5-21-23
1 Kings 10:1-13
RECAP:
Solomon Asks God for Wisdom 1 Kings 3:3-14
The Wisdom of Solomon 1 Kings 3:16-28; 4:21-34
Solomon Builds the Temple 1 Kings 6:1-38
The Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8:1-66
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
1 Kings 10:1-13
The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon (2 Chr. 9:1–28)
WHO IS THE QUEEN OF SHEBA?
According to the bible, the Queen of Sheba was a woman of great wealth,
beauty,
and power.
Sheba is believed to be either in Ethiopia or Yemen
And was a well-established city,
it is clear that the Queen of Sheba ruled alone and was not in love with the religions in her own land.
The Queen of Sheba traveled to Jerusalem as she had “heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, [and] came to test Solomon with hard questions”
(1 Kings 10:1).
As God had granted Solomon the gift of wisdom
(1 Kings 3:5–12),
“Nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her”
(1 Kings 10:3).
After a meal together, the Queen of Sheba declares how impressed she is with Solomon’s answers, hospitality, and the reputation that preceded him.
The story ends with an exchange of resources and the Queen of Sheba returning “with her advisers to her own country” (1 Kings 10:13).
The Queen of Sheba is mentioned again in the New Testament by an alternative title, the Queen of the South (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31).
Jesus refers to her, reaffirming her historical life, as a means to illustrate the point that, despite being originally pagan in belief and Gentile in race, the Queen of Sheba recognized the truth and reality of God, unlike the religious leaders who opposed Jesus. As such, they would be condemned for their ignorant and defiant nature.
Two lessons can be learned from the story of the Queen of Sheba.
First, like King Solomon, believers are to show evidence of God in their lives.
Second, the reputation of believers should precede them by their godly words and actions.
The for we are “Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
LESSON TIME
The fame of King Solomon’s wisdom and wealth had spread
throughout the world.
There were many rulers from other nations who were interested in Israel and desired to know what made Solomon successful.
This was a great opportunity for Solomon to give testimony to the Lord.
In today’s lesson, we will see the effect Solomon’s wisdom, wealth, and worship of God had on a queen from another land.
1 Kings 10:1-13
1 Now 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.
To put his wisdom to the test
Perhaps, she came to receive instruction from Solomon to improve her own wisdom.
As a queen, perhaps she desired to know how to better govern her own people.
Maybe it was for spiritual instruction that she wanted—she may have wanted to become better acquainted with the Lord.
2 She came to Jerusalem with a lot of advisers,
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.
Wouldn’t it be great to have someone you could talk to that would answer all of your questions?
Where do we go for wisdom and knowledge?
3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her.
Remember Solomon asked God for wisdom 4 lessons ago.
God gave him wisdom and riches.
Today he would be a billionaire.
Mark Zuckerberg -the founder of Facebook is worth 94 billion
Bill Gates the co-founder of Micro-soft is the richest man in the world and is worth 113.9 billion
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon,
the house that he had built,
5 the food on his 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.
How do we affect the people we are around?
Do they notice our relationship with the Lord?
Are they amazed?
Do they desire the same for their own lives?
When we have the right priorities and focus, it will have a good effect on those around us.
6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
7 However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes, and indeed the half was not told to me.
So, she had to see to believe what she heard of God and King Solomon.
But we are to have Faith.
Who can tell me what faith is?
And the bible tells us Faith comes by hearing the word of God. - Romans 10:17
The queen said, your wisdom and wealth exceed the fame of which I heard.
8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
The word HAPPY means Blessed or OH HOW HAPPY
We see it in Matthew 5: The Beatitudes
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’s sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
The Queen of Sheba blessed Solomon.
She said the Lord delights in you,
When we do the right thing in life God delights in us.
She made it clear it was God who made you king to do justice and righteousness because He loves Israel.
10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold,
spices in great quantity,
and precious stones.
There never again came such an abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir.
Bring In the Spices
The Queen of Sheba brought many gifts to Solomon. Among them were different kinds of spices.
We need to be thankful to God for what He provides for us.
She gave the king many gifts from Ophir.
It is a fruitful region, A Country Celebrated for Its Gold and Other Valuable Merchandise.
We also see the name, Hiram, he is the king of Tyre and he helped David build the palace and now he is helping King Solomon build the House of The Lord
12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers.
There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
13 Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity.
So, she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
MEMORY VERSE
1 Kings 10:9b Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
PRAY
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