“‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

• Numbers 34:3-5

Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth).

• Joshua 17:11

The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:
On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth Aven. From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.

• Joshua 18:11-13

This post is inspired by finding a book that I wife wanted in her personal library, not that she ever opened the book.  It is The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands by Barry J. Beitzel.  Other than using the maps to inspire the questions, I quote nothing from the book.  If the maps in your Bible do not coincide exactly, I apologize, but for the questions that I wrote, I tried to find alternate sources to confirm the information.

This quiz is about reading a map.  Some questions ask about directions.  Some questions might ask what might be seen along the way, even one question asks some navigational skills.  All the questions deal with maps and maybe some hints pertaining to information about Bible stories.

Unlike most of the quizzes, I wrote questions as items on the map provided an inspiration.  Thus, these questions will not be in biblical order.

In the Bible Reference section, there will not always be a hint to immediately obtain the answer, due to the nature of the quiz questions, but the Bible references will point to the locations mentioned in the question.

This might be a tough quiz, even for the people who know their Bible.  I tried to use some helpful hints, but I hope this fixes our minds on the Biblical lands, the problems they have there today, and how God used His people to accomplish great things to God’s glory.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	On which side of the Jordan River is the land of Gilead, as in the balm of Gilead?
2	Arrange these four cities that are mentioned in the book of Genesis from north to south: Bethel, Bethlehem, Salem, Shechem.
3	When going from “Dan to Beersheba” what direction are you basically going?
4	Of all the peoples mentioned in Acts 2:9-11, which of them are in Africa? A bonus to identify all of them.
5	Thinking of Elijah and Elisha.  If we take a trip from Elisha’s birthplace to where Elijah defeated Ahab’s priests of Baal, we might best travel by what famous valley, with the Kishon River on the Mediterranean side, where famous battles were fought, and Hosea named his first child?
6	If you could (not likely due to the terrain) walk directly from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and you kept going along that line further south, where would you be very close to, where David was anointed king of Judah?
7	Consider three ports along the coast of western Asia Minor: Troas, Ephesus, and Miletus.  If you traveled as straight a line as possible from those ports to Sparta, or Corinth, which would come closest to the isle of Patmos where the Apostle John was exiled?
8	Of the Seven churches in the book of Revelation, which is the furthest north?  The furthest east?
9	When Paul and Barnabas sailed from the port near Syrian Antioch, where did they go first?
10	In what direction was Paul going when he went from Philippi to Thessalonica to Berea?

I find it bizarre that the questions that first popped into my head were questions that I did not use.  Like, what direction did Joshua travel from Gilgal to Jericho to Ai and then near Gibeon, where the Gibeonites tricked him.  Some might jokingly say something stupid like “from the River to the Sea” but I would have been looking for a westerly route.  The phrase “from the River to the Sea” is used to signify the death of all in Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.  Why?  Because they claim wrongly that Israel is trying to ethnically cleanse the Gaza strip.  They are trying to eliminate a terrorist organization. Yet, the chant is calling for an ethnic cleansing of Israel.

I find too much inconsistency in the secular progressive worldview.  It seems to be designed to be a double standard.  We want something, thus we take it, but you cannot do that because it is wrong.  Yet, too many people get caught up in the protest and the riots without even knowing what the true cause is that they are marching for.  We have lived through tyrannies like that many times before in the world where the propaganda machine makes it look good until you take a peak behind the curtain.

