1 Kings 10 (Part 1) Bible Study (The Queen of Sheba) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

So I hope you have a bible in your hands. I hope you'll pay attention because there's a lot of ground to cover in this chapter, and we are not going to complete this chapter because in my estimation, I think it would do a great injustice to this chapter. And so we will cover the first 13 verses together. And so if you have your bible with you, meet me in first Kings chapter 10. Let's begin in verse one.

And if you recall before our Christmas break, the last portion, the last few verses of chapter nine in a way prepare us for what we are about to discover in chapter 10. Let me remind you how chapter nine ends. We read here in verse 27, and even before that, but verse 27, verse 26 to 28, that Solomon now is growing in his achievements concerning international trade and international commerce. And through that, we would assume that such accomplishments and achievements and expansion would invite merchants to come and go and suppliers and traders to enter in and exit out of Jerusalem. And as a result of that, the sight and the sounds of Solomon's wisdom and success would be caught and they would be broadcasted across the lands.

It would spread from Northeast West to South. And we are seeing an instance of how that is the case as we we get a glimpse, if we just scratch a little bit of what Solomon has been doing in terms of his economic success. Now we come to chapter 10 and we read of where this news has gone, how it has spread, and it has spread to a particular individual namely the Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba. And this woman is gonna be so intrigued and moved by the reports that she hears of this man, Solomon, that she's going to make a great sacrifice to meet him face to face.

And if you recall at the conference a few months ago, if you were at the conference, we'd spent a whole message, a whole session on the Queen of Sheba. And we learned in that session that this is not the only instance, this is not the only place in Holy Scripture where she is mentioned. She is not just mentioned here, she's mentioned in the New Testament. She is referred to by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And I I find that to be an amazing thing out of all the stories and narratives, examples and portraits in the Old Testament.

Christ alludes to a lot and one of the things that he does reference is this woman and her experience with Solomon. And he uses this woman as an illustration to rebuke a dangerous mindset that was keeping so many in the state of unbelief concerning Christ and who he was. And that alone should excite you and I to explore this text further because Jesus Christ himself saw spiritual value in this event. And you and I should be encouraged even more because there is more in this text. There's more to the story than just an indictment concerning unbelief.

And that's what we're going to do today. That's what we're going to explore today. And if you were again at that conference, you don't have to be nervous tonight. We're not going to do a copy paste of what we heard then because there were verses that we did not cover at the conference that we will look at tonight. So there will be fresh insight by the grace of God.

So let's read the first three verses together, pause and meditate, and see what the Lord has to say to us. In first Kings chapter 10 verse one, we read, 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. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told them all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions.

There was nothing behind, nothing hidden rather, from the king that he could not explain to her. This queen was from Sheba. There is debate about where Sheba was. General consensus is that it was Yemen. Others would say, no.

It was Ethiopia. And though this is disputed, let us consider who she was. That is not up for debate. That is plain and clear. She was not just some random curious soul from a foreign land that wanted to satisfy her imagination or some speculation or some skepticism.

She was royalty. She was royalty. She had a throne. She had incredible power, authority, resources at her disposal unlike very few. And so we see here that this was an individual who had prestige, had power, had prosperity.

And yet the impression that we get from these first three verses is that although she had subjects and servants, supplies and success, there was something in her that was not satisfied. There was something in her that was yearning for more, and the essence of her curiosity, again, is not superficial. It's not shallow. We are told what it was that drew her heart toward Solomon. Read again with me here in verse one.

Now when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord. Concerning the name of the Lord. It wasn't just Solomon's accomplishments. It wasn't just his economic and political advancements. There was something about Solomon's knowledge of God.

There was something about Solomon's devotion to God. What he did in the name of God that awoke in a fresh wonder in this woman's life. And so she wanted to inquire mainly about Yahweh, the God of Israel. And already here you have a spiritual truth that's tucked in the posture of this woman's heart, and it is this. That you and I, we were not made, and we will not know satisfaction ultimately in holding positions and attaining authority and enjoying extravagant luxury in any kind of success no matter what that sphere is.

You and I, in our heart of hearts, were created to walk with our maker, to know our God, to worship him, and to be intimate with him. This is what she's showing, that no matter what she achieved, it did not satisfy the deepest cries of her heart. And scripture testifies that our hearts have been inscribed with eternity. There's something even in our DNA, though we are fallen, yes, and though we are depraved in so many ways, yet we were created for for God himself. And this woman proves that proves that if our conscious hasn't been so seared that we are in some way drawn to something beyond what this life has to offer.

