IJMB CRS 2021 ANSWERS

Number 2

The term “apocrypha” comes from the Greek word meaning “hidden” or “secret”. Originally, the term was applied to sacred books whose contents were too exalted to be made available to the general public. “The Apocrypha” includes 15 books, all but one of which are Jewish in origin and found in the Septuagint (parts of 2 Esdras are possibly Christian and Latin in origin). Influenced by the Jewish canon of the OT, the custom arose of making the Apocrypha a separate section in the Protestant Bible. The Catholic view, expressed as a doctrine of faith at the Council of Trent, is that 12 of these 15 works (in a different enumeration, however) are canonical Scripture; they are called the Deuterocanonical Books. 14 of these books are included in this volume and these are the books; The First Book of Esdras, The Second Book of Esdras, The First Book of the Maccabees, The Second Book of the Maccabees, The Book of Baruch, The Book of Bel and the Dragon, Ecclesiastes or the Preacher, The Book of Esther, The Book of Judith, The Prayer of Manasseh, The Song of Solomon, The History of Susanna, The Book of Tobit, The Book of Wisdom.

Number 5 CRS

To understand why David was a man after God’s own heart, we need to see what characteristics he had to qualify for such an exalted description. In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul speaks of God’s feelings about King David: “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’” (Acts 13:22).

why David was considered a man after God’s own heart is found right in the verse: David did whatever God wanted him to do.

We learn much of David’s character in the book of Psalms as he opened up his life for all to examine. David’s life was a portrait of success and failure, and the biblical record highlights the fact that David was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart was pointed toward God. He had a deep desire to follow God’s will and do “everything” God wanted him to do. He was a man after God’s own heart. Let’s look at some characteristics of David’s life to discover what that entails

IJMB CRS

3) According to the biblical account found mainly in I Samuel, Saul was chosen king both by the judge Samuel and by public acclamation. Saul was similar to the charismatic judges who preceded him in the role of governing; his chief contribution, however, was to defend Israel against its many enemies, especially the Philistines.

He was not Choosed by God. Unlike King David who was God’s Choice

4) Under Samuel’s leadership, the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. But Israel was defeated because of their sin. The elders of Israel realized that God had allowed their defeat. … Having won the victory, the Philistinesconcluded that their god Dagon was better than the God of Israel.

*Number 4*

IJMB CRS

The ark of God (also called “the ark of the covenant”) was an important

symbol in the lives of God’s people. Not only was the ark the original

container for the Ten Commandments, it symbolized God’s presence with

His people.

In Exodus 25, God gave Moses instructions for creating the ark. It was

made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. God forbade anyone

from touching the ark, so it was carried by two poles. God would speak to

Moses from between two golden cherubim on top of the ark, which was

called the mercy seat. (See Num. 7:89.)

During the time of the judges, the Philistines were a near-constant threat

to Israel. Under Samuel’s leadership, the Israelites went out to fight the

Philistines. But Israel was defeated because of their sin.

The elders of Israel realized that God had allowed their defeat. He hadn’t

fought for them against the Philistines. So they did what seemed logical to

them; they took the ark—the symbol of God’s presence—and carried it to

the battlefield. But the ark was not a good luck charm. Not only was Israel

defeated, the Philistines captured the ark and killed Eli’s sons. When Eli

heard the news, he fell over and died.

Having won the victory, the Philistines concluded that their god Dagon

was better than the God of Israel. They moved the ark to Dagon’s temple,

where God showed His power over Dagon. (See 1 Sam. 5:1-5.) As the ark

moved between Philistine cities, God afflicted the people and made them

sick. The message was clear: No one is like the Lord. God is greater than

everything and everyone.

The Philistines returned the ark, Israel’s reminder that God was with

them. Years later, God gave His people something greater than a sign that

He was with them; God gave them His Son, Jesus—God in the flesh. One

of Jesus’ names is Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

IJMB CRS

(6)

Hosea was directed by God to marry a promiscuous woman of ill-repute, and he did so. Marriage here is symbolic of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel.Hosea means “help” or “salvation,” and despite the recurring theme of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, the eventual salvation of Israel is the main subject of the prophecy. God uses the prophet’s marriage to Gomer, “a wife of harlotry,” to illustrate the relationship between God and His people. Gomer is not faithful to Hosea, yet God commands the prophet to take her back, just as He would restore Israel to Himself.

The remainder of the book expounds and expands on this pronouncement, making intermittent calls for repentance. Several sections include Judah within the prophecy, showing that Hosea’s prophecy, though preached primarily to the northern ten tribes, is in reality aimed at all twelve tribes of Israel. God accuses both Ephraim (Israel, also called Samaria) and Judah of running to other nations, particularly Egypt and Assyria (Hosea 5:13; 7:11), when threatened rather than to God. In the same way, all Israel loves to pursue idols—Baal seems to have been a favorite—rather than their Maker.