January 5, 2025
Pastor John Hering
1 Kings 10:1–9
1 Kings 10:1–9
The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, which was connected with the fame of the Lord, so she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great entourage—with camels carrying spices and a large quantity of gold and precious stones. She came to Solomon and told him everything that was on her heart.
3 Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
4 The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, 5 and the food on his table. When she saw the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers, as well as their attire, his cupbearers, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord, it took her breath away.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your accomplishments and your wisdom is true. 7 I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. The truth is, not even half of it was told to me! Your wisdom and wealth surpass the report which I heard. 8 Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! 9 May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness.”
We have a several buckets of toys at our house for when the grandkids come over. I have to admit, I don’t usually dig into that bucket of toys on my own but when they come over I’ve come to really appreciate those toys. The Connects keep the older ones happy, and the cars, trucks and electric box with flashing lights and songs keep the younger ones occupied with great enthusiasm. And for a while it makes me enthusiastic about those toys that I hardly notice most of the time.
You probably don’t think much about your neighbors until you need them, as I did this past week when I was edging my sidewalk and a spark caught the grass on fire and my neighbor yelled, “Get the hose!” as I noticed the flames building.
At home guests have a way of getting us to appreciate the things we often take for granted, don’t they?
This morning, we hear about the Queen of Sheba making a journey to visit King Solomon. Just like grandchildren amazed by the wonderful toys at Grandpa and Grandma’s house, the Queen was amazed by the wisdom of King Solomon along with the wealth, food, the officials, his ministers and their worship. Certainly, her visit helped Solomon and the Children of Israel recognize how blessed they were. On the occasion of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus who is the Savior of all people, may our time in God’s Word help us
Learn From Queen Sheba Just How Blessed We Are!
With Wisdom
How much do you know about the Wise Men who came to visit Jesus. Not too much. Likewise, how much do you know about the Queen of Sheba? Not too much. We really don’t know for sure where Sheba is. Some say it was another name of Egypt and others say it was in the Arabian Peninsula in what is today Yemen. The important thing we do know is that the reports about King Solomon had reached her ears and she got excited to meet him and test to see of the reports were true:
“The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, which was connected with the fame of the Lord, so she came to test him with hard questions.”
Did she really want to see Solomon or was it the fact that his rule was connected to the Lord? Makes we wonder when she saw Solomon’ blessings connected to the Lord, don’t you think she would want to know more about the Lord? I think the Lord was messing with her to expose her to the Kingdom of God!
Can you picture her arrival?
“2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great entourage—with camels carrying spices and a large quantity of gold and precious stones. She came to Solomon and told him everything that was on her heart.”
Remember, the gifts you give say something about your attitude toward a person. She also spoke with Solomon, “to test him with hard questions,” but the original word for “questions” can also mean riddles, but Solomon wouldn’t have any trouble answering riddles, would he? The Lord blessed Solomon with a generous gift of wisdom and she revealed just how blessed he was!
“6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your accomplishments and your wisdom is true. 7 I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. The truth is, not even half of it was told to me! Your wisdom and wealth surpass the report which I heard. 8 Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom!”
She was certainly impressed with his blessing of wisdom. She assumes his officials, priests and people would feel so privileged as well. But just like a roadie who works for a popular concert performer must get tired of hearing them perform day after day, I wonder if Solomon’s officials and servants didn’t think too much of his wisdom after a while. If so, the Queen’s enthusiasm should have revealed once again just how blessed they were to be witnesses to Solomon’s wisdom.
