BIBLE 211 Test 2

Know the story of The call of Gideon

-And then Israel disobeys God again. Shocking. -This time, the Midianites invade. So who does Israel ask to save them? You got it: God. -The Lord sends a prophet to have a little chat with Israel. The prophet says, "Look, Israel, the Lord told you not to worship other gods, but you didn't obey. And now you want him to bail you out again?" -Well of course they do... and of course he does. -And so God sends an angel to our next judge, Gideon. -Gideon has a few questions, though. He wants to know why things are so hard for the Israelites if God is with them (God's like I'm working on it... you're the solution), and he also wants to make sure God knows that he isn't exactly some rich, strong warrior (God's like I know, I'm God—that's where I come in, dude). -Gideon is convinced, and under God's instruction, he pulls off an Israelite senior prank: -With the help of 10 of his buddies, he sneaks over to the altar of Baal at night. -They knock it over, chop down the grove next to it, build a new altar to God in its place, and use the wood to offer a sacrifice to him. Oh, snap! -The Midianites and the Amalekites aren't having it and gather for war against Israel. God lets Gideon know, though, and he blows his trumpet to gather Israel for battle. -Gideon then asks for—and receives—a sign that God will save Israel by Gideon's hand.

Know the story Saul is jealous of David

-David becomes BFFs with Saul's son, Jonathan, as Saul becomes more and more jealous of David's popularity. -Eventually, Saul becomes anxious and paranoid that David will take the throne from him. We're not saying Saul is right, but Saul is right (1-9). -One day, as David is playing his lyre for Saul, the king snaps and throws two spears at David. -Thankfully, the young shepherd boy who would be king is as agile as a ninja and avoids the spears. He flees for his life and Saul becomes afraid because now he knows the spirit of God is with David. -As what we assume is a part-apology, part-evil plan, Saul makes David commander of the Israelite army (10-16). -Saul remembers that David was promised one of his daughters' hands in marriage because he slew Goliath. Originally, David was to get Merab, but Saul tells David he's not good enough to be a royal son-in-law. This cuts David deep (17-19). -Saul discovers his daughter Michal (yes, daughter, we checked) loves David. -So Saul tells David that if he brings the king one hundred foreskins, David can marry Michal. Some dowry. -However weird this is, David does as the king asked, much to his chagrin. Now Saul can't harm David through his daughter. -Now to the real question... what does one do with one hundred foreskins? (20-30)

Know the story of Deborah and Barak

-Ehud dies and—yep, you guessed it—Israel turns away from God again. -This time they're conquered by Jabin, the king of Canaan. -Israel cries unto the Lord. Wait—haven't we seen this episode before? -Luckily for them, God raises up an awesome judge: Deborah, a prophetess and the only female judge in the book. Girl power! -Deborah tells Barak, an Israelite general, that God commands him to take 10,000 soldiers from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and attack Jabin's army. She promises that God will give them victory. -Barak says he'll only go to battle if Deborah comes, and she does, but lets him know that it won't be him who kills Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army—it'll be a woman! -Barak leads his 10,000 men against Sisera's army, including 900 chariots of iron. -Barak's army kills every last one of Sisera's men—except for Sisera. He's hiding at his friend -Heber's tent. Looks like things are about to get really in-tents. -Heber's wife, Jael, goes out to meet Sisera, "and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not" (KJV 4:18). If your friend's wife ever says these words to you, run away. -Sisera tells Jael not to tell anyone he's in the tent. "Sure, Siss. No problem," she says, tucking him into bed with some milk. -After he drifts off to sleep, Jael "took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground" (KJV 4:21). -And with that, Jabin was defeated. Ladies for the win!

