The Queen of Sheba
Table of Contents
The Queen of Sheba: No. 1
" The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." (Matt. 12:42.)
In this chapter we see how the greater than Solomon, the Lord Jesus, was treated. He was the wisdom of God, and the power of God in perfect goodness—God revealed in love. How did His own nation treat Him? Did they own Him as the Son of David, the true Solomon? They said, " This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." Could human wickedness go beyond this? Yes, it did; Jews and Gentiles combined to spit upon Him, and put Him to a cruel, and shameful death.
What a witness then against them is this Queen of Sheba. Our object is, however, to turn to the inspired history of this person—and examine its deeply instructive details, lest she should also be found to be a witness against us. For these things are written for our instruction.
We turn then to 1 Kings 10
The first thing we find is this. " And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions." No doubt this may be used in the sense of the first awakening of a sinner; but let us rather at this time examine it as testing, and instruction for Christians.
Are you, reader, a Christian in the full, real sense—one whose sins are forgiven—one who has eternal life? Have you heard of the fame of the heavenly Solomon? Have you heard that He has said, " For where two or three are gathered together to my name, there am I in the midst of them "? Yes, we have heard the report of this wonderful fact; what is our real experience in this matter? It is a fact; as surely as Solomon was at Jerusalem, so surely Christ is in the midst of Christians gathered to His name. Have we, like the queen, come to Him to prove Him with hard questions? The Jews would not come to Him when in the flesh. They said He did good by the prince of the devils. Do "we come to Him now in spirit? Or do we treat Him now as a sheep-stealer, if souls come from far-off lands to Him?
Yes, let us be clear about this. It is not, have we to come to learned men—to doctors of divinity, or sects, or churches of men. But have we come to Him? Have we brought every hard question of the conscience, or of the heart to Him, to Christ? Are you resting on what man has told you, or on what He has unfolded to you, by the Holy Ghost in the word of God? We may bring every question of the past, the present, and the future to Him.
Verse 2. She came to the place where Solomon was, to Jerusalem, with great abundance; but mark she gives nothing to Solomon before she has communed with him of all in her heart. Jonathan also was a rich young man, the king's son, yet there was a fitting moment to strip himself, and give all to David. Do not be in a hurry, dear reader, wait the right moment. For Solomon wants the heart first. " She communed with him of all that was in her heart." What a privilege I Have you clone it? Have you communed with Christ of all that is in your heart? Perhaps we could not do this with any other person. We may with the heavenly Solomon. Yes, all. Have we really opened our whole heart to Solomon? Tender, gracious, loving, heavenly Solomon: is there any wisdom to com• pare to Him?
" And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not." There is nothing hid from Christ. If we really come to Him every difficulty is solved. And the Queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom. It is one thing to have heard about Christ, it is quite another to have the eyes open to see Him, the wisdom of God. What a change from darkness to light!
Let us notice carefully what she saw. " The house that he had built." Glorious as it was, it was but a figure of the assembly. Have you seen the house that Christ has built? He said, " On this rock will I build my assembly." What a heavenly building of living stones—great stones and costly; " Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." The apostle could say to all believers, " In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22.) Have we seen the house that He has built? Are we quite sure we are thus builded by, and in, Christ? There is no other habitation of God; no other building of Christ. Have you seen it? Many professing the name of Christ have never seen it.
And the queen saw " the sitting of his servants." Sitting is expressive of rest and peace; yes, peaceful rest in the presence of the king, beautifully expressed in the Song of Solomon. " I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." Here we have not only the house that He has built, but He has brought me there. Can you say this? Have you any taste for Christ? Have you ceased from yourself and sat down amongst the servants of Christ, to be served first, and then to serve? Under His shadow: are you there? There is a storm of sorrow about to sweep this poor guilty world. Are you sheltered "under his shadow "? Can you say, " with great delight"? The children of this world are seeking delight in pleasure, and only find in the end wormwood and death. Oh there is the house, can you see it? The house that our heavenly Solomon has built, and there are the true pleasures for evermore. There His servants sit under His shadow with great delight: His fruit is sweet to their new taste. Can you say, I did not come of my own free choice; no, He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me is love, Have you seen it? And more.
The queen saw "their apparel:" Have you seen the best robe, the apparel, on every one sitting at the banquet of Christ—" Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe '×'? Surely there should be also' practical righteousness that all who come may see. Oh, the great banquet above, when He shall have come for His saints, there will not be a guest that is not whiter than snow—presented glorious, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish. Is it not blessed to be now made meet to be partakers of the inheritance? In favor in the beloved? Do you see the apparel? Is it on you? Are you a happy guest thus meet for the banquet?
