Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
--2 Chronicles 9:1 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on July 23, 2013 of Psalm 119:161-168; Luke 4:14-44; 2 Chronicles 8-9.
We do not know her name, but we know her legend. Sheba was a region of southern Arabia, near the base of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the land of the Sabeans where our anonymous queen reigned. Solomon's presence was felt even to the Gulf of Aqaba, for his fleet plied the entire length of the Red Sea bringing back wealth to Jerusalem. The rulers of the region may have feared that Solomon's reach threatened the caravan routes that brought great riches into southern Arabia, and that may have prompted the queen's visit. But for whatever reason, she traveled about 1200 miles on camel-back to meet this man Solomon and to see for herself if everything she had heard of him was true. She not only bore great wealth in her caravan to present to the king, including around four and a half tons of gold (120 talents; please see 1 Kings 10:10), she also prepared and brought along a series of difficult questions, most likely clever riddles, with which to test the reputed wisdom of this king.
Solomon prepared a feast for the queen, in her honor. As the two came together and talked, the queen posed her questions to the king. He was able to answer each without hesitation or a hint of difficulty. She asked nothing he could not explain. And when she heard his answers, saw his house and the Temple of God, ate at his table and witnessed the demeanor and the attire of all those who served and ministered to him, the queen realized that all she had heard of Solomon, of his wisdom and his wealth, had not been exaggerated but instead had only scratched the surface. Both his wisdom and his wealth exceeded what she had been led to expect.
This tale presents two interesting points to consider. The first is that sometimes, like the queen of Sheba, we need to go to whatever lengths are necessary to check things out for ourselves rather than take someone else's word for it. The same can be said for our relationship with Jesus. We need to establish it and grow it ourselves, learning as much about Him as we can from what He tells us in our Bible, rather than listen to the world that would prefer we not believe in Him. The second point is that all the wealth Solomon amassed did him little good in the end. He died like the rest of us will, taking nothing with him. Even the great wisdom God gave him he used poorly, for he was not wise enough to follow God's commandments throughout his days. Our wealth is laid up for us in heaven if we are wise enough to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Heavenly Father, You gave Solomon more wisdom and wealth than any other king throughout all history, yet in the end it did not really help him. You bestow upon us so many blessings each and every day, that if we consider all You give we should feel just like Solomon. Please forgive us when we take Your blessings for granted. Thank You for our treasure that awaits us when we come home to You. In the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Solomon prepared a feast for the queen, in her honor. As the two came together and talked, the queen posed her questions to the king. He was able to answer each without hesitation or a hint of difficulty. She asked nothing he could not explain. And when she heard his answers, saw his house and the Temple of God, ate at his table and witnessed the demeanor and the attire of all those who served and ministered to him, the queen realized that all she had heard of Solomon, of his wisdom and his wealth, had not been exaggerated but instead had only scratched the surface. Both his wisdom and his wealth exceeded what she had been led to expect.
This tale presents two interesting points to consider. The first is that sometimes, like the queen of Sheba, we need to go to whatever lengths are necessary to check things out for ourselves rather than take someone else's word for it. The same can be said for our relationship with Jesus. We need to establish it and grow it ourselves, learning as much about Him as we can from what He tells us in our Bible, rather than listen to the world that would prefer we not believe in Him. The second point is that all the wealth Solomon amassed did him little good in the end. He died like the rest of us will, taking nothing with him. Even the great wisdom God gave him he used poorly, for he was not wise enough to follow God's commandments throughout his days. Our wealth is laid up for us in heaven if we are wise enough to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Heavenly Father, You gave Solomon more wisdom and wealth than any other king throughout all history, yet in the end it did not really help him. You bestow upon us so many blessings each and every day, that if we consider all You give we should feel just like Solomon. Please forgive us when we take Your blessings for granted. Thank You for our treasure that awaits us when we come home to You. In the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
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