He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim.

• 2 Chronicles 3:6

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

• Luke 19:40

I don’t know about stones crying out, but when you have kidney stones that block the flow from the kidneys, you want to cry out – in pain.  I will write about this afternoon.

This quiz is about verses in the Bible with the word “stones.”  There are a lot more references to “stone” which includes stones and stoned.  I am being specific with “stones.”

The questions are in biblical order.  There are five questions from the Old Testament and five questions from the New Testament.

The Questions:

	Questions	Bible Reference	Answers
1	Oddly the first reference to “stones” in the NIV is when a son of Isaac takes “one of them” to form a pillow, and while sleeping, he sees a dream of angels ascending to and descending from heaven.  Who is this man?
2	Many years later at Mizpah, this same man creates a pile of stones to mark a dividing line between him and his father-in-law.  From the words spoken we get the Mizpah benediction.  Who is this person’s father-in-law?
3	The third reference to “stones” in the NIV is the rule regarding the making of a stone altar to worship God.  The use of what would defile the altar?
4	In the making of the ephod, the offerings were “other gems” and what kind of stones?
5	How many stones did Joshua have the Israelites remove from the river bed of the Jordan and for what purpose?
6	People picked up stones to stone Jesus twice in the book of John.  In the first try, Jesus became ‘hidden.’  In the second try, how did He escape?
7	Paul speaks of a church’s foundation being built with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, but what should the true foundation be?
8	Paul states in a letter that he was beaten with rods three times and shipwrecked three times, but how many times was he pelted with stones?
9	Peter, in one of the epistles, repeats the words of Jesus in talking about the cornerstone, but Peter calls us to be what kind of stones, in being like Jesus?
10	In the second of three woes for what city, the city is described as dressed in fine linen, scarlet and purple, and glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls?

The Scripture from Luke is during the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

We worry too much about the state of the church today.  The church, as I see most of the traditional denominations, are crumbling.  As question 7 speaks of the needed foundation of the church, the foundation these days is swayed by public opinion and the dwindling attendance.  But if we have the right foundation, God can have the stones cry out to the glory of God.  Why do we try to “fix” such problems?

I remember a totally different world.  In my youth, Christianity was a topic for the evening news.  They would report on the dwindling attendance in the 1960s, and how the church was changing their stance on one thing or another to keep people from leaving.  They are still doing the same thing.  But as polls have recently shown, those that stand true are more likely to withstand this latest onslaught of “fire” than those who butcher and chop the word of God for the sake of public opinion.

Paul warns us in Romans 12:2 to not be formed by the patterns of this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Bible References:

	Questions	Bible Reference	Answers
1	Oddly the first reference to “stones” in the NIV is when a son of Isaac takes “one of them” to form a pillow, and while sleeping, he sees a dream of angels ascending to and descending from heaven.  Who is this man?	Genesis 28:11
2	Many years later at Mizpah, this same man creates a pile of stones to mark a dividing line between him and his father-in-law.  From the words spoken we get the Mizpah benediction.  Who is this person’s father-in-law?	Genesis 31:46
3	The third reference to “stones” in the NIV is the rule regarding the making of a stone altar to worship God.  The use of what would defile the altar?	Exodus 20:25
4	In the making of the ephod, the offerings were “other gems” and what kind of stones?	Exodus 25:7
5	How many stones did Joshua have the Israelites remove from the river bed of the Jordan and for what purpose?	Joshua 4:3-7
6	People picked up stones to stone Jesus twice in the book of John.  In the first try, Jesus became ‘hidden.’  In the second try, how did He escape?	John 10:30-39
7	Paul speaks of a church’s foundation being built with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, but what should the true foundation be?	1 Corinthians 3:11-12
8	Paul states in a letter that he was beaten with rods three times and shipwrecked three times, but how many times was he pelted with stones?	2 Corinthians 11:25
9	Peter, in one of the epistles, repeats the words of Jesus in talking about the cornerstone, but Peter calls us to be what kind of stones, in being like Jesus?	1 Peter 2:5
10	In the second of three woes for what city, the city is described as dressed in fine linen, scarlet and purple, and glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls?	Revelation 18:16

My first surgery was only to place a stent to allow the kidney to remove unwanted poisons from the body.  At the time of writing this, I am feeling better than I have in months, but I have little control over my bladder.

When this quiz comes out, I will have less than a week before I sit down with the surgeon and discuss the removal of the large stone.  I hope the bladder control is okay by then.

My sister called, and in the conversation, she did not give me a lot of confidence that the bladder control will return quickly.  But even in this, I can find ways to praise God.

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The Answers:

	Questions	Bible Reference	Answers
1	Oddly the first reference to “stones” in the NIV is when a son of Isaac takes “one of them” to form a pillow, and while sleeping, he sees a dream of angels ascending to and descending from heaven.  Who is this man?	Genesis 28:11	Jacob.  Regardless of the song, Jacob’s Ladder, the NIV calls it a stairway.
2	Many years later at Mizpah, this same man creates a pile of stones to mark a dividing line between him and his father-in-law.  From the words spoken we get the Mizpah benediction.  Who is this person’s father-in-law?	Genesis 31:46	Laban.  The Mizpah benediction is “May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another.”  This sounds sweet, but Jacob and Laban were basically saying that they might kill each other if either went past the pile of stones.
3	The third reference to “stones” in the NIV is the rule regarding the making of a stone altar to worship God.  The use of what would defile the altar?	Exodus 20:25	Tools.  The stones must be natural stones, as God made them.  Dressed stones, to make it even, straight, clean puts the focus on man’s skill rather than what God had made.
4	In the making of the ephod, the offerings were “other gems” and what kind of stones?	Exodus 25:7	Onyx.
5	How many stones did Joshua have the Israelites remove from the river bed of the Jordan and for what purpose?	Joshua 4:3-7	Twelve, one for each tribe, and they were piled as an everlasting reminder of how God had allowed them to cross the Jordan.
6	People picked up stones to stone Jesus twice in the book of John.  In the first try, Jesus became ‘hidden.’  In the second try, how did He escape?	John 10:30-39	Jesus escaped their grasp.  He had said that He and the Father were One, and the crowd wanted to stone Him for blasphemy, but Jesus had truthfully answered their question.
7	Paul speaks of a church’s foundation being built with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, but what should the true foundation be?	1 Corinthians 3:11-12	Jesus Christ. And the foundation will be tested with fire.
8	Paul states in a letter that he was beaten with rods three times and shipwrecked three times, but how many times was he pelted with stones?	2 Corinthians 11:25	Once.
9	Peter, in one of the epistles, repeats the words of Jesus in talking about the cornerstone, but Peter calls us to be what kind of stones, in being like Jesus?	1 Peter 2:5	Living stones.  Peter first quotes Isaiah 28, a cornerstone to be relied on, but then Psalm 118, the cornerstone that was rejected.
10	In the second of three woes for what city, the city is described as dressed in fine linen, scarlet and purple, and glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls?	Revelation 18:16	Babylon.  The entire chapter speaks of the curse upon Babylon with the coming of the King of kings in the middle of the next chapter.

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, … Here is Guy Penrod singing, He Hideth My Soul.  Okay, a “rock” instead of “stones.”

Here is the Antrim Mennonite Choir with Rock of Ages.

But this quiz was about stones and the Scripture from Luke talks about stones crying out.  Here is Stones sung by Kim Walker-Smith.

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.