But there was not only the sitting of the servants at his table; there was also the attendance or standing of his ministers or servants. Yes, there is the sitting at the table of the Lord in perfect rest, in perfect peace with God—announcing that, through which they have eternal redemption; but there is also the scene of fierce conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil. And here we need to stand, and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, having on the whole armor of God. (See Eph. 6:10-18.) In this war it will not do to have one part of the armor of God wanting. Do you see this, and have you got it on?
And when Î the queen saw his " cup bearers," or butlers. (Margin.) There are many butlers of Satan dressed up as angels of light. See their description in 2 Corinthians xi. 13-15: false apostles, deceitful workers, &c. Beware of these for they are legion in our day. But have you seen the butlers of Christ? He says of them, " Peace unto you; as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." (John xx. 21.) What a cupbearer, to bear the message of salvation to a lost and guilty world. Have you seen the butlers of Christ? Are you quite sure you know them from the butlers of Satan? What did she see more? Ah, that which surpassed all beside.
When the queen saw "his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her." Have you seen the ascent by which the heavenly Solomon has gone up above all heavens? " Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." When as man " he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things." See that once humbled, hated, crucified Jesus, now crowned with glory: seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. If you see that man in the glory, you. will see it is all over with the first man. " There was no more spirit in her." Now what was the glory of Solomon compared with the glory of Christ?
Do you see the risen Christ? Now is the stripping time. Now you may give all to Him. She did not give a three penny piece: but let her tell her story first. " And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts, and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard." No doubt this is a vivid picture of the remnant of Israel when they shall come from the ends of the earth, and of their glad surprise at! the glories of their Messiah; or of the untold ecstasy and surprise of the church, when taken to meet, and forever he with the Lord.
But does it not describe the surprise and joy of many a weary child of God now? They heard the report when far off in Christendom, of the presence of the Lord, and the blessedness of the few really gathered to sit beneath His shadow. They were everywhere, and by everybody spoken against; still they heard the report. There was a report of the person of the true Solomon, and they came, and what have they found? Let us compare the report and the reality as illustrated by this beautiful history of the Queen of Sheba.
The Queen of Sheba: No. 2
1 Kings 10
We must not forget that the queen came not only to Jerusalem, but she came to Solomon to prove him. The great mistake that so many make in this day is this, they come to the place, to Jerusalem, so to speak and they come to the servants of Solomon, but not to Solomon. Such are sure to be, in the end, disappointed.
In themselves the servants of Solomon may have been no better than other men, but she did not come to them. She saw Solomon; and she saw everything and every body in relation to Solomon. Let us only do likewise. Take the Lord's Table. What is it without the presence of Christ the Lord? To the natural man it is so unmeaning that' he would not have the least interest in it; he would not care to be present. Hence, to suit his taste he has turned it into a gorgeous idolatrous Mass, or he must have a priest to administer a sacrament!
But take it just as we see it in the scripture. The disciples of Christ gathered together to break bread and drink wine, sitting in His presence. There was no priest over the rest, and no minister to administer a sacrament. The disciples, as such, came to break bread. If a servant of the Lord Jesus was there, he might teach the gathered disciples. (See Acts xx.) But it was an act of communion with the Lord. As the queen of Sheba came to the place, and to commune with the person of Solomon, so the disciples came to the place to commune with the Lord, the True Solomon, (Compare 1 Cor. x. 16, 17; xi. 23-32.) And let us remember the words of Jesus: " For where two or three are gathered together to my name, there am I in the midst of them.” How few believe this; how few now really come to Him, as the queen came to Solomon! Many, as we have said, may come to the disciples thus gathered, and never see Solomon. They will soon see defects in the gathered disciples, and on the first occasion turn aside, and soon will be found again in the world, and its various systems, or worse.
But all tins does not, for a moment, alter the fact of the unspeakable blessedness of those who have come from afar to see Solomon. We may pot know exactly how far she had come, perhaps 2000 miles; and men little think how far they are from the blessed reality of being simply and truly gathered to Christ. Let us take such a case; and here we would speak experimentally. You hear that in a certain place there are a few Christians gathered to break bread. You come from afar to see them do so. Nothing can appear more weak and foolish. They have no music, no grand building, no printed prayers to repeat time after time. As to place, it is perhaps a large room in a house, or over a stable. No visible priest to intercede for the rest, and no minister to preside over the others. Are these a company of imbeciles, or what can it mean? If you are not a Christian, you will take your hat and be off to scenes more in keeping with modern thought; you will say, There is nothing here for me.