Know the story of The fall of Jericho

-Jericho is in lock down for fear of the Israelites—no one gets in and no one gets outs. -God gives Joshua very specific instructions. The Israelite warriors must march around Jericho for six days with seven priests carrying trumpets made from rams's horns. -On the seventh day, the warriors should march seven times around the city blowing on the trumpets. When they make a long blast, then all the people should shout and the walls of the city will fall so Israel can charge forward (3-5). -Joshua gives these orders to the Israelites, making explicit instructions to make no sound for six days. In case you were wondering, we'd totally fail this assignment. -The Israelites do as God commands and march around Jericho for six days. -How tired were their legs? Super tired. But when God says march, you march. -On the seventh day before the siege, Joshua gives a rousing speech that is totally reminiscent of Aragorn's speech in Return of the King even though Tolkien wasn't even a glimmer in his mother's eye at this point. -Joshua tells the Israelites that they cannot harm Rahab or her family. -The Israelites must practice herem, meaning that they must destroy everything as a sacrifice to God and keep nothing for themselves... unless, of course, they want to bring destruction to their nation. Which they probably don't. -At Joshua's command, the Israelites let their voices ring and the walls of Jericho come tumbling down. -Once the walls are down, the Israelites charge and completely destroy Jericho. -Then the Israelites make good with Rahab and bring her and her family out so they can be free among the Israelites. -Joshua then curses the land (as one does) to make sure no one can build there again. All in a day's work.

Know the story of Rahab and the spies

-Joshua sends two spies over the River Jordan to scout the territory, especially Jericho. -Upon entering Jericho, the spies immediately hit up the house of the prostitute, Rahab, and spend the night there. This may seem like a strange thing to do, but hear us out. -At this time, brothels were the secret-keepers of the age. Everything said inside a brothel stayed in the brothel. So logically, if Israelite spies wanted to stay hidden but gather information, the brothel is the perfect place to do that. -The king of Jericho gets wind of the fact that there are spies on his turf and orders Rahab to surrender them immediately. -We guess brothels aren't as a safe as we thought—yes, we know what we just said. -Rahab hides the Israelite spies on the roof (clever girl) and covers for them, explaining they were there but had fled. -While the soldiers go off in search of the Israelites, Rahab goes to her roof to cut a deal with the two spies. She explains that "all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you" (9) because of what was done by Moses to the Egyptians, as well as the "Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og" (10). -Rahab then swears her fealty to Israel for the protection of her family. As it turns out, Rahab is a prostitute with a heart of gold. -The Israelite spies return in kind, and are all like, Don't worry, Rahab, we won't hurt your family. -On one condition. -There's always a condition. -Rahab must tie a crimson cord in the window on the day of the Israelite invasion, otherwise her family will be killed along with the rest of the city (17-20). -The Israelite—in a total spy move—scale down her great wall of Jericho on the crimson cord hung outside Rahab's window. Rahab, not taking any chances, leaves the cord right where it is. -The Israelites report back to Joshua on all that has happened.

Know the story Saul and the witch of Endor

-King Achish is so impressed by David he makes him bodyguard for life. Hooray for David (1-2). -Meanwhile, Saul is starting to get desperate. Now that David is with the Philistines (or so everyone thinks), he's even more powerful than before. -The Bible tells us that previously in his time as king, Saul had the wizards and witches put to death because they were against God. Sorry, no ancient Hogwarts for you. Unfortunately for Saul, he's so desperate, he's now turning to magic to aid him, despite his past beliefs (3). -One of Saul's men reveals that there is a medium living in Endor. No, not the one with the Ewoks. Saul disguises himself and sets out immediately to talk with her (4-10). -Once Saul arrives, the medium knows that she is speaking with the king. Either she's really good at her job or Saul is a terrible master of disguise. We're thinking a little from column A and a little from column B. -The medium has Saul look into a cauldron. An lo'! From out of the cauldron comes the ghost of Samuel. We told you he'd be back (11-14). -Samuel is Mr. Grumpy Robe for being awoken from the dead. In his grumpy state, Samuel tells Saul that God has given the kingdom over to David. -He also tells Saul that he and his sons will die in battle the next day. Ghost Samuel leaves Saul crying on the ground in the fetal position. But don't worry, the nice medium makes Saul food to comfort him. Gives new meaning to the term "comfort food" (15-25).

