2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel.”~ Ezekiel 17:2 (KJV)
By Bro. John L. Cash
Greetings to all and Happy Mother’s Day! As I promised, I’m back this week with the solutions to the puzzles I offered two weeks ago.
Riddle #1:
“Two died who were never born, and two were born who never died.” Who were these four people, and how do you explain them?
The two people “who were born but never died” were Enoch and Elijah. The prophet Elijah was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Enoch walked with God during his lifetime, and did not see death. (Hebrews 11:5).
Of course, the two people “who died but were never born” were Adam and Eve. I wonder, did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?
Riddle #2:
“The oldest man who ever lived, died before his father did.” Who were these two guys, and what’s their story?
Solving the first riddle will help you to solve this one. Methuselah was the oldest man who ever lived, reaching the ripe old age of 969 years. His father was Enoch. Now, you do the math…. (Genesis 5:21-24)
Riddle #3:
“This great creature was created on the fifth day and in earlier times helped to provide light where there was darkness. For a short time he had a soul within him, but he lost it.”
Name this creature.
The answer to this riddle is “The Whale.” Whales were created on the 5th day of Creation, and in olden times their blubber was used to make lamp-oil and candles. The “soul” that the whale had inside him for a short time was Jonah.
How did you do?
Before I go today, I have one last riddle for you:
“The poor man has it.
The rich man needs it.
It is too difficult for God.
If you eat it, you will die.”
What is it?
(Think about it, and I’ll tell you the answer next week. No Googling! Happy Mother’s Day! See you next week….)
Blessings,
Brother John
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 27 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days has a desk-job at a public school and teaches Latin on closed-circuit-television.) He and his lovely wife, Susan, live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the folks have heard these riddles a thousand times.) The Cashes have two sons, Spencer (age 21), and Seth (age 18), who live in the parsonage, too, except when they are away at college. He would love to hear from you in an email sent to countrypreacherdad@gaggle.net.
