Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
First Kings 10:1-13 and
Second Chronicles 9:1-12
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba DIG: How should the current-day believer view the splendor of Solomon? What impressed the queen? Why did she come? How did she “see” wisdom? How did the queen complement Solomon? What did she say about the God of Solomon?
REFLECT: What does this story stir up in you? Who truly admires you or seeks out your opinion? How is love for God evident in your walk? What one question would you ask the wisest man in the world? What will you do this week to thank someone you admire?
We respond to Yeshua by honoring His breathtaking wisdom,
worshiping His royal majesty, and offering Him our golden treasure.
See for yourself: Solomon and the queen of Sheba are a study in contrasts. Arab meets Israelite; a curious woman visits a wise and wealthy man. Their encounter was full of diplomatic intrigue. Although state visits are more common today, it was somewhat unusual in those days for a reigning monarch to make such a journey in person. Typically, someone like the queen of Sheba would have sent emissaries to Solomon’s court. Instead, she traveled more than a thousand miles through the desert to meet Isra’el’s king in person. King Solomon is more famous today, of course, but the queen of Sheba was an important person in her own right. As a reigning monarch, the queen had a large entourage. She was worth a fortune. She arrived in Yerushalayim accompanied by a very great entourage, including camels bearing spices and gold in great abundance, and precious stones (First Kings 10:2a). The queen of Sheba, who ruled a kingdom in what is now the country of Yemen, was one of the most powerful and influential people in the world.207
Yet the true source of the woman’s greatness was her intellectual curiosity. It was not simply what she owned that made her important, but also what she wanted to know. When the queen of Sheba heard what was being said about Solomon because of the name of God, she came to test him with difficult questions, or riddles of the wise, such as those mentioned in Proverbs 1:6. When she appeared before Solomon, she spoke with him about everything in her mind and on her heart (First Kings 10:1 and 2b; 2 Chronicles 9:1).
And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. After the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the manner of seating his officials, the manner in which his staff served him, how they were dressed, his personal servants and his burnt offering which he offered in the house of ADONAI, it left her breathless (First Kings 10:3-5; 2 Chronicles 9:2-4). Solomon’s words were matched by his deeds. But she desired more than intellectual combat and eye candy. She recognized that only a great God could produce such a great king. In other words, she sought spiritual insight from one famous for possessing the wisdom of ADONAI.
Dear Heavenly Father, How Awesome You are! Your wisdom knows no limits, You know the future as if it was the past, and you know every heart and the real emotions and feelings behind every act. Your love is steadfast and unfailing! It is such a comfort that no matter what is happening in the world or in our lives, Your love surrounds us! Since Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You (Psalms 63:3).
How wise was the Queen of Sheba to lay aside the important duties of her kingdom to seek after wisdom that Solomon had received from God Almighty. May we also put aside earthly time – consuming activities to spend time seeking after Your wisdom. To seek after Your wisdom is true wisdom! Only by following what You say, can anyone really be wise. It is a joy to read Your Word and meditate on Your wisdom and power! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen
She said to the king, “What I heard in my own country about your deeds and your wisdom is true, but I couldn’t believe the report until I came and saw for myself. Actually, they didn’t tell me even half of it – your wisdom and prosperity surpass the reports I heard. How happy your people must be, how happy these servants of yours who are always here attending you and get to hear your wisdom! Blessed be ADONAI your God, who took pleasure in you to put you on the throne of Isra’el. Because of ADONAI’s eternal love for Isra’el, He has made you king. Because of your God’s love for Isra’el, to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to administer justice and righteousness fairly.” Then she gave the king four tons of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones; never again did there arise such an abundance of spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon (First Kings 10:6-10; Second Chronicles 9:5-9).
Between the confession of Solomon’s greatness and the offering of her gifts, she makes an important statement about ADONAI. She claims that God deserves praise for choosing him to rule Isra’el. In fact, the presence of Solomon on the throne proves ADONAI’s eternal love for Isra’el. This love had motivated God’s choice of Isra’el (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), David (Second Samuel 7:15-16), and now Solomon. How must Solomon reflect God’s love? By maintaining justice and righteousness in the Land, the very gift Solomon requested in First Kings 3:1-9. Those comments were similar to those that Hiram made in First Kings 5:7. Both Gentile monarchs recognized ADONAI’s supremacy in Isra’el’s history. Quite ironically, Solomon and the future kings of both Isra’el and Judah chose to ignore what even Gentile rulers seemed to understand: God ruled Isra’el and He blessed obedient Israelite kings.