I read Mein Kampf as a teenager while searching for meaning in life.  It is an emotionally charged book that can sway you from things you may have held dear.  But I never acted on the anger that was welling inside me.  I kept searching.  Praise the Lord!  In that search for meaning, I found it in Jesus Christ, and I had to beg Jesus for forgiveness for letting Hitler’s book sway my mind at all.  We seem to be headed down the same road.  The tyrant leaders of this world won’t have to burn books.  Most people watch the news on TV and play video games instead of reading anyway.  But thankfully not you who got this far in the quiz.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	On which side of the Jordan River is the land of Gilead, as in the balm of Gilead?	Numbers 32
2	Arrange these four cities that are mentioned in the book of Genesis from north to south: Bethel, Bethlehem, Salem, Shechem.	Genesis 34; Genesis 28:19; Genesis 14:18; Genesis 35:19 (These references are in the order for the answer)
3	When going from “Dan to Beersheba” what direction are you basically going?	Judges 20:1; 1 Kings 4:25, as examples
4	Of all the peoples mentioned in Acts 2:9-11, which of them are in Africa? A bonus to identify all of them.	Acts 2:9-11
5	Thinking of Elijah and Elisha.  If we take a trip from Elisha’s birthplace to where Elijah defeated Ahab’s priests of Baal, we might best travel by what famous valley, with the Kishon River on the Mediterranean side, where famous battles were fought, and Hosea named his first child?	1 Kings 19:16; 1 Kings 18:20-46; Hosea 1:4-5; Judges 6:33
6	If you could (not likely due to the terrain) walk directly from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and you kept going along that line further south, where would you be very close to, where David was anointed king of Judah?	2 Samuel 2:4
7	Consider three ports along the coast of western Asia Minor: Troas, Ephesus, and Miletus.  If you traveled as straight a line as possible from those ports to Sparta, or Corinth, which would come closest to the isle of Patmos where the Apostle John was exiled?	Revelation 1:9
8	Of the Seven churches in the book of Revelation, which is the furthest north?  The furthest east?	Revelation 2-3
9	When Paul and Barnabas sailed from the port near Syrian Antioch, where did they go first?	Acts 13:4
10	In what direction was Paul going when he went from Philippi to Thessalonica to Berea?	Acts 17:1-13

I told the story once or twice about how my wife actually got lost in her closet once.  It was a walk-in closet, and to put things on the empty closet rods, she had to close the door, but she had not turned the light on first.  I was nearby and heard her cries for help.  She could not find her way out of the closet.  I stood outside the door and told her to calm down and turn around.  Once she said that she had done so, I said that she had two options: flip the light on or open the door.  I think she told me to never tell that story…  Oops.

And at a cloverleaf in western Birmingham, Alabama, she got confused and turned West on the interstate instead of East.  She had to drive to Bessemer, Alabama and turn around.   After this happened the third time, driving from my parent’s home back to South Carolina, she bribed the boys to not let me know she had made the same mistake three times in a row.  The problem was that she paid them off in advance, so they had not gotten out of the van before they yelled, “Guess what Mom did … AGAIN!!”

I never had enough vacation time to suit her wanderlust.  And knowing that she had limited navigational skills at best, she was brave enough to keep taking trips on her own.

As for me, she asked one time, “Are you lost?”

I replied, “Absolutely not.  I am never lost.”

She then huffed, “Do you have any idea where we are?”

I replied, “Absolutely not!”

She growled, “Then you lied when you said you weren’t lost!”

I replied, “Absolutely not!  Not knowing where you are and being lost are two totally different things.  I think I will turn left at the next traffic light.”

She asked, “And why would you do that?”

I replied, “My nose says we are headed north.  That is my nose, and it is after lunch and the sun is to my left.  The interstate we need to find is to our west, and this looks like a bigger side street than what I have seen for the past several miles.”  (It was cloudy, but there was a glow indicating where the sun might be.)

She groaned, but I turned left and within four blocks I took the onramp onto the interstate.  She growled, “If you crow about getting un-lost, I am going to smack you!”

I am very smart, but sometimes, I should think before I say things.  I replied, “But dear, I thought you would be grateful that we are back on the interstate?”

She smacked me on the shoulder.  She thought that was too close to crowing for her.

On another occasion, I thought about asking for directions, something guys just never do, but I was afraid my wife’s weak heart couldn’t take the shock.

