to accept his slave back with mercy as a fellow believer and brother.  Who was he?	Colossians 4:9	Onesimus
14	He was a Hittite and husband of Bathsheba, who was killed to cover up an act of adultery.  Who was he?	2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:15	Uriah
15	He was Simon’s brother, the Simon who became Simon Peter.  In a way, he was the first recorded evangelist as once John the Baptist identified Jesus as being the One, he went straight to Simon, his brother to tell him the Good News.  Who was he?	John 1:40-41	Andrew

What do the Answers have in Common?

The answers all start with vowels.

In Properly Filling the buckets…

The “A” Bucket

Apollos, Amos, Andrew

The “E” Bucket

Ehud, Esau, Elijah

The “I” Bucket

Issachar, Isaac, Ishmael

The “O” Bucket

Oholiab, Orpah, Onesimus

The “U” Bucket

Uzziel, Uzziah, Uriah

How many threes did you drain?

Regardless, here are some videos.

This first video is a song, a classic folk song, by Dean Martin and George Gobel, There’s a Hole in the Bucket.  In watching the video, there are pieces that are “bleeped,” and maybe it is best that we do not know why the audience was laughing so hard.

But then there is bucket percussion by Thud.

And then this one seems similar until about four minutes into it, and then it gets crazy.

If you are interested in bucket drumming, it can be used to any musical number.  Here is Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake from BucketDrumming.net  just in case you wanted to learn, even with sheet music.

And, although there may not be buckets, here is Petra singing Praise Ye the Lord at the Dove Awards in 1984.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.