On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.

• Exodus 19:1

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate a person to the Lord by giving the equivalent value, set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; for a female, set her value at thirty shekels; for a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels; for a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels of silver; for a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels and of a female at ten shekels. If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, the person being dedicated is to be presented to the priest, who will set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.

• Leviticus 27:1-8

The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.

• Numbers 1:1-2

Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.

• Number 9:22

But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

• Judges 20:47

This quiz will be about verses containing the words “month.”  I am trying to get a month ahead, at least on the difficult Bible studies, so that when I take a break to help my son in Tennessee, the blogsite can keep on ticking in my absence.  Thus, “month” popped into my head and there are over 200 verses to choose from in the Old Testament alone.  The New Testament only mentions the word “month” seventeen times.

The questions are in biblical order.  The first eight questions are in the Old Testament.  Question seven refers back to an earlier Bible verse to show that the stay in this place is roughly one year.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	What was the event that started in the seventeenth day of the second month when the springs of the great deep burst forth and the floodgates of heaven opened?
2	How long had Jacob stayed and worked with Laban when Laban suggested they negotiate Jacob’s wages? And Jacob proposed to work seven years for Rachel to be his bride.
3	Who was hidden for three months after being born and then floated down a river?
4	What festival was established by God while the Israelites were still in Egypt.  On the tenth day of the first month, starting the calendar at that time, each family was to take a lamb.  On the fourteenth day of that month, they slaughtered the lamb?
5	What day, tenth day of the seventh month, is a day of fasting and repentance for sin, when the Lord will cleanse you of your sin?
6	When Moses performed the first census, God instructed him to count all the men twenty years or older, except for what tribe where all men one month old or older were counted?
7	After the Lord brought the people out of Egypt, they stopped at what location for a couple of weeks short of a full year?
8	Solomon had twelve district governors who did what during their assigned month?
9	In Luke, we know that Elizabeth was in seclusion for five months.  We know that Mary visited for three months.  When did Gabriel visit Mary to announce that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus?  When as in what month of the pregnancy of Elizabeth?
10	When the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, a star descends with the key to the Abyss.  When the Abyss opens what insect emerges with the power to torture people for five months?

Question 8 talks about King Solomon’s district governors.  The first of these governors was over the hill country of Ephraim.  His name leant itself to a book and then a movie starring Charlton Heston.

The book was written by Lew Wallace.  Lew Wallace was a lawyer, son of an Indiana governor.  He served as an officer in the Mexican War, but just garrison duty.  He left his post as Indiana Adjutant General to serve as the youngest major general in the Union army during the Civil War, being relieved of his command after the Battle of Shiloh.  He redeemed himself in a loss to Confederate General Early, but he delayed Early enough for reinforcements to protect Early’s attack on Washington, DC.  After serving the court for the trials of the commander of the Andersonville prison of war camp and those involved in the Lincoln assassination, he returned to civilian life.

Not much is mentioned about his Christian faith, but stories tell how he searched for answers, and found Jesus.  From his archaeological work and research, he developed a fictional story about a Jewish man of royal blood who was falsely accused.  He became a slave.  During his slavery, he meets Jesus who gives him water.  He later saves someone’s life and is freed.  And he becomes a charioteer of some note.  More importantly, he becomes a Christian.  After all, the subtitle of the book was “A Tale of the Christ.”

The Jewish noble, turned slave, turned charioteer?  Ben-Hur.  Obviously the fictional character was named for the district governor, not a story about the governor himself.