   …

   …

   …

The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	On which side of the Jordan River is the land of Gilead, as in the balm of Gilead?	Numbers 32	East bank of the Jordan, the land suitable for livestock, settled by Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  Gilead was a descendant of Manasseh, Joseph’s son.
2	Arrange these four cities that are mentioned in the book of Genesis from north to south: Bethel, Bethlehem, Salem, Shechem.	Genesis 34; Genesis 28:19; Genesis 14:18; Genesis 35:19 (These references are in the order for the answer)	Shechem – where Dinah was defiled, Bethel – where Jacob had the dream of a stairway to heaven; Salem (or Jerusalem – where Melchizedek was priest of the God most high; Bethlehem – on the way there, Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, and she died and was buried.
3	When going from “Dan to Beersheba” what direction are you basically going?	Judges 20:1; 1 Kings 4:25, as examples	South.  There are 9 mentions of this phrase, but in the Chronicles, the direction is reversed.  It does not refer to a route on the map, but from the northern to the southern extents of the Promised Land, sort of.  First Kings 8:65 and the corresponding verse in 2 Chronicles use from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt, a more precise expression at the time of Solomon.
4	Of all the peoples mentioned in Acts 2:9-11, which of them are in Africa? A bonus to identify all of them.	Acts 2:9-11	Egypt, Libya, Cyrene (Africa); Parthians, Medes, Elamites (Iran); Mesopotamia (Iraq), Judea; Cappadocia (east. Turkey to Syria?), Pontus (east. Turkey, Black Sea?) and Asia (west. Turkey), Phrygia, Pamphylia (west. Turkey, regions of Asia minor), Rome (Europe, Italy); Cretans (Europe, Grecian island) and Arabs(mostly Sinai Peninsula).  Luke was very organized regarding the map in this list.
5	Thinking of Elijah and Elisha.  If we take a trip from Elisha’s birthplace to where Elijah defeated Ahab’s priests of Baal, we might best travel by what famous valley, with the Kishon River on the Mediterranean side, where famous battles were fought, and Hosea named his first child?	1 Kings 19:16; 1 Kings 18:20-46; Hosea 1:4-5; Judges 6:33	The Valley of Jezreel.  Along the valley, you might see Megiddo and Mt. Carmel to the South, to the north is Mt. Gilboa where King Saul died, and Deborah and Barak chased off the army of Sisera near there.  It became the border (under a Roman name) between Samaria and Galilee.
6	If you could (not likely due to the terrain) walk directly from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and you kept going along that line further south, where would you be very close to, where David was anointed king of Judah?	2 Samuel 2:4	Hebron
7	Consider three ports along the coast of western Asia Minor: Troas, Ephesus, and Miletus.  If you traveled as straight a line as possible from those ports to Sparta, or Corinth, which would come closest to the isle of Patmos where the Apostle John was exiled?	Revelation 1:9	Miletus.  Troas is too far north, and the route from Ephesus to Corinth would go north of Samos, while the route from Miletus would go south of Samos, very near Patmos.  The Apostle Paul spent time in all three of these Asian cities.
8	Of the Seven churches in the book of Revelation, which is the furthest north?  The furthest east?	Revelation 2-3	Pergamum is furthest north.  Laodicea is the furthest east.
9	When Paul and Barnabas sailed from the port near Syrian Antioch, where did they go first?	Acts 13:4	Cyprus.  Barnabas had sold land there (Acts 4:36) and might still have friends on the island.  The people of Cyprus are quite proud of having one of the oldest churches in Christendom.
10	In what direction was Paul going when he went from Philippi to Thessalonica to Berea?	Acts 17:1-13	West

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here is TobyMac singing Promised Land.

And here is Village Lights singing Promised Land.  A different song, but the same basic message.

And here is Rachel Hale singing Promised Land.  A popular title.

And here is Lauren Milne singing Promised Land.

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.