All for Love

People do unusual things when they are in love. Can you match these
biblical couples with their actions? (Note: We have listed more answers than questions.)

A. Solomon and the Shulammite

B. Boaz and Ruth

C. Aquila and Priscilla

D. Shechem and Dinah

E. Jacob and Rachel

F. David and Michal

G. Ezekiel and his wife

H. Hosea and Gomer

I. David and Bathsheba

J. Zimri and Cozbi

K. Samson and Delilah

L. Judah and Tamar

1. This Canaanite loved an Israelite woman so much he was willing to be circumcised in order to marry her.

2. She was an unfaithful wife, but he forgave her and bought her back from slavery.

3. He worked seven years to marry her, "but they seemed like only a few days because of his love for her."

4. This Israelite joined his Midianite lover in worshiping Baal of Peor, a deadly decision.

5. He wrote poetry for this shepherdess, comparing her to a garden filled with choice fruits.

6. She helped her husband escape from his enemies by putting an idol under the bed covers in his place.

7. He and his wife were business partners, making tents and spreading the gospel.

8. She was "the delight of his eyes," but he wouldn't mourn or weep for her when she died.

Answers to Build Your Bible Power

1. D. Shechem and Dinah
(Gen. 34) Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah; Shechem the son of a Canaanite ruler. Shechem convinced the men of his city to be circumcised so they could intermarry with the wealthy Israelites?a deadly mistake.

2. H. Hosea and Gomer
(Hos. 1-3) God instructed the prophet Hosea to marry an adulterous wife; Gomer served as a symbol of the Israelites' unfaithfulness in worshiping other gods. Hosea forgave Gomer and bought her back from slavery; God would also forgive and redeem his people.

3. E. Jacob and Rachel
(Gen. 29:15-30) After working seven years to marry Rachel, Jacob was tricked into marrying the firstborn daughter, Leah. He had to work an additional seven years to marry Rachel, too.

4. J. Zimri and Cozbi
(Num. 25:1-9) Moses had warned the Israelites not to engage in the sexual immorality which took place during Baal worship. But Zimri defied God's law, bringing Cozbi to his tent. They were both killed.

5. A. Solomon and the Shulammite () Composed by King Solomon for his shepherdess-wife, the poetry of "Song of Songs" celebrates the God-given joys of married love. It is sometimes read by Jews at Passover as an allegory of the Heavenly King's love for his bride, Israel.

6. F. David and Michal
(1 Sam. 19:9-17; 25:44) Michal's father, King Saul, sent men to kill David. She helped David escape through a window, then put an idol in his bed, saying David was ill. When the king discovered the deception, he forced Michal to marry another man.

7. C. Aquila and Priscilla
(Acts 18:1-3) When Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome, these Jewish Christians fled to Corinth. Meeting and traveling with Paul, they became tentmakers, and moved to Ephesus, where the Ephesian church met in their home.

8. G. Ezekiel and his wife
(Ezek. 24:15-27). The prophet Ezekiel's wife died the same day the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. God told him not to mourn his wife's death as a sign to his fellow captives in Babylon. They could not mourn the loss of their Temple-the "delight of their eyes"?because it was the result of their own sinfulness.

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