BIBLE QUIZ

Dear Boys and Girls,

Again this month we have a crossword puzzle for you. It is about Lord’s Day IV of the Heidelberg Catechism, which still speaks to us about our misery. Some may say that this is not a very pleasant subject to think about, but God’s Word teaches us how necessary it is for us to know what we are before the Lord. In earlier crossword puzzles we have learned what took place in Paradise, but this Lord’s Day shows us clearly how we desire to place the blame, at least a part of it, elsewhere.

When we are guilty of doing something wrong, we are quick to try to blame someone else for causing it to happen, or at least we have many excuses why it happened and why the fault is not ours completely. This can be seen with children who are quarreling among each other. When Mother arrives, who is ready to say, “I am the one who started it”? There is an example of this also with Adam and Eve in Paradise. After they had sinned, God came to them, and Adam’s reply was, “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” He blamed Eve, but also God who had given her to him. Eve did the same, saying, “The serpent beguiled me.”

In the questions of this fourth Lord’s Day, an attempt is made to say that God is too strict and is not fair in expecting good from us after the fall. But the answers show us that God cannot do differently. He is a holy and a just God, who will not change that which He has said He will do.

Sometimes the question is asked, “Why did God permit sin?” I recall a simple story told by our former pastor, Rev. Vergunst, to explain the obedience which God required of us. He told of a boy who was left alone at home, with a delicious cake lying on the kitchen table. The boy was not to touch the cake while his parents were gone. If, when they returned, the cake was untouched, it would certainly show that he had obeyed and respected his parents’ wishes. However, if they had tied the boy to a chair while they were gone, so that he could not touch or reach the cake, would they have been able to say upon their return, “Son, what an obedient boy you are. You have shown your respect to us and our wishes, and therefore we know that you desire to love and obey us”? In like manner God required true obedience, not an obedience which was forced upon us.

It is our prayer that each of us may know what sin is and how we are sinners before God, so that we may need the deliverance about which the catechism speaks to us in later Lord’s Days.

Again the texts which are shown in the margin along with the catechism in back of your psalters will give you most of your answers. Those found in these texts are marked with an asterisk (*). I’ll give you one more clue. Several of the other texts used are from the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy.

ACROSS:

1. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the ________ that is in Christ.”*

7. “The ________ beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die.”

9. “Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the ________ of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”*

11. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do ________ His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that ________ these curses shall come upon thee.”*

12. “For the wages of ________ is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”*

14. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely _________.”*

15. To John on Patmos was said, “I am He that liveth, and was dead: and behold, I am alive for evermore, ________; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

16. There came ________ angels to Lot at Sodom in the evening of the day to tell him to flee.

18. “For the work of a man shall He ________ unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.”*

20. “And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a ________ -word, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.”

21. “_________be it from God, that He should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that He should commit iniquity.”*

22. “For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, _________ the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.”*

25. “And as it is appointed unto men _________ to die, but after this the judgment.”*

26. “_________, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”*

27. When defeated at Ai, Joshua cried to the Lord, “Wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, … __________ destroy us?”

DOWN:

1. “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they _________ fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”*

2. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lasts of your father ye will do. He was a _________ from the beginning, and abode not in the truth.”*

3. “And the heaven that _________ over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that _____ under thee shall be iron.”

4. “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the _________.”*

5. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth ______ unrighteousness.”*

6. When asked about the price of the land sold, Sapphira answered,” _________, for so much.”

8.”The Lord will abhor the _________ and deceitful man.”*

10. “The foolish shall not _________ in Thy sight; Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”

13. “Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little _________.”

17. “And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God,… abundant in goodness and _________.”*

18. “The Lord shall make the ___________ of thy land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down upon thee.”

19. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and _________, thou shalt not eat of it.”*

20. In the book of Hosea the Lord said, “My people ______ to backsliding from me.”

23. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and _________ death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”*

24. “Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shall not enjoy them; for they shall _________ into captivity.”

Your answers should be sent to:

Garret J. Moerdyk, 5211 Woodmont Drive,

Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001

Answers to the quiz of last month are as follows:

“For the Lord Heareth the Poor”

—Psalm 69:33

Fifty — Genesis 18:26

Opened — Genesis 30:22

Revived — 1 Kings 17:22

Temple — 2 Samuel 22:7

Heard — Acts 10:30–31

Elijah —1 Kings 18:38

Lad — Genesis 21:17

Othniel — Judges 3:9

Requested — 1 Chronicles 4:10

Distresses — Psalm 107:6

Hannah —1 Samuel 1:26–27

Elisabeth — Luke 1:13

Abimelech —Genesis 20:17

Receive — Mark 10:46–51

Elect — Luke 18:1–7

Two — Genesis 25:22–23

Hezekiah — 2 Kings 20:4–5

Thou — Psalm 30:10

Honour —1 Kings 3:11–13

Egypt — Exodus 3:7

Planteth — Psalm 94:9

Oblation — Daniel 9:21

Oppression — 2 Kings13:4

Righteous — Psalm 34:17

We have only a few letters to answer this month. It seems that everyone was busy with outdoor activities, rather than taking time to write letters. We do hope that time is taken to read God’s Word every day. The poet said, “It is my meditation all the day.” Can we say that too?