Sadly, most people do not remember Lew Wallace’s book.  They remember the movie starring Charlton Heston.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	What was the event that started in the seventeenth day of the second month when the springs of the great deep burst forth and the floodgates of heaven opened?	Genesis 7:11
2	How long had Jacob stayed and worked with Laban when Laban suggested they negotiate Jacob’s wages? And Jacob proposed to work seven years for Rachel to be his bride.	Genesis 29:14-18
3	Who was hidden for three months after being born and then floated down a river?	Exodus 2:2
4	What festival was established by God while the Israelites were still in Egypt.  On the tenth day of the first month, starting the calendar at that time, each family was to take a lamb.  On the fourteenth day of that month, they slaughtered the lamb?	Exodus 12:2
5	What day, tenth day of the seventh month, is a day of fasting and repentance for sin, when the Lord will cleanse you of your sin?	Leviticus 16:29-32
6	When Moses performed the first census, God instructed him to count all the men twenty years or older, except for what tribe where all men one month old or older were counted?	Numbers 3:15
7	After the Lord brought the people out of Egypt, they stopped at what location for a couple of weeks short of a full year?	Numbers 10:11 (Exodus 19:1)
8	Solomon had twelve district governors who did what during their assigned month?	1 Kings 4:7 and 1 Kings 4:27-28
9	In Luke, we know that Elizabeth was in seclusion for five months.  We know that Mary visited for three months.  When did Gabriel visit Mary to announce that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus?  When as in what month of the pregnancy of Elizabeth?	Luke 1:24-56
10	When the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, a star descends with the key to the Abyss.  When the Abyss opens what insect emerges with the power to torture people for five months?	Revelation 9:3-5

Question 9 relates a bit to a filmed story.  Luke 1 speaks of Zechariah, the husband of a barren Elizabeth, who is struck mute when told of the birth of a son.

For more than half of her pregnancy, Elizabeth is isolated.  This could be from a fear that she was of an advanced age.  Mary comes to visit and the baby in Elizabeth’s womb jumps for joy at the arrival of Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus, but too early to produce a baby bump.

In the television mini-series, The Bible, where Roma Downey plays the part of the adult Mary, they show teenager Mary assisting in the birth of John the Baptist before she returns to Nazareth to face scorn, since by then, early in the second trimester, she has a visible baby bump.

Note that God’s timing is perfect to show His Love and Mercy.

Question 9 then, with these hints, some inferred more than spelled out in the Bible, becomes a simple math problem.

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The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	What was the event that started in the seventeenth day of the second month when the springs of the great deep burst forth and the floodgates of heaven opened?	Genesis 7:11	Noah’s Flood
2	How long had Jacob stayed and worked with Laban when Laban suggested they negotiate Jacob’s wages? And Jacob proposed to work seven years for Rachel to be his bride.	Genesis 29:14-18	One whole month, I am sure glad they talk about pay earlier in the employment these days.
3	Who was hidden for three months after being born and then floated down a river?	Exodus 2:2	Moses
4	What festival was established by God while the Israelites were still in Egypt.  On the tenth day of the first month, starting the calendar at that time, each family was to take a lamb.  On the fourteenth day of that month, they slaughtered the lamb?	Exodus 12:2	Passover or Festival of the Unleavened Bread
5	What day, tenth day of the seventh month, is a day of fasting and repentance for sin, when the Lord will cleanse you of your sin?	Leviticus 16:29-32	Day of Atonement or what is called Yom Kippur today.
6	When Moses performed the first census, God instructed him to count all the men twenty years or older, except for what tribe where all men one month old or older were counted?	Numbers 3:15	The Levites
7	After the Lord brought the people out of Egypt, they stopped at what location for a couple of weeks short of a full year?	Numbers 10:11 (Exodus 19:1)	Mount Sinai
8	Solomon had twelve district governors who did what during their assigned month?	1 Kings 4:7 and 1 Kings 4:27-28	They supplied to King Solomon enough for everyone at King Solomon’s table and barley and straw for the horses (vv. 27-28)
9	In Luke, we know that Elizabeth was in seclusion for five months.  We know that Mary visited for three months.  When did Gabriel visit Mary to announce that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus?  When as in what month of the pregnancy of Elizabeth?	Luke 1:24-56	Sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, in doing the math, Mary probably stayed for the birth of John the Baptist, but Luke never says for sure.  Why leave days before the birth?
10	When the fifth angel sounds his trumpet, a star descends with the key to the Abyss.  When the Abyss opens what insect emerges with the power to torture people for five months?	Revelation 9:3-5	Locusts, but with the strength of scorpions (including stinging like a scorpion)

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here are the Asidors singing The Mission.  Again, the songs may not match the theme.

Here is Matthew Adams singing Passover Lamb.

Here is Christy Nockles singing the Magnificat, Mary’s Song.

From one day to the next, from one month to the next, let us never forget to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.  May we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength.  May we love one another.

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.