And here's this woman who is who is not just satisfied in hearing about and just hearing about Solomon. What do we read here in in verse two? She came to Jerusalem. She came to Jerusalem. So she didn't wanna just linger there and, ruminate over the reports.

She goes, I need to find this out for myself. And so she decides to remove herself from the throne and to make her way towards Jerusalem. And Jesus Christ himself, this is what he he brings out to emphasize in the New Testament as we're gonna get to in a moment. The great distance that she made in order to uncover what could potentially be a life changing truth. And people believe and and estimate that her journey from Sheba was around 12 to 1,500 miles, concerning Jerusalem.

And so even with all the assistance that she would have as a queen, you know what that means? It would have taken just a one way trip several grueling weeks to accomplish, and yet that was something that she was willing to do without hesitation. Now before we move on, already here, if you're familiar with the Old Testament, if you're familiar with the theme of the Old Testament especially and and prophecy, you will notice here that this is a snapshot of something. Because Solomon's reign, if you consider the whole council of God, is is not just a historical account, it's a picture of a future kingdom to come, namely the millennial kingdom. And this is what this is what prophets alluded to.

The success of Solomon's reign as something to anticipate in a greater way when Messiah arrives. And what we see with the queen here in her relation to Solomon's reign at this juncture is also a glimpse of what's going to take place during the millennial reign. That there's gonna be certain activity on a global scale related to the city of Jerusalem and the kingdom that Christ will bring when he comes to his throne. And and what is that I that I'm speaking of? I'm speaking of nations and peoples from all across the world who will travel to Jerusalem to pay their tributes to worship and honor and receive from the son of David, namely Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

And and perhaps that's a concept you're not familiar with, so let me give you in rapid fire fashion a few references to at least bring some kind of confirmation to this. So one of the well known ones is Isaiah chapter two. Write these down. Write these down. Isaiah chapter two verse two.

I I don't wanna read to verse four, but we can read from verse two to verse three. This is a very common prophecy concerning the latter days, a day that has not yet been realized. So here's Isaiah two two, it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be lifted up above the hills. And look at this, this is the point that I'm referring to, and all the nations shall flow to it. And many people shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.

For out of Zion shall go out go the the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Let's just read verse four just in case if there's any confusion about what era this is speaking of. Verse four, please. He, what was he? That's the Lord.

He shall judge between the nations and shall decide disputes for many peoples. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Can you imagine a day where centuries upon centuries there'll be no war? Because the prince of peace will rule and reign on the earth.

And with perfect judgment, he will settle disputes between many peoples and many nations, many kings and kingdoms, and they will not know what to do with all the military equipment and just transform it into farming equipment. What what what are we gonna do with this? And warfare will be a thing of the past. Jeremiah three seventeen. Here's another reference, a quick kind of point to make.

I'm telling you many of the prophets spoke of this day. At that time, Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it. All nations shall gather to Jerusalem to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. And the context there speaking of a time where the people of Israel will not even consider, remember the ark of the covenant because that symbol now will be fulfilled and realized in the actual presence of God in their midst in Jerusalem. Here's one that's not too common to many people.

It's Zechariah. In Zechariah chapter eight verse 22. Again, this is consistent among all the prophets. Here's what Zechariah says concerning this day to come. In Zechariah eight twenty two, we read, many peoples many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of host in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.

You want you you wanna see something that might make some people in the world today a little bit uncomfortable? Look at the next part, verse 23. Thus says the lord of hosts, in those days he's speaking of an a future day. In those days, 10 men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, let us go with you for we have heard that god is with you. So what are we speaking about here?

All these prophecies, there's many more that we can bring to your attention tonight. These prophecies are speaking about a time when the people of Israel will know restoration, not just physical restoration, but spiritual restoration. So we're not speaking about unbelieving Jews here, we're speaking about the Jewish people who have realized and repented of their unbelief and have now acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Messiah. And this time will bring about great change in the world, geographically, politically, economically, in every sphere that you can think of it will bring great shift. And here's an here's an idea of what kind of shift it will bring.

People will have a different attitude in view of the Jewish people. And they will want to go to the spiritual center and the headquarters of God's kingdom to, like the queen of Sheba, receive from the Lord, to pay tribute to the Lord, honor the Lord, and be blessed by the Lord himself. That's a fascinating thought. But again, coming back to the queen of Sheba. As as I mentioned earlier, Jesus makes reference to her in Matthew 12.