Hiram’s servants who had brought the gold from Ofir, or Yemen today, now brought sandalwood and precious stones. The king used the sandalwood to make walkways for the house of ADONAI and for the royal palace, also lyres and lutes for the singers. None like these had been seen before in the land of Judah (First Kings 10:11-12; Second Chronicles 9:10-11). These verses remind readers of the Hiram-Solomon trading practices in 9:26-28. The author probably wanted to remove any doubts the preceding verse might raise about Solomon’s ability to bring gold and spices to Jerusalem. He and Hiram were able to accomplish this task effectively on their own. Therefore, the queen’s gift grew in significance given the magnitude of Solomon’s trading success.208
Now the story ends on good terms. King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted, whatever she asked, more than what she had brought to the king. Although Solomon benefited from his relations with others, he was always the dominant partner. After this, she returned and went back to her own country, she and her servants, richer than she came. Solomon had received blessing from her, but he, in turn, was a blessing to her. This theme recalls the patriarchal promise to the same effect in Genesis 12:2b-3: I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you . . . and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed (First Kings 10:13; Second Chronicles 9:12).209
The queen of Sheba is a wonderful example to follow in coming to trust in Messiah. She moved from unbelief (or disbelief) to faith in the Kingdom of ADONAI. At the same time, she also shows us how to respond to the King of that Kingdom. Keep in mind that Solomon is a type of Messiah. Therefore, in the story of Solomon and the queen of Sheba we see how to respond to Yeshua: by honoring His breathtaking wisdom, worshiping His royal majesty, and offering Him our golden treasure.
Honor the King’s breathtaking wisdom: Since godly wisdom was what the queen of Sheba was seeking, godly wisdom was exactly what she found. Questions that were hard for others were easy for Solomon. With the divine gift of wisdom, he knew all the answers. We can still see Solomon’s wisdom today by contemplating his famous Proverbs, reading his love letters in the Song of Solomon, or studying his philosophy in the book of Ecclesiastes. The queen of Sheba recognized that Solomon’s wisdom was not simply for his own benefit, but for the blessing of his people, who found their greatest joy in the service of their worthy king.
We should give even more honor to and find even more joy in Messiah, for as wise as Solomon was, he did not know even a fraction of what Yeshua knows. Talk about breathtaking! The Bible says that in Messiah are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3)! There is nothing to be known that the Lord doesn’t already know. He is absolutely omniscient; His wisdom is infinite; He is the only wise God (First Timothy 1:17). How happy we should be to serve this all-wise King, and to hear His words of wisdom! We honor His wisdom by praising Him for everything we see in creation. We honor His wisdom by listening to what He says and then doing it as best we can in our fallen state. We honor His wisdom by trusting in His plan of salvation, fully believing in the cross and the empty tomb.
We also honor the wisdom of God by trusting what He is doing in our lives right now. Sometimes it is easy to think that ADONAI could or should be doing a little better than He is at managing our affairs. When we consider our family situation, our work situation, or our financial situation, it can be tempting to think that we know some wiser way for Him to run our lives. This too is breathtaking . . . breathtaking in its arrogance. If Yeshua Messiah is the all-wise God of creation and salvation, then we honor His wisdom by fully trusting His plan for our lives. How much happier we are when we learn to believe in the wisdom of our King without doubting, complaining, or second-guessing His will.
Worship the King’s royal majesty: As soon as the queen of Sheba caught her breath, she had something to say. Here was her response of praise: Blessed be ADONAI your God, who took pleasure in you to put you on the throne of Isra’el. Because of your God’s love for Isra’el, to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to administer justice and righteousness fairly. Thus, the queen of Sheba worshiped the king’s royal majesty. With high praise, she rejoiced in Solomon, the ruler of God’s kingdom, and in that rejoicing, she worshiped the royal majesty of YHVH Himself – the King of all kings.
By her good example, the queen of Sheba draws us into the worship of ADONAI. Whatever she said about Solomon is something we can say even more emphatically about Yeshua Messiah as the King of God’s everlasting Kingdom. As much as the Father delighted in Solomon, He delights even more in His eternal Son (Matthew 3:17 and 17:5). He is so pleased, in fact, that He has placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the Church (Ephesians 1:20-22). The Father has done this because He loves us and because He wants to establish His justice and righteousness on the earth. He has given us Messiah to be our King, to rule and defend us. So we worship His royal majesty, saying, “Blessed be ADONAI Your God, who has delighted in You and set You on the throne in heaven!” In saying this, we worship both the Father and the Son who is the proof of our Father’s love.
