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by Lynn Austin

What Gift Should I Bring?
During the holiday season we recall the gifts which the Wise Men brought to Jesus, who is God's great gift to us. Test your biblical gift-giving knowledge with this quiz.

1. Jacob told his brother Esau, "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God … " The gift was:

A. his birthright
B. gold and silver
C. a herd of animals

2. In order to build the tabernacle, Moses accepted gifts "from each man whose heart prompts him to give." Which item was not on his wish list?

A. hides of sea cows
B. ivory
C. spices

3. What did Pharaoh give King Solomon as a wedding gift when Solomon married his daughter?

A. horses and chariots
B. 10,000 shekels of gold
C. a city

4. Jacob told his sons, "Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds." Who was the recipient?

A. Joseph
B. the King of Egypt
C. Laban

5. During a severe famine, "the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea … sending their gift to the elders by _________________."

A. boat
B. camel caravan
C. Barnabas and Paul

6. Moved by this woman's gift, Jesus said, "Wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told … " The gift was:

A. loaves and fish
B. perfume
C. a cup of cold water

1. C. a herd of animals (Gen. 32:14-15; 33:10). Jacob hoped that his gift of 550 goats, sheep, camels, cattle, and donkeys would appease his brother's anger. Jesus taught that we must make peace with our brother before we can come to God (Matt. 5:23-24).

2. B. ivory (Ex. 25:2-7). Hides of sea cows were used to cover the tent of meeting, spices for the anointing oil and incense. In the example of the widow's mite, Jesus taught that the size of the gift we give for God's work isn't as important as our willingness to give (Mark 12:43).

3. C. a city (1 Kings 9:16). Pharoah had attacked the Canaanite city of Gezer, set it on fire, and killed its inhabitants. His wedding gift was an important addition to Solomon's realm and rebuilding of the temple because the city guarded the crossroads of two major trade routes.

4. A. Joseph (Gen. 43:11-12). Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain during the famine, not knowing Joseph was Pharaoh's representative. Jacob was seeking to win favor because "A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great" (Prov. 18:16).

5. C. Barnabas and Paul (Acts 11:28-30). Besides offering relief from the famine, the gift was also an act of brotherhood between Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul's words became our model for giving: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7).

6. B. perfume (Matt. 26:7-13). John's Gospel says the woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. A banquet guest might be honored by anointing, but Mary's perfume was a costly gift, worth a year's wages. Only servants attended a guest's feet, but Mary humbled herself, unbinding her hair—something that respectable women didn't do in public.

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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