Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb

• Mark 16:2

He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’

• Luke 13:32

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.

• Revelation 6:9

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

• Matthew 20:16

When thinking of numerical quizzes, I have wondered when I will do a quiz on ordinal numbers.  Ordinal numbers are a sequential set of numbers that denote position in the sequence.  First, second, third are ordinal numbers.  Of the Scriptures above, “last” is not an ordinal number.  It denotes position, but without a numerical root, it has no position in a list of ordinal numbers, but tell that to the person that always finished last in the race.  Not me, but I rarely finished first, second, or third either.  I was a distance runner, not a sprinter, until I had knee problems.

No question has a numerical answer.  Each question is derived by a verse with an ordinal associated with the question number.  In fact, the ordinal number is typed in ALL CAPS in each question.  This puts the questions in numerical order, thus ordinal number order.  The questions, therefore, are not in biblical order.  Only one question comes from the New Testament, but one other question mentions a New Testament prophecy that references a different ordinal number.

Some of these questions may be head scratchers, but there are 3 or 4 that are fairly easy.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	Ham was the father of Cush who was the father of a great hunter and great warrior.  Who was this grandson of Ham, who had four cities as the FIRST centers of his kingdom: Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh?
2	The lampstand in the tabernacle was made of one piece of hammered gold.  It was to be made like a flower, with buds and blossoms.  From each bud, a pair of branches, in the first, SECOND, and third bud.  Buds and blossoms of what flower?
3	Who warned the disciples many times that he would be killed and rise to life on the THIRD day?
4	In describing the Garden of Eden, the waters flowing from Eden through the garden split into four headwaters.  What is the FOURTH headwater, which also is mentioned as drying up when the sixth angel poured out his bowl of God’s wrath?
5	In Levitical Law, what type of thing must be redeemed adding one FIFTH to its value?
6	What did the Israelites do differently on the SIXTH day of each week while wandering in the wilderness?
7	When God had finished, what did God do on the SEVENTH day of Creation?
8	On the EIGHTH day what must each newborn boy experience?
9	Who was the king of Babylon who laid siege to Jerusalem in the NINTH year of the reign of Zedekiah?
10	Who did Abram give a TENTH of everything he got when he sent 318 trained men to rescue Lot & others?  This person was king of Salem and also a priest of God Most High.

In sports, being first is the focus on everyone’s mind.  I have heard people get irritated with the Olympics because they hand out gold, silver, and bronze medals.  These irate folks think that only the gold medal is important.

Well, not if you lost by a photo finish.  At least you came home with a medal, unless the photo finish was for bronze.

Of course, a lot of people are just happy to wear the colors of their country and compete.  The Jamaican bobsled team got a lot of praise, but each Winter Olympics there is at least one contestant from a tropical country that is competing in something like downhill skiing, skiing down a mountain that is much higher than any hill in their country, regardless of the absence or presence of snow.  Yes, they train in another country, but they are never near podium consideration.

But it is odd that in some circles, you do not want to be picked first.  A dangerous mission in a military operation comes to mind.

But in the last Scripture above, Jesus said to be first, we must be last.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	Ham was the father of Cush who was the father of a great hunter and great warrior.  Who was this grandson of Ham, who had four cities as the FIRST centers of his kingdom: Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh?	Genesis 10:8-10
2	The lampstand in the tabernacle was made of one piece of hammered gold.  It was to be made like a flower, with buds and blossoms.  From each bud, a pair of branches, in the first, SECOND, and third bud.  Buds and blossoms of what flower?	Exodus 25:33
3	Who warned the disciples many times that he would be killed and rise to life on the THIRD day?	Luke 18:31-33
4	In describing the Garden of Eden, the waters flowing from Eden through the garden split into four headwaters.  What is the FOURTH headwater, which also is mentioned as drying up when the sixth angel poured out his bowl of God’s wrath?	Genesis 2:4
5	In Levitical Law, what type of thing must be redeemed adding one FIFTH to its value?	Leviticus 27:13, 15, 19, 27, 31
6	What did the Israelites do differently on the SIXTH day of each week while wandering in the wilderness?	Exodus 16:22
7	When God had finished, what did God do on the SEVENTH day of Creation?	Genesis 2:2
8	On the EIGHTH day what must each newborn boy experience?	Leviticus 12:3
9	Who was the king of Babylon who laid siege to Jerusalem in the NINTH year of the reign of Zedekiah?	Jeremiah 52:4
10	Who did Abram give a TENTH of everything he got when he sent 318 trained men to rescue Lot & others?  This person was king of Salem and also a priest of God Most High.	Genesis 14:18-20

My wife went to therapy for PTSD.  She flunked out.  The therapist said that she had to put herself in the top ten of her personal priorities or he could not help her.

Then she said, “Jesus is first.”  The therapist nodded.  “I have five grandchildren.”  The therapist nodded. “I have two sons.”  The therapist winced.  “I have two daughters-in-law.”  The therapist groaned. “I have my mother (at the time), three surviving brothers (at the time) and four sisters.  The girls all have husbands.”  The therapist put his pen and pad down and just stared at her.

When I was told her responses, and she was continuing with nephews and nieces and church friends, the therapist said that there was nothing he could do with someone who put everyone before themselves.

But all I heard was that I was not in the top twenty-five, no more like top forty.  To make that an ordinal number, I would have been lucky to be forty-first.

It’s a good thing that I forgave her easily.  I was her ride home.

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The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	Ham was the father of Cush who was the father of a great hunter and great warrior.  Who was this grandson of Ham, who had four cities as the FIRST centers of his kingdom: Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh?	Genesis 10:8-10	Nimrod
2	The lampstand in the tabernacle was made of one piece of hammered gold.  It was to be made like a flower, with buds and blossoms.  From each bud, a pair of branches, in the first, SECOND, and third bud.  Buds and blossoms of what flower?	Exodus 25:33	Almond flowers
3	Who warned the disciples many times that he would be killed and rise to life on the THIRD day?	Luke 18:31-33	Jesus
4	In describing the Garden of Eden, the waters flowing from Eden through the garden split into four headwaters.  What is the FOURTH headwater, which also is mentioned as drying up when the sixth angel poured out his bowl of God’s wrath?	Genesis 2:4	Euphrates River
5	In Levitical Law, what type of thing must be redeemed adding one FIFTH to its value?	Leviticus 27:13, 15, 19, 27, 31	Basically, anything dedicated to the Lord.  Thus, redeeming what IS the Lord’s.  Specifically: animal, house, field, unclean animal, or tithe.
6	What did the Israelites do differently on the SIXTH day of each week while wandering in the wilderness?	Exodus 16:22	They gathered twice as much manna so that they would not gather manna on the Sabbath day.
7	When God had finished, what did God do on the SEVENTH day of Creation?	Genesis 2:2	He rested
8	On the EIGHTH day what must each newborn boy experience?	Leviticus 12:3	Circumcision
9	Who was the king of Babylon who laid siege to Jerusalem in the NINTH year of the reign of Zedekiah?	Jeremiah 52:4	Nebuchadnezzar
10	Who did Abram give a TENTH of everything he got when he sent 318 trained men to rescue Lot & others?  This person was king of Salem and also a priest of God Most High.	Genesis 14:18-20	Melchizedek

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here is Lauren Daigle singing First.

Here is Consumed by Fire singing First Things First.

Here are Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding singing First Hymn.

Here is Kari Jobe singing First Love.  This recording is 9:18, listen to as much as you like.

With Jesus First in our lives, and placing others before ourselves, we position ourselves to be a true servant.

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.