Scripture Daily

Context No. 927 of 4322 · 1 Kings

Context · Reflection

1 Kings 10:1-10: in context

1When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the LORD’s name, she came to test him with hard questions. 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart. 3Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything hidden from the king which he didn’t tell her. 4When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5the food of his table, the sitting of his servants, the attendance of his officials, their clothing, his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the LORD’s house, there was no more spirit in her. 6She said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. 7However, I didn’t believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen it. Behold, not even half was told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard. 8Happy are your men, happy are these your servants who stand continually before you, who hear your wisdom. 9Blessed is the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore he made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” 10She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was there such an abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's fame in connection with the name of the LORD, travels a great distance with a caravan of spices and gold to test him with hard questions. Solomon answers everything; nothing is too hard for him. When she has seen his wisdom, his house, his table, the order of his court, and his worship at the LORD's house, the text says there was no more spirit in her, she is left breathless. She admits the reports were true, that in fact the half was not told her, and she blesses the LORD who set Solomon on the throne to do justice.

Two things stand out in the queen's response. First, what finally undoes her is not just the wealth but the whole coherent picture, the wisdom, the ordered household, the way even the servants and the worship fit together into something she recognizes as blessed. And she does not stop at praising Solomon; she praises Solomon's God, blessed is the LORD your God who delighted in you. She sees through the gift to the giver, understanding that the wisdom on display came from somewhere beyond the king. Second, Jesus himself points back to this scene. He says the queen of the South came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and something greater than Solomon is here, and she will rise in judgment against a generation that would not cross the room for him. A foreign queen traveled for months on a rumor of wisdom; the point is a rebuke to those who have the greater wisdom in front of them and yawn.

A foreign queen crossed a desert on a rumor of God's wisdom. What lengths am I willing to go to for the greater wisdom that has come near in Christ?

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