Let us now suppose you are a Christian. You are weary and sick of what is called the Christian world. Like the queen of Sheba you long to commune with the true Solomon. You do not take your hat, but you take your seat. At first you also are greatly perplexed. You recognize that this is really like what you have read of in scripture, just like it, Yet you have never seen anything like it on earth. But your heart longs for Christ, and you find there is nothing here but Christ. Your eyes are opened to see Solo-in on. Christ is revealed to your spiritual gaze Yes, you see Him present to faith. You commune with Him. And you declare " It was a true report that I heard... Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen; and behold, the half was not told me." You can now truly say, " Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom." Every word is true of such as are truly gathered to Christ, whether as assemblies or individuals gathered to Him. There is no real happiness to be compared to this. Or, as a servant of the Lord used by the Holy Ghost, there is no ministry so blessed. If once enjoyed, no other humanly appointed minister can be trusted. We say this, after long years of experience, and where once truly known, it is continuous.
She said further, " Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice." This is a faint picture of the delight of the Father in the Son, raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. " God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name,” however despised of men at present. Is it a light thing to be in the presence of Him in whom is all the Father's delight? If God set Î Solomon on the throne of Israel, has He not set Christ as Head of the church, " far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion"? (See Eph. 1:21-23.) How strange that men, even such as profess to be Christians, should put a man, and often a wicked man, in the place of Christ; and would utterly despise a little company truly gathered to Christ, as the whole church was in the beginning.
But you may say, Think what I should have to give up, if I were thus to honor Christ, as the queen of Sheba honored Solomon. I begin to see I should have to give all up. Thus some draw back and continue no more. Ah, how many have done so, and gone back to a modern Christendom, filled to overflowing with superstition, and modern thought, or in other words infidelity. You love your property; you love your world; and you say, He who died for me is not worthy that I should really give anything up for Him. Will not the queen of Sheba rise up in judgment against you also? Does she not even now condemn you?
" And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold." Over five tons of gold. In value more than £600,000; or, at present purchasing value, three times that amount.
“And of spices very great store, and precious stones." And is not our Solomon worthy of all we have and are? Remember, we may give for the various religious schemes of men, and if we examined those schemes, we might find them utterly contrary to the word of God and this period of our Solomon's rejection. Did you ever give a shilling to Christ? Did you ever give it to a member of His body, simply and only because he was a member of the body of Christ, knowing that what you did to him you did to Christ?
Mark, she came straight to Solomon. She gave all to him. " There came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon."
Surely we may say, “Awake, Ο north wind; and come thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." (Cant. iv. 16.) How we do forget the love of the Bridegroom to the bride. It is sad to disappoint our Eternal Lover. Sweet to Him are the gifts of love. He wants no servile gifts, He asks no legal works from the church He loves. It is as the bride giveth to her Beloved; and, in return, the Bridegroom to the bride. And thus it was in the scene before us.
"And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." Oh, how she would display the riches and glories of Solomon in her own country! How she would tell of his wisdom, and all she had seen! How she would value and declare all his priceless gifts!
Soon we shall be with Him in His country, in the place prepared. Then the eternal joy of His blessed presence! presented to Himself unblameable in holiness, where all is suited in perfect correspondence with Himself. With Him, like Him, evermore. Oh the height, the depth, the breadth, the length! The happy companions of Him to whom every knee shall bow—King of kings and Lord of lords. There is our home, our everlasting abode.
But for the present, our privilege is like the queen of Sheba to come into His presence, even wherever two or three are gathered to His blessed name. There He is. Yes, we come to Himself, not to His servants; not to doctrines, or forms of church government; but direct to Himself, to commune with Him, to worship Him, to lay all at His blest feet; and to have every desire of our heart fully answered in Him. And then, after we have thus assembled together, we have individually, or with our households, to return, for the time being, to our own country; for we are still in the midst of our own country, and race. We have been with our Solomon; we have received all that the new nature can desire. Oh how few understand these things!
The queen of Sheba would never cease to tell of the glory of Solomon. What have we to tell of the glory, and wisdom, and riches of our Solomon? For where two or three are gathered to Christ, a greater than Solomon is there. Do your neighbors know you have been to see your Solomon? Oh, Lord, grant that we may tell out the glories of our Solomon. If we have seen Him, there will be no more spirit in us: nothing of ourselves worth telling. No longer I, but Christ. If her Majesty the Queen were to come to a little town, and invite the inhabitants to meet her in the assembly room; how long would it take before the whole town knew the time and the place? · How many would wish to be five minutes too late? Might you not go into many a town, and could not possibly find the place, where the Lord of Glory meets His redeemed ones gathered in assembly to Him, to His name? If a Christian, is that place, is His presence nothing to you? Is He nothing to you? The Lord awake His church! As it is written, " Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee." (Eph. iv. 14, literal translation.)
Yes, we need awaking; we need to arise from among the dead; we need the full shining of Christ upon us, and then we shall declare, one half had not been told us.
C S.