1 Kings 10:1-131And 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. 2And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 3And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, 5And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her. 6And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. 7Howbeit 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. 8Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 9Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. 10And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. 11And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. 12And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. 13And 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. (1 Kings 10:1‑13)
The report of the fame and wisdom of Solomon, the third king of Israel travels far away to the province of Sheba in southern Arabia and reaches the ears of its queen. Only a report, but it arrives at an opportune moment and sets the queen's heart and feet in motion. Although a lady of such high rank, her brow is often furrowed by puzzling over the difficulties, the perplexities and the unsolved problems that face her on all sides. Here is an opportunity to have solved many of her "hard questions," and she embraces it. With a present of gold, precious stones and costly spices, a worthy offering in her estimation for so great a personage, she and her attendants make the journey. In her eagerness to reach Solomon and prove his wisdom for herself, the long desert journey with all its discomforts presents no hindrance to her.
At last the anticipated moment arrives, and she finds herself in the presence of the one whose fame had reached her in that far-off land. To him she unburdens her difficulties, communing with him of all that is in her heart. Is Solomon equal to the occasion? Is there any tangle he could not unravel, or one knotty question he could not solve? Does his wisdom fail him when put to such a test? Let Scripture answer: "And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not." 2 Chron. 9:22And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. (2 Chronicles 9:2).
Everything around speaks of his greatness and wisdom. Even the apparel and bearing of his servants and attendants manifests his glory, and she is not blind to all this. In fact, it has such an overwhelming effect upon her that, although a queen, she sinks into insignificance in the presence of such a revelation of glory, and "There was no more spirit in her." She owns in humbleness that it was a true report that she had heard-not overstated or too highly colored, as most reports are. Still, she does not really believe it until, being in his very presence, it was made real to her vision. She comes, she sees, and her heart is conquered. No wonder she exclaims, "Behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard."
How eloquently Scripture speaks! Cannot we see something deeper in this beautiful, divinely drawn picture than appears on the surface? Primarily, no doubt, it depicts the coming wonderful day of Christ's display when "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth," when the monarchs of Sheba shall offer gifts and the gold of Sheba shall be given Him, and when all nations shall serve Him and call Him blessed (Psalm 72:8, 10, 11, 15, 178He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. (Psalm 72:8)
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. (Psalm 72:10‑11)
15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. (Psalm 72:15)
17His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. (Psalm 72:17)). However, we can also give it a more present and personal application. Can we not trace something in our history that corresponds? Have we not, like the Queen of Sheba, heard a very distinct report of the One who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and perhaps, like her, at first we do not fully believe it, or we underrate its significance? Have we not burdens and difficulties that no earthly friend can resolve? If so, may the divinely-given "report" set our hearts in motion toward the true Solomon, and may we allow no obstacle to keep us from coming into personal touch with Him. He could say when on earth, referring to this very incident: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." Luke 11:3131The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. (Luke 11:31).
If the Solomon of old could satisfactorily answer all her questions and solve all her difficulties, rest assured that the "greater than Solomon" is perfectly able, and more, is longing to set every heart at rest which is unburdened in His presence. There self-esteem and pride have no place, but the Lord Himself and His glory fill the vision of the soul, and the heart is captivated and conquered. As we thus begin to learn His inestimable worth, the language of our hearts will be, "Thou exceedest the fame" that we heard. This must always be the result of coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and having personal dealings with Him.
One thing more, Solomon was not content that she should witness his wealth and greatness; she must participate in the blessings of it too, and so he gave her-
"Whatsoever she asked." Wonderfully gracious, but the gift is limited to her consciousness of need!
"All her desire." Now he goes beyond her requests merely, and satisfies her heart's unuttered longings. Even this does not content him, and so he gives her
(3) "Of his royal bounty." He does not now consider her capacity to receive, but his own resources from which he draws. Wonderful picture of the attitude of the heart of Christ to all who come to Him in need!
Should we not desire to learn more of the unlimited supply and unfailing character of His royal bounty who loves to give "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" Eph. 3:2020Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (Ephesians 3:20)?