Know the story The Lord calls Samuel

-One night, while Samuel gently slumbers, he hears a voice calling his name. Rising from his bed, Samuel goes to see Eli asking if he was called. -Eli, doing no such thing, sends him back to bed. -Later that night, Samuel hears his name again and returns to Eli. -Again, Eli sends him packing off to bed. -As Samuel dozes again, he hears his name being called. -Eli, now invested, tells Samuel to answer back because it's God calling his name (1-9). -God relays the misery that will plague Eli's house. -In the morning, Samuel hesitates to tell Eli the news because seriously, who wants to be the messenger of "your whole family is going to die!"? -After some prompting, Samuel spills the beans, but Eli simply says God's will is not for anyone to change. Eli has nerves of steel (before steel was invented). -After this, Samuel is decreed a true prophet of God (10-21), and the story really gets going.

Know the story of the Death of Saul and Jonathan

-The Philistines battle the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. All of Saul's sons are killed, including Jonathan (1-2). -While Saul is fighting, he's injured badly by Philistine archers. -Afraid that the Philistines will find him and abuse his body, Saul begs his armor boy to run him through with his sword. At this time, this was considered an honorable death. Not so much anymore. -The boy is too afraid to take Saul's life, so Saul stabs himself with his own blade and falls down dead. When Saul's armor-bearer sees this, he collapses on his own sword and dies (3-6).

Know the story of Naboth and his vineyard

1 Kings 21 begins with the story of Naboth, who owned a vineyard next to the palace of King Ahab at Jezreel. To grow vegetables, the king offered to buy Naboth's vineyard or exchange it for a better one. Naboth flatly refused. Instead of using his royal prerogatives to expropriate Naboth, the king returned home to sulk until Queen Jezebel had Naboth convicted on false charges and stoned to death. Ahab seized the vineyard, but the prophet Elijah stepped in to foretell the downfall of Ahab's dynasty.

Know the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal

After Israel had gone more than three years without rain as a judgment for their idolatry, the prophet Elijah confronts the evil king Ahab and challenges him to a spiritual showdown. The king was to have all Israel gather at Mt. Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of the false god Baal and the 400 prophets of the false goddess Asherah. Elijah defeated all of them. cheek

Give 3 examples of messianic prophecies from Isaiah

Birth of Christ Resurrection Suffering and Death

Know the story Boaz marries Ruth

Boaz and Ruth are married and Ruth conceives a son named Obed, the grandfather of the great King David, in the lineage of Christ our Messiah.

Know the story of David and Goliath

David was a shepherd boy who lived in Israel. He took care of sheep. God chose David to take care of the Jewish people. David played the harp. When the king of Israel was tired of fighting in the war, he asked David to play for him. David's music made him feel better. One day a terrible giant named Goliath started bragging to his soldier friends that none of the Jews would dare to fight him. And he was right. The Jewish soldiers were all afraid of big Goliath. What would happen to the Jewish people? Then little David said: "I'll fight Goliath. God will help me." And he went and got some stones for his slingshot. The giant just laughed at him. David put a stone in his sling and flung it. The stone hit big Goliath on the head. Then David killed him with his sword. All of Goliath's friends ran away. The little shepherd boy had saved the Jewish people!

Know the story of Naaman's leprosy

He was a very rich man, but he had leprosy. Elisha said he would help him with his dilemma. Elisha was not fond of this man but he told him to go down to the Jordan river and dip himself 7 times in the water and Naaman stormed off in rage denying God's grace. He had a second chance. This shows the divine patience. Thousands of people reject Christ, and then, when they come, by and by—they find the way still open. They have a second chance. God waits long to be gracious even to the sinner who has often refused the invitation of mercy. Naaman did as he was bidden. "So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his flesh became as healthy as a young child's, and he was healed!"