What made the queen’s worship especially significant is that she came from Sheba, which was outside the covenant community. This made Sheba one of the first fulfillments of the ancient prophecies that God would bless all the nations of the world with His saving grace. She became the answer to Solomon’s prayers. In Psalm 72, he prayed that ADONAI would bless his royal kingdom. He specifically asked that the desert tribes would bow down before Him, that kings would fall at His feet, and that all nations would call Him blessed (Psalm 72:9, 11 and 17). Earlier, in his prayer of dedication for the Temple, Solomon prayed that all the peoples of the earth will know that ADONAI is God (First Kings 8:60). With the arrival of the queen of Sheba, his prayers were coming true.
This is why the queen of Sheba is so significant, and why her journey to Jerusalem is one of the most important state visits in the history of the world. His royal highness is a Gospel sign pointing us to the global worship of Yeshua Messiah. Already in the TaNaKh we see Ha’Shem working His plan for all nations and all peoples to worship Him. The international fame of Solomon anticipates the Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah and the worldwide scope of His Kingdom. When we worship Yeshua in His royal majesty – whoever we are and wherever we are from – we fulfill the purpose of ADONAI in the world.
Give the King your golden treasure: One final thing we can do for our King is to give him our golden treasure. The queen of Sheba did something more than simply feel faint in the presence of Solomon’s superior wisdom, or speak to him in words of praise; she also did something tangible: Then she gave the king four tons of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones; never again did there arise such an abundance of spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon (First Kings 10:10). Nor was she the only one, for Hiram’s servants who had brought the gold from Ofir, now brought sandalwood and precious stones. The king used the sandalwood to make walkways for the house of ADONAI and for the royal palace, also lyres and lutes for the singers. None like these had been seen before in the land of Judah (First Kings 10:11-12).
Once again, these extravagant gifts remind us what the prophets said about the Savior – prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah said: Nations will go toward Your light and kings toward Your shining splendor . . . caravans of camels will cover Your land, young camels from Midian and Ephah all coming from Sheba, bringing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of ADONAI (Isaiah 60:3 and 6). This was one of the many promises fulfilled in the birth of Yeshua Messiah. The magi from the east came to do something more than merely worship the newborn King. They also brought gifts of gold and frankincense (Matthew 2:11). The wealth of kings that God had promised would come from camels coming from Sheba. They would bring their treasure to the King.
Messiah is worthy of all our golden treasure, and everything else that we can offer Him. Not that we could ever add to His bank account, of course, as if he needed anything from us (Romans 11:35-36). Who has ever given anything to God? Whatever we have is from Him and through Him. But whatever we have is also for Him, and therefore, He is worthy of our wealth. So we bring Him our golden treasure, giving money to the King for the work of His Kingdom. We support the ministry of His Word, the worship of His Church, and the proclamation of His grace to the nations. We do this because Yeshua Messiah is royally worthy to receive our tribute, and because the work of His glorious Kingdom is the best investment we can possibly make.
Receive the King’s royal blessing: All this talk of golden treasure may lead some people to think that it is very costly to be a believer in Yeshua. People probably said the same thing about the queen of Sheba. After all, she gave Solomon large gifts from her own personal fortune. But in the end, this proved to be for her own benefit, because in return she received a royal blessing. King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted, whatever she asked, more than what she had brought to the king. After this, she returned and went back to her own country, she and her servants (First Kings 10:13). Solomon gave the queen everything she wanted – not just wisdom, but also wealth. He sent her home with the bountiful blessing of His kingdom – richer than when she came.
An even greater blessing still awaits her, on the last of all days, when Yeshua Messiah will come into His everlasting Kingdom. Then the queen of Sheba will receive the blessing of eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). We know this because Yeshua explicitly stated that she would be present at the final judgment, standing with the righteous. The Lord said to the people of His own generation who wanted Him to give them some sort of a sign to prove that He was the Messiah. They wondered if it was worthwhile to follow Him. He told them: The Queen of the South will appear at the Judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, and what is here now is greater than Solomon (Luke 11:31). Therefore, we should come to Yeshua the way the queen of Sheba went to Solomon. We should say of Messiah what the queen said when she met Solomon, “Blessed be ADONAI” (First Kings 10:9)! Even old King Solomon was worthy of some recognition. The queen of Sheba proved it by traveling a thousand miles to honor his wisdom and give him her gold. But if Solomon was worthy to receive all of that, then Yeshua is worthy even more . . . more honor, more worship, and more treasure.210
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