Janice Phillips

If I remember correctly, Janice, when I was a boy, we sent our quiz answers to the editor of the Banner of Truth, Rev. Van Zweden. The quizzes were different, and probably not quite as long. The purpose was the same, to help us learn to know our Bibles.

Peter Van Hemert

Was Mike hurt at all in the accident, Peter? Accidents happen so quickly, and how thankful we must be if there are only cuts and bruises. How we must ask the Lord to keep us day by day under His care. Did you pick lots of strawberries?

Many thanks to all for your replies to the quiz. Also my wife and I want to thank those who sent congratulations on our anniversary. It was a day in which we could say, as Samuel once did, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” Each anniversary, each birthday, in fact, each day, the Lord’s providing care must be remembered. The prophet Jeremiah said it so clearly, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.” May the Lord give us together hearts to bow before Him, bringing our needs unto Him, but also our humble thanks for His blessings.

With love, your friend,

“Uncle Garret”

Answers have been received from:

Aron Bazen

Carrie Bazen

Jason Beeke

Katie Beeke

Jeff Bisschop

Jodi Bisschop

Connie Bos

Melanie Bos

Sara Bos

Stephanie Bos

Stephen Bos

Neil DeBoer

Peter DeBoer

Rachael De Bruine

Jackie Den Dekker

Neil Den Dekker

Brian Den Hertog

John Den Hertog

Erik De Vries

Karen De Vries

Kristi De Vries

Rachel Ekema

Ruth Ekema

Obhafuoso Eleonghian

Cara Engelsma

Geoff Erkelens

Rebecca Erkelens

Karen Erkelens

Susanna Erkelens

Peter Flanagan

Thane W. Fluit

Kent Hoogendoorn (2)

Kevin Hoogendoorn (2)

David Hoogerheide

Katharine Hoogerheide

Brenda Hulshof

Cindy Hulshof

Katie Hulshof

Eric J. Kamp

Gary Kanis

Frank Kardux

Myrna Kardux

Jody Kegel

Karen Kegel

Steph Kegel

Alex Klyn

Joel Knibbe

Karla Knibbe

Randy Knibbe

Jim Kranendonk

Mary Kranendonk

Susan Kranendonk

Joshua Meeuwse

Nathan Meeuwse

Nicole Meeuwse

Adrienne Mijnders

Christine Mijnders

Neal Mijnders

Julia Neels

Peter Onwe

Jeff Overbeek(2)

Janice Phillips

Mark Phillips

Thomas Phillips

Bill Remijn

Heidi Remijn

Sonya Remijn

Anne Schelling

Becky Schelling

John Schelling

Pam Schelling

Ben Schipper

Sarah Schipper

Casey Slingerland (2)

Aaron Stubbe (2)

Darrell Stubbe

Heather Stubbe

Kevin Stubbe (2)

Steven Stubbe (2)

Craig Timmer

Marvellen Van Brugge

Nella Van Brugge

Peter Van Brugge

Renie Van Brugge

Jaron VandeHoef

Leona VandenBrink

Louise VandenBrink

Suzanne Van Den Bosch

Jon VandenToorn

Marsha VandenToorn

Michael Vanden Toorn

Rebecca Vander Boon

Ron Vander Boon

Steph Vander Boon

Peter Van Hemert

Daniel Van Kempen

Sara Van Pagee

Dawn Van Seters

Trina Van Tol

Kristi Van Veldhuizen

Phyllis Van Veldhuizen

Robert Van Veldhuizen

Corinna Van Wingerden

David Van Wingerden

Karen Van Wingerden

Mark Van Wingerden

Mariene Van Wingerden

Steven Van Wingerden

Paula Van Woudenberg

Jacqueline Velthove

Pieter Len Velthove

Heather Wigboldus

Cindy Ymker

Denise Ymker

Gregory Ymker

Jeff Zevenbergen

Kristin Zevenbergen

THE FLOWER GARDEN

A pastor at one time experienced much enmity from many of the people in the congregation where he served. The enmity was especially bitter against the truth which he preached. The pious, godly life of this God-fearing servant of the Lord was resented by many.

There still were a few people who loved their pastor, for the truth’s sake. Yet there were many more who were filled with hatred against him.

The pastor loved plants and flowers. If he could spare the time, he would walk through his garden every day, a fact that was well-known to his friends as well as his enemies.