Know the story of the fall of Israel

In the twelfth year of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel; he reigned for nine years. 2He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not like the kings of Israel who were before him. 3King Shalmaneser of Assyria came up against him; Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute. 4But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to King So of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria confined him and imprisoned him. Israel Carried Captive to Assyria 5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria; for three years he besieged it. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

Know the story of the death of Ahab

Jehoshaphat agreed to join forces with Ahab, provided they first ask the LORD's approval. Ahab called his staff of 400 false prophets of idol gods, who unanimously predicted victory. Unsatisfied, Jehoshaphat pressed Ahab to find a true prophet of the LORD. Ahab reluctantly suggested Micaiah, who, he complained, always prophesied bad things about Ahab. Jehoshaphat insisted that Micaiah be summoned. At first, timid Micaiah was reluctant to oppose the formidable group and tell the truth. But under pressure, he revealed a vision he had had, in which Ahab's army was left leaderless. When Ahab told Jehoshaphat "I told you so," Micaiah revealed a further vision: the LORD had arranged for Ahab's 400 prophets — habitual liars in their own right — to falsely predict victory, in order to secure Ahab's death in battle. Hearing this, Ahab would listen no more. He ordered Micaiah jailed until Ahab returned victorious. As he was being arrested, Micaiah announced, "If you return alive, I am a false prophet!" To avoid being killed, Ahab entered the battle incognito, putting Jehoshaphat in his place at the head of the army. Benhadad had ordered his men to concentrate their attack on King Ahab, ignoring every other battle objective. Mistaking King Jehoshaphat for Ahab, Benhadad's men charged him with their full force. Under extreme attack, Jehoshaphat shouted to the LORD for rescue. Benhadad's men realized that idol-addicted Ahab would never appeal to the LORD, so they abandoned the attack and searched elsewhere for Ahab. They never found him. However, Ahab was struck by a random arrow and mortally wounded, and he instructed his charioteer to take him home. He died outside the palace, in Naboth's field; and dogs licked up his blood, as Elijah had prophesied.

Know the story of Elijah and Syria

King Ahab had provoked the anger of the lord. Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, was sent to him and proposed a test. Elijah came and denounced Ahab and Jezebel, telling them that they had done wickedly, and that the Lord would punish them. There was another prophet, a companion of Elijah, whose name was Elisha, a brave and courageous man who did not fail to deliver God's message. Elisha, though weak in body, was yet strong in soul. He told Joash to bring him a bow and arrows, and to open the window to the east, looking toward the land of Syria. Then Elisha caused the king to draw the bow; and he placed his hands on the king's hands. And as the king shot an arrow, Elisha said: "This is the arrow of victory; of victory over Syria; for you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek and shall destroy them." It happened as Elisha had foretold and the Syrians were defeated and their cities taken.

List 3 visions from Amos

Locusts Fire Plumbline

Know the story Saul pursues David

Saul hunts David and at one point, Saul and his men are on one side of a mountain and David and his men are on the other side. Saul leaves to go defend the Israelites against the Philistines. Saul eventually goes into a cave to relieve himself and David and his men end up being in the same cave. David's men believe this is an opportunity from God. David just cuts a corner off of his cloak which represents apart of his authority being taken away. Outside of the cave David follows Saul and he sees him with the piece of his cloak and realizes that David could've killed him but he didn't

Know the story of Solomon asking for wisdom

Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

Know the story Saul disobeys God

The Lord gave King Saul specific instructions on how to handle a battle with the enemy, the Amalekites. King Saul disobeyed the Lord in front of all of the people and then he refused to admit his own sin. When Samuel confronted him, Saul made excuses and even blamed others. At this time, the Lord rejected Saul as King.

Know the story of Jonah

The book of Jonah is Narrative History and a Prophetic Oracle. The prophet Jonah wrote it approximately 785-760 B.C. before Assyria conquered Israel's Northern Kingdom. Key personalities include Jonah, the captain and the ship's crew and the people of Nineveh. The purpose of this book is to show that God is a merciful and gracious God. Although the wicked city of Nineveh deserved to be crushed immediately, God was patient towards them. A reluctant prophet, Jonah originally ran from God before delivering a message of repentance to the nation of Nineveh. • In chapter 1, God directed Jonah to go to Nineveh however; Jonah disobeyed, boarded a ship and headed for Tarshish. The sailors of the ship became concerned because of the great storm that brewed and Jonah explained that God was bringing judgment upon him. The sailors threw him into the sea where he was swallowed by an enormous fish. "And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights" (1:17). • Chapter 2-3, After God had the fish cough him up, three days later; Jonah obeyed God and went to Nineveh to fulfill his mission. Jonah preached a message of repentance and to his surprise, the sinful city repented. "Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them" (3:5). • In chapter 4, God deals with Jonah and teaches him about His love and compassion. "...knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity" (4:2). Nineveh's repentance must have been short-lived; it was destroyed in 612 B.C.