Jesus makes reference to her in Matthew 12 verse 42, and what he brings out, what he draws out out of everything is the great sacrifice she made in journeying towards Solomon. And you know this scripture, but what's the main point of it? Well, let's read it. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The Lord is driving at is the queen of Sheba was willing to come from the ends of the earth to meet with Solomon, and yet you are willing or unwilling rather to come with humility and holy curiosity to the one who is greater than Solomon.

Here here is someone inferior to me, and yet here is somebody who is willing to do so much to be blessed by he. And here is one who gave the very wisdom that Solomon enjoyed in exercise, and and yet you're willing not to cross the street to come to me. This is what the Lord is getting at. And he says with with great authority and boldness, on on judgment day, this woman will rise up and condemn this generation. I wonder what she will say.

I wonder what she will say. I have a hunch that first Kings chapter 10 will be used against the generation that Christ is speaking of. I was willing to leave my throne and risk so much and spend so much and pause on so much in order to receive from the wisdom of this man. Your king left his throne and came to you. He didn't demand that you climb the heavens.

He demand that you jump through all these hoops, that you stand on your head, that you bruise yourself, that you prove your worth to him. He comes to you. He takes on flesh. He walks among you. He sits with you.

He heals you. He delivers you. He teaches you, and yet with pride and arrogance and without even, think about the Pharisees, without a sliver of intention to discover if this man is really the one that we've been waiting for, and you think you're gonna get away with that. And so this is the lord giving a strong word. And if you think about it here, what he says in part proves how he is greater than Solomon.

Many, many reasons why he's greater than Solomon. Here's one to consider. Did Solomon give the queen of Sheba personal invitation to come to him? No? You just heard reports about him.

Did this woman have assurance that if she was to come, that she would have her questions and anxious thoughts and riddles and spiritual inquiries satisfied. No. She's just going again based off reports. She doesn't know who she's gonna meet. She doesn't know if this is real.

She doesn't know who this man is, and she was willing to go. And yet Christ gives you and I each a personal invitation. And Christ with each of you and with me gives us the assurance that when you come to him with your heart and give him your heart, you will know satisfaction. Guaranteed. Guaranteed.

This is why he is greater. He is greater. And when we look at this and we think to ourselves, how is it that a woman's willing to go to great lengths for someone who's inferior to Christ? And we think that this is just an indictment against that generation. Acts 17 tells us that God has created us.

He has placed us across this world, determine the boundaries of our dwelling places that we should seek God. Why? Because he is not far from each one of us. So even now, if I can use the word dispensation, if I can use the word this age, even now he's not far from us. Yes.

He's not flesh and blood, but he's omnipresent. And you could call upon at any moment, at any place, and he can reveal himself to you. So let's not limit this judgment to that generation though it is a peculiar one. It still applies in some regard to us. Christ is still accessible.

He's still available, very available no matter where you are. And so he is greater than Solomon in so many ways. Notice what happens when she goes. Verse three. And Solomon answered all her questions.

There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. Isn't that fascinating? I mean, think about any question. Think about any kind of enigma, any kind of puzzle in your mind that you can't figure out, and you meet a man who can answer absolutely everything regardless of the category. That's that's an amazing thing.

No wonder she was so impressed. But what Solomon here does is more significant than a surface level reading. It's not just him flexing his abilities. It's not just him proving that he has a god given mind. There's an underlying thing that's taking place here.

Israel was called to many things, promised many things, but Israel had a responsibility, had a task concerning the nations. You remember that? Was Israel supposed to just be concerned about themselves and kind of shelter themselves from the neighboring peoples? No. They were to influence.

They were to live and act in a certain way that would draw people to them and ultimately to the God that they serve. And and this is something that's been clear, that's been made obvious even from the earliest of books of the Bible, and the one that I have in mind is Deuteronomy. Let me remind you one of the callings of the people of Israel in the old covenant. This is so important because it shows us that Solomon in some ways fulfilling that calling during his reign. Deuteronomy.

I told you there's gonna be a lot of references tonight. Deuteronomy four six. What did Moses tell this people? Urging them to obey, to keeping the statutes of the Lord. Because if you do Israel, look at what can happen.

Here's a potential outcome, not just for you, but for the people around you. In Deuteronomy four six, we read, keep them and do them for that will be your wisdom. That will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. See what he's saying here? If you walk in my ways, if you align yourself to my commands, you will produce a wisdom in life that will cause onlookers to say, these people are different.

