Who was the Queen of Sheba?
We read of this interesting woman in 1st Kings 10:1-13. Let’s read this portion and see what we can learn.
We read in verse 1, “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions” (NKJV). Most historians believe that Sheba is modern-day Yemen (in Arabia), which would be about 1,200 miles from Jerusalem. One has to be impressed with the desire this Gentile monarch had to be willing to travel so far to hear the “wisdom of Solomon.” Verse 2 goes on to say, “She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.” From this verse we learn that she was very wealthy, but that her heart yearned to learn of that which is worth more than any earthly treasure; the WISDOM OF GOD! Proverbs 8:11 tells us, “For wisdom is better than rubies: and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” We believe the Lord opened her heart to desire this wisdom, just as he opened up Lydia’s heart to receive the wisdom of God in Acts 16:14, “Now there was a certain woman named Lydia heard us…the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.”
We read of her reactions to Solomon’s wisdom in verses 3-8: “So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on the table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, THERE WAS NO MORE SPIRIT IN HER. Then she said to the king: ‘It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed THE HALF WAS NOT TOLD ME. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom’!” She came to Jerusalem with doubts and a healthy dose of skepticism, but she was proven wrong and was absolutely convinced that Solomon possessed wisdom far beyond what she could have ever imagined. In verse 9 she attributes all of this to the Lord, “Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD had loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” Whatever her beliefs had been back in her pagan homeland, she had now come to believe in the one true God. Her heart was full and was made to praise Him! Dear reader let me assure you that if your heart is yearning to know God and His wisdom, He will indeed fill your heart with the knowledge of Himself and make you to praise Him. Go to His Word, read it, and allow Him to prove to you, just as He did to the queen of Sheba, that His wisdom is enough to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. You will then find yourself echoing the words of the queen, “the half was not told me.”
We won’t read verses 10-13, but they prove, in a practical way, that her faith was genuine. She was willing to bless Solomon with her riches and in return, Solomon blessed her with his wealth. This is surely what happens when one is converted; we all are willing to give to the Lord whatever we have and yet God, Who is no man’s debtor, turns around and blesses us.
We could end our short meditation on that note, but I want to close by reading Matthew 12:42. The Lord Jesus rebukes the self-righteous, religious leaders of His day with these words, “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.” (204.9) (DO)