Know the story of David and Bathsheba

The events begin with King David choosing to stay home in Jerusalem while he sent the rest of the Israelite army to fight other nations and kings. David is relaxing and walking on the palace roof when he sees a beautiful woman bathing on her roof. David was immediately drawn to her and sent messengers to find out who she was. The messengers returned and told David that her name was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah. Despite David knowing that she was married, he sent for her and slept with her. Bathsheba later send word to David that she was pregnant. David was nervous that his sin of adultery would now be found out. The King called for Uriah to come home so that could spend a night with his wife, Bathsheba and cover up the sin that Bathsheba was pregnant with David's child. However, Uriah refused to sleep with his wife while his fellow men were off fighting. David was filled with anger that his plan did not work. When Uriah went back to war, King David sent a note to the army commander with instructions to have Uriah put at the frontline and to withdraw so that he would die. Bathsheba mourned her husbands death and was then brought to King David to be his wife. The prophet Nathan visited King David and told him of the Lord's disapproval and displeasure with David. Even though David repented of his sin, Nathan told David that the son Bathsheba was expecting would die

Know the story of David conquering Jerusalem

The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David. 8 On that day David had said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies.[a]" That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace." 9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces[b] inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him. 11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel

Know the story of Solomon praying and dedicating temple

The temple that Solomon constructed in Jerusalem was a magnificent structure, and the day of its dedication was one of solemnity and reverence. Though the king of Israel was flawed in a number of particulars, his prayer of dedication on this occasion was a model of spirituality. Solomon's prayer astutely recognizes the weaknesses to which the nation of Israel was prone, and he anticipates further departures on the part of his people in the years yet distant, and also the disciplinary suffering they would have to endure. Thus, on behalf of the Hebrews' weaknesses, he petitions the Lord God.

Know the story of Samson and Delilah

When Samson fell for Delilah, a woman from the Valley of Sorek, it marked the beginning of his downfall and eventual demise. It didn't take long for the rich and powerful Philistine rulers to learn of the affair and immediately pay a visit to Delilah. You see, Samson was judge over Israel at the time and had been taking out great vengeance on the Philistines—but that's another story. Hoping to capture him, the Philistine leaders each offered Delilah a sum of money to collaborate with them in a scheme to uncover the secret of Samson's great strength. Using her powers of seduction and deception, Delilah persistently wore down Samson with her repeated requests, until he finally divulged the crucial information. Having taken the Nazirite vow at birth, Samson had been set apart to God. As part of that vow, his hair was never to be cut. When Samson told Delilah that his strength would leave him if a razor were to be used on his head, she cunningly crafted her plan with the Philistine rulers. While Samson slept on her lap, Delilah called in a co-conspirator to shave off the seven braids of his hair. Subdued and weak, Samson was captured. Rather than killing him, the Philistines preferred to humiliate him by gouging out his eyes and subjecting him to hard labor in a Gaza prison. As he slaved at grinding grain, his hair began to grow, but the careless Philistines paid no attention. And in spite of his horrible failures and sins of great consequence, Samson's heart now turned to the Lord. He was humbled. He prayed to God—a first—and God answered. During a pagan sacrificial ritual, the Philistines had gathered in Gaza to celebrate. As was their custom, they paraded their prized enemy prisoner into the temple to entertain the jeering crowds. Samson braced himself between the two central support pillars of the temple and pushed with all his might. Down came the temple, killing Samson and all of the people in it. Through his death, Samson destroyed more of his enemies in this one sacrificial act, than he had previously killed in all the battles of his life

Know the story of Elijah being taken to heaven

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," he replied, "so be quiet." 6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on. Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. 10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not." 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. The fifty men searched for 3 days and could not find him