The Queen’s enthusiasm lasted more than a generation even to the days of Jesus. When speaking to a crowd who doubted Jesus and wanted a sign, Jesus made a reference to the Queen and her faith when he said,
“The Queen of the South will be raised up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. But one even greater than Solomon is here”
Matthew 12:42
Just like people could become apathetic to hearing Solomon’s wisdom, we are all too guilty of being apathetic to hearing God’s Word. If the Queen of Sheba was here today, would she find people who were eager to hear God’s Word, or would she see the attendance records of Christmas and New Year’s services and wonder what people put before the worship of God that was so important? It sounds like Epiphany has also become a time for repentance, and a time to cling to Jesus who was always enthusiastic about the Means of Grace. Certainly Solomon’s wisdom brought him fame and wealth, but where has all that gone today? Jesus’ Word makes you wise for salvation and gives you the key to the mansions of heaven that last forever! Rejoice, fellowship worshipers who are here today! What we learn here in God’s house about sin and your Savior makes you wiser than Solomon! Learn from the Queen of Sheba and Cherish the Wisdom that is yours in Christ! Then may we Learn from the Queen of Sheba Just How Blessed We Are
With Sustenance
Sustenance is a word we often use for the food and drink we need to survive. I’m also talking about the spiritual sustenance we need for our soul! For instance, the Queen of Sheba was impressed with Solomon’s daily life & worship practices.
“4 The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, ….. and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord, it took her breath away.”
Compare what she saw to what you see here today. I hope she would perceive people who recognize the importance of Word and Sacrament; people who are eager to serve in the partnership of gospel ministry; people who did not perceive their church as a burden, but a joy with enthusiastic singing and engaging worship. I hope and pray she would find people who are here to have their life made spiritually richer and take Jesus at his Word when he said,
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”
John 10:10
The Queen of Sheba was impressed with the Blessing of Sustenance around King Solomon.
“4 The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, 5 and the food on his table. When she saw the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers, as well as their attire, his cupbearers, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord, it took her breath away.”
I don’t think the Queen would be too impressed with the donuts we have here occasionally, but I do think she would be impressed with something we enjoy which is much more satisfying for our faith—the Lord’s Supper! In Holy Communion we receive the body and blood of the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins. I hope and pray this never becomes dull or meaningless to you. I pray that the Queen of Sheba would be so impressed how this sacrament fires up your hunger and thirst after righteousness every time we celebrate it. Think of Grandma baking a coffee cake as my grandma would do for us when we visited in Chicago. She hands you a coffee cake and then collapses on the floor dead! As you ate that coffee cake you would savor every bite as you recalled her love for you! How much more will you savor the bread and wine Jesus gave the night before he died for you. Jesus gives you the tasty forgiveness of sins and sustenance for your faith! Yes, Learn From the Queen of Sheba and Cherish the Wisdom and the Sustenance that is yours in Christ and you will also be blessed
With Purpose
We know the life of King Solomon—the wisest man that ever lived, did some things that weren’t too smart—like marrying over 700 women! We know the Queen was impressed with his riches, officials, wealth and wisdom, but I wonder what impact the Queen of Sheba’s words had on Solomon’s heart when he heard her statement of faith:
“8 Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! 9 May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness.”
What a reminder for King Solomon where his wisdom came from! His loving Lord! And a great reminder to use his gifts for the purpose of serving the Lord and his people! In other words, Solomon’s blessings were not given to him to make his life easy, but for the purpose of benefiting God’s people.
Today we are celebrating Epiphany! Some people have called this day the “Gentile’s Christmas.” It means that the Savior who was sent for God’s Old Testament chosen nation has also been sent to everyone, yes, to you! You are blessed with faith in Jesus who forgave the sins of the whole world! You may not be a king of an earthly nation (today, I don’t know that I would want to be one), but I pray the Queen of Sheba’s Recognition of What It Means To be Truly Blessed has inspired to you to continue to use your blessings with real purpose! You do that when you come and lift your voices in praise to God! When you join Jesus on his mission to share the gospel with others. When you encourage others who are depressed or anxious, mourning or sad, sick or needing help. Yes, how Blessed We Are To know We Have Life With a Real Purpose!
I probably won’t pay much attention to the toys in the boxes until my grandkids come over again. However, I hope you will pay much attention to God’s Word this Epiphany and Learn From the Queen of Sheba Just How Blessed We Are! After seeing Solomon and learning more about the Lord, she went home a believer—standing with Jesus on Judgment Day as a witness against all those who rejected him. God grant we all leave here today counting our blessings in this New Year with Wisdom, Sustenance, and Purpose in service to our glorious Lord. Amen!
