Recently aging King Juan Carlos in Spain abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Crown Prince Felipe. Across the channel in Great Britain others await the crowning on a new king as a successor to Queen Elizabeth, either her son or her grandson, depending on the circumstances. Kings and queens are not so much a part of our world today but kings were very important in the pages of the Bible. The most important “king,” of course, was and is Jesus Christ, however, in this quiz, using the list below, name the Biblical king (both good and bad) being described in the brief clue. For more help, consult the Bible passage listed.
1. This man was king of Salem and also a mysterious high priest (Genesis 14:18).
2. The leaders of Egypt were not called “kings” but were known by this name (Genesis 41:1).
3. This king built the temple in Jerusalem (I Kings 7:52).
4. This king allowed his wife to talk him into stealing a vineyard (I Kings 21:1-16).
5. This king prayed a prayer to God and his life was extended by nearly 20 years (II Kings 20:1-7).
6. This man was the first king of Israel (I Samuel 10:24-27).
7. This was the shepherd king of the Old Testament and considered the greatest king of all. He killed Goliath when he was young (I Samuel 16:13, 17:50-54).
8. This king introduced the worship of idols in earnest in Israel (the Northern Kingdom area) and built Shechem as a place of residence and a center for idol worship (I Kings 12:25-31).
9. This was the last king of Judah (II Kings 25:1-7).
10. This man was the “boy king” of the Old Testament (II Chronicles 34:1-2).
11. This king of Persia allowed the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple (II Chronicles 36:22-23).
12. This king was the husband of Esther (Esther 2:16-18).
13. This king ate grass because of his insanity (Daniel 4:33).
14. This king is not named in the Bible but he led his people in prayer when words of God’s judgment were preached by Jonah. In what city did this king reign? (Jonah 3:6-9).
15. These rulers were not called “kings” but they commanded the whole Roman empire (Luke 2:1).
16. This king hoped to see Jesus do a miracle for his own entertainment (Luke 23:8).
ANSWERS: 1. Melchizedek; 2. Pharaoh; 3. Solomon; 4. Ahab; 5. Hezekiah; 6. Saul; 7. David; 8. Jeroboam; 9. Zedekiah; 10. Josiah; 11. Cyrus; 12. Ahasuerus; 13. Nebuchadnezzar; 14. Nineveh; 15. Caesars; 16. Herod.
The Rev. Willis R. Schwichtenberg is associate pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1993 W. Church St., Freeport. He may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.