“Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.

• Exodus 25:31

And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

• 1 Kings 6:32

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

• Song of Songs 2:12

Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

• Isaiah 5:24

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

• Isaiah 18:5

Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

• Isaiah 28:1

The quote “April showers bring May flowers” comes from a poem written by Thomas Tusser in 1557.  So, I thought I would have some fun with flowers that are found in the Bible.  Some of these may be obscure references, so I have decided to make it a fill in the blank quiz.

The questions are in biblical order.  The list of flowers is in alphabetical order.  Some of the verses pertain to the tree, but the tree is a flowering tree.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	Three cups shaped like ____ flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.
2	Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a ____ tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men,
3	He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an ____ tree shedding its blossoms.
4	Cleanse me with ____, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
5	I am a ____ of Sharon,
6	The ____tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”
7	The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the ____,
8	“‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a ____ by abundant water,
9	I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a ____. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;
10	And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the ____trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

Flower List

Almond, crocus, fig, hyssop, lily, myrtle, olive, pomegranate, rose, willow

I grew up on a farm that had one entire hillside planted in narcissus, mostly jonquils, but a bit of variety.  We had hydrangeas around the patio.  And the crepe myrtle was a very showy plant. Of course, there were a lot of wildflowers in the forest behind the house.

Then I married my wife, who emigrated to the USA from the Netherlands.  After visiting the beautiful gardens in Germany and Holland during my time in the service, my goal, once I succeeded in business, was to plant a beautiful garden.

But after one disappointment after another, I am living in a rented home and only once had a chance to grow tulips, hyacinths, and narcissus.  But I enjoy looking at gardens, and maybe designing wild gardens will be my job in heaven.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	Three cups shaped like ____flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.	Exodus 37:19
2	Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a ____ tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men,	1 Samuel 14:2
3	He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an ____ tree shedding its blossoms.	Job 15:33
4	Cleanse me with ____, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.	Psalm 51:7
5	I am a ____ of Sharon,	Song of Songs 2:1a
6	The ____tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”	Song of Songs 2:13
7	The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the ____,	Isaiah 35:1
8	“‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a ____ by abundant water,	Ezekiel 17:5
9	I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a ____. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;	Hosea 14:5
10	And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the ____trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”	Zechariah 1:11

I doubt if I would do very well on this quiz.  There is one of the questions that I consider a “give away.”

It is unclear whether all these flowers are what we think of as that flower today.

Two flowers in this list are usually referring to wildflowers with that flower name in the name of the wildflower.

I wanted to use mustard.  When mustard goes to seed, it is a very showy yellow flower, but all the references to mustard are from the New Testament, all referring to mustard seeds.

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The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	Three cups shaped like ____flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.	Exodus 37:19	almond
2	Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a ____ tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men,	1 Samuel 14:2	pomegranate
3	He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an ____ tree shedding its blossoms.	Job 15:33	olive
4	Cleanse me with ____, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.	Psalm 51:7	hyssop
5	I am a ____ of Sharon,	Song of Songs 2:1a	rose
6	The ____tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”	Song of Songs 2:13	fig
7	The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the ____,	Isaiah 35:1	crocus
8	“‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a ____ by abundant water,	Ezekiel 17:5	willow
9	I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a ____. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;	Hosea 14:5	lily
10	And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the ____trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”	Zechariah 1:11	myrtle

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here is Andrew Ripp singing Roses.

Here is Acapeldridge singing The Lily of the Valley.

Here is Kitty Wells singing Gathering Flowers for the Master’s Bouquet.

Here is Jaci Velasquez singing A Flower in the Rain.

Only God in His infinite Love could create such beauty as a simple flower.

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.