On a certain dark night, several men equipped with a horse-drawn plow, quietly made their way to the garden behind the parsonage. In the stillness of the night, while everyone else was asleep, these culprits did a mean and cowardly thing. They plowed up the entire garden! Gone were the pastor’s precious flowers, the vegetables, and the small bushes! Nothing remained but a patch of black dirt. The vandals hurried away before daybreak.

When the pastor awoke the next morning, he was shocked to see what had happened. Immediately he realized the meaning of this cowardly deed, but he received grace to lay this matter in the hands of the Lord. “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

With the help of some faithful friends the damage was repaired during the months that followed, and the garden became a pleasant sight to behold once more. The identity of the vandals was still unknown, but the pastor decided it was not necessary to pursue the case.

Thus, years passed by in which the pastor, as well as several others of the older generation, exchanged time for eternity. Unexpectedly, one of the vandals also died a terrible death. The circumstances surrounding this partner’s death stirred the consciences of the others who had been involved, so that they finally confessed their evil deed. A short time later, the other two vandals experienced the chastising hand of the Lord. One lost his life in a tragic accident and the other committed suicide.

Oh, how we are warned to be careful concerning the children and servants of the Lord! Especially in days where one says: “I am of Paul,” and another: “I am of Apollos.” We must not touch the work of the Lord, for if we do, then there is a God who lives, and exercises judgment already here upon earth.

LOVE FOR GOD’S WORD

A martyr, when he arrived at the stake, took his final leave in these affecting words: “Farewell sun and moon! farewell my honored friends! farewell my beloved relatives! farewell all the beauties of creation, and comforts of life! and farewell, above all, thou precious Book of God!”

DEATH OVERTOOK HIM

As a result of our dreadful fall into sin, man has become an enemy of God, and we can see this in everything around us. What a great blessing it is if we may receive restraining grace to prevent us from being involved in profanity and gross sinfulness.

At one time there was a terrible mocker living in a certain place. Even when a neighbor died unexpectedly he boasted: “Death won’t get me.” He defied and challenged death to stay away from him. However, only three weeks after he had spoken these bragging words, death also came very close for him! He had contracted pneumonia and, being confined to his bed, it soon became evident that he would never arise from it again. It became a terrible struggle for him on this death bed, for he was now facing the death that he had mocked. At his wits end, he could find no deliverance or help anywhere. In his great distress and agony, he kicked with his leg on the railing of his bed, which resulted in a broken leg. Subsequently his painful moans and cries were heard by many until he died.

What a warning this was for everyone! Especially for young people who often acted so carelessly and indifferently, and who even dared to speak mockingly about death, the last enemy. It is a blessing if there may be conscientious young people who cannot go along with these mockers. But it is so sad that even some older people set a bad example.

Where are the deep impressions of death and of eternity? By nature man is dead to his state of death and blind to his own blindness. The godly teacher, Rev. Ledeboer, has said, “Our greatest misery is that we don’t feel our misery.”

How terrible it will be to die unconverted and unreconciled with our Creator! When death comes it will be revealed how we have lived here upon the earth. What we sow, we will also reap.

—JDH

A PROFITABLE LOSS

A biting wind drove the rain down in sheets. Two men hurried to the glass shelter where another man was already waiting for the bus. On the wall a poster announced an upcoming event: “Dr. Alan Davidson to speak on Christianity in Today’s World.”

One of the men said to his friend, “Can’t see any use for a speech like that. Christians have no fun.”

His friend made a sarcastic remark and they both laughed. “Christianity is the most useless religion there is,” he said — “Christians and their precious gospel!”

The other man swore and shook his head. He was about to make another remark when the third man, who couldn’t help overhearing their conversation, spoke up.

“I suppose you think Christians have to give up a lot,” he said quietly.

The two men looked surprised, but the man continued. “Listen, and I’ll tell you what I had to lose. When I was young, I was a slave to alcohol, but I lost that through the precious gospel. I had much fighting and arguing in my home, but I lost that through the gospel. I carried a death sentence in my heart, and was headed for the judgment seat of Christ, but I lost my death sentence through the gospel. So you see, gentlemen, if you want to lose these things, you must receive grace to cling to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The mocking men were silenced. This man had spoken with so much love and earnestness that they were ashamed. They could see his Christianity was precious to him.

Is your Christianity precious to you?

AT THE END OF THE JOURNEY

On a hot summer day a little boy was travelling alone in a train.

A lady said: “Are you not tired of the journey, and the noise, and the heat?”

The boy replied, “Yes, ma’am, a little. But I don’t mind it much, because my father is going to meet me when I get to the end of it.”

When we tire a little, dear believer, let us remember that like Rebekah, the “Master” will meet us at the end of the pilgrim journey (Gen. 24:65).

Garret J. Moerdyk serves as elder in the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

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