She was the wealthiest woman of her day and he was the wisest man. Both of them had a position of royalty - they were looked on with respect by all the inhabitants of their own lands. She wanted primarily to test his wisdom but ended up worshipping his God - Israel's God and our God.
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA HAD FAITH
She gave her best in materialistic terms but he gave her something that money could not buy - knowledge of God. She was impressed by his palace, his food, his servants and their good clothes but he showed her how true service was meant to affect the whole heart both physically and spiritually through his sacrifices and offerings at the temple.
We sometimes say that we will not believe a thing until we see it with our own eyes. We are not the first to think that way. Some other people in the bible had the same attitude. One of his disciples missed out on seeing Jesus when the others were gathered together after his resurrection. He wanted not only to see with his own eyes but actually feel the nail prints on Jesus' hands and feet - then he would believe. We are a bit like doubting Thomas as he has become known and yet Jesus proved himself alive to Thomas by a special appearance just for him. When Ananias was told to go and meet Saul by the Lord he asked God if there was some mistake - this man had been persecuting the church after all. Sarah laughed when she overheard the conversation which told her that she would give birth to a son in her old age - and it did happen. Why do we not simply believe? Because it is our nature.
Look at Hebrews 11 verse 1 - a definition of real faith. Faith means being sure of things we hope for and knowing that something was real even if we do not see it. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past. It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God's command so what we see is made by something that cannot be seen. The story of the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon reminds us that seeing is believing. She was a foreigner, a Gentile coming all that way to see a Jew, a Christian, someone who really believed in God. She asked him many questions and he was able to answer them all but it was only after she had seen with her eyes that she believed all that she had heard back in her own country to be true.
Hearing
Someone must have told her about Solomon and all his wisdom. That person or group of people must have been very impressed by perhaps what they had actually seen themselves to pass the news on. This should be the desire of every Christian to pass on the good news of the gospel. Perhaps you have heard and that is as far as it has gone - his it not left an impression or desire on you to find out more? It did for the Queen of Sheba.
Travelling
Sheba, or Yeman as it is known today is a great distance from Jerusalem. It involved a long tiresome journey not only for the Queen of Sheba but all her servants too. I'm sure many times she wondered if it would be worth it all - she didn't know what was in Jerusalem but she had only heard about one man and that was her motive for keeping on travelling. Many people would say the Christian life is like a journey. Jesus himself talked in the Sermon on the Mount about two paths - the broad and the narrow. It is a journey of discovery. We don't know what is ahead of us but that is our motivation - we have heard of God and one day we want to see him when we get to heaven. There ay be many obstacles in the way thing we have to deal with but each step will bring us closer to the destination. Perhaps for some of us we are just starting out on that journey of discovery and it feels exciting, for others we may be on the road for a good while and the journey is getting tiresome. Think ahead - what lies before you - the King of Kings!
Talking and responding
She told him everything that was on her mind - nothing was held back. It says that Solomon answered all her questions and nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. She learned a great deal from her time with the king and that was just the first part of her visit. If we have accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives as our Lord and Saviour, He wants to talk with us. He has all the knowledge and we need to learn it from him. We have an open invitation to talk through prayer. It can be used at any time and in any place. God is always ready and willing to listen but he wants us to do the talking. From listening to us he will turn us to his word so that we can learn from him and about him. The bible is the only evidence we will ever need to know that God exists and is real and not imaginary. The bible tells us all we need to know in response to our questions - nothing is left unexplained. We are never told to ask for guidance but for wisdom to know guidance. The Queen of Sheba listened and learned. Remember the picture of Mary and Martha - busy but too busy to sit at his feet? We need to take time to practice talking and listening to God today.
Seeing
The Queen saw Solomon's palace, his food, his officers, his servants and his clothes and viewed the feasts and offerings made in the Temple. She was amazed by it all, so much so that she exclaimed "now I have come and seen it with my own eyes and believed it all!" She saw his personal life, his military life and his spiritual life and it all left a remarkable impression on her. As Christians we are told that other people look at us to see if all that is said of Jesus is true because of our lives. They want to see reality through us! Is it true that he has sent his Son to die for our sins and provide a way and means for us all to have eternal life? These are the questions they are asking and by watching the way we live and talk they should find the correct answers. Can they say that about you and me - "now I have seen and believed?"
Worshipping
"Praise the Lord your God, who was pleased to make you King of Israel. The Lord has constant love for Israel so he made you king to keep justice and to rule fairly" she said.
She thanked God for what he had done in making Solomon King of Israel, for his love for Israel and his wisdom in all the affairs of his country. When was the last time you thanked God for something - for taking away your sins through his son Jesus' death on the cross, for providing eternal life and a peace and a happiness in the present to keep going on each day.
Giving your best
We have so much to thank God for today. That is what worship really means - an opportunity to say "thank you God". Let's take time to say thanks to God for every breath he has given us. She gave the best in gold, spice and jewels. He gave everything she wanted and asked for as well as wealth. in other words they gave the best to each other. God has given us his best - Jesus, and his life for our sins and wants our best in return. Will we give him our lives to be used for his service and his glory?
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