And he can even lead them to the point where they inquire further and want to investigate the wisdom that you have and that's when you give credit to me. And do you see this kind of being fulfilled in Solomon at this point? Here's Solomon with God given wisdom and the fruit of that wisdom is being noticed and recognized. And one woman in particular is being drawn to the God of this people because she perceives the wisdom. And Solomon here is really doing something significant concerning a greater purpose than himself.

Does that witness last long? Does this influence last long? Any idea? All you gotta do is go to chapter 11. And when you go to chapter 11, you realize that it doesn't last very long because in chapter 11, we read of the downfall of this man.

So even though he has reached a new height and he is, in some way, sustaining this, it's it's gonna come crashing down very soon. And they will fail, and it will lead into division in the land. His idolatry, his apostasy will cause a split in the nation. The split of that nation will have generational effects, and one of the consequences of this division, of this idolatry, of this apostasy is that they will lose the strength of their light concerning the nations who are in a dark place. And the mandate for Israel in the old covenant now becomes the mandate of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the new covenant.

And so you read in in first Peter two nine, for example, where Peter uses very familiar, not just familiar, but exclusive language that belong to Israel alone now applies it to the church of Jesus Christ. You know this very well. Okay. Let's pause here. Let's take a deep breath.

Been talking very fast. Right? Let's just step back. Can I remind you tonight with all the information that's coming your way, what one of your purposes are here on the earth as a Christian? First Peter two nine reminds us, if you wanna know why you exist here and why God has a rapture you the moment you confess faith in him, here is one of those reasons why.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. Here it is. You ready? That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You exist to proclaim the excellencies of Christ.

Which means that you should discover, learn, grow in your knowledge of his excellencies. How are you going to proclaim it if you don't know it? So your quest in life is to know greater beauty, greater majesties in the person of Christ because you have been designated by God to proclaim them. Wisdom has been given to Solomon, and surely he proclaimed many excellencies. And surely he answered a lot of questions.

We we just read that. Are you and I called to answer questions? Well, this is first Peter two nine. Look at first Peter three fifteen. You know it.

Right? And first Peter three fifteen, look what else we're supposed to do. Not just proclaim the excellencies of him, but we're also called to what? In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. So I'm not just called to proclaim like Solomon in some regard, I'm called to explain.

Why are you Christian? Why is the Bible the word of God? Tell me. Why? Why is Christ the only way?

Why is salvation by faith and faith alone? Why? Why? Why do you gather on Sundays? Why do you sing songs?

Why? Why do you pray? Prepare to make a defense. So we're called to proclaim the excellencies of him. We are called to bring a defense to why we believe what we believe.

And listen, the extent of that influence can be so great that can even provoke the people who fail to do that in what we know to be the old covenant. You know what I mean by that? I mean the church's light the church who has been ordained by God in Christ Jesus to be the light of the world, can now even influence the very people who failed to fulfill their global purpose when they were in relationship with God. Can I prove that to you? Here's Romans eleven eleven.

Here's Romans eleven eleven. This is not speaking about spiritual Israel. If it is speaking about spiritual Israel, then you're gonna come out with very confusing conclusions out of Romans eleven eleven. But notice what he says here as he makes a distinction between the physical descendants of Israel and the Gentiles. Romans eleven eleven.

So I asked, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means. Rather through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now look at this part. So as to make Israel jealous.

I find that to be incredible. So even in the denial of their messiah, even in their ultimate failure as a people, God now puts a temporary blindness on Israel and through the rejection, we have a permanent blessing to the Gentiles where they can now receive this Messiah, accept this Messiah, be grafted in among the special people. Yes. It's no longer about a special people but it's about a new people, Ephesians chapter two. And look at this, that's not an end in itself though that's a a very important mission.

Through that also, as Israel looks at a people who are being saved, who are acknowledging Christ as Messiah, they would be provoked to jealousy, and they also would come to salvation. You know, I heard a testimony of a a Jew who has come to Christ, and I always wondered, how is it that the the Jewish people will be jealous of Gentiles? They already have so many negative ideas and thoughts concerning the Gentiles. What is it about the Gentiles, especially Christian Gentiles, that would cause them to feel envious in a good way and long for what the church has. And I heard a testimony once, and it and it gave me some light to what Paul is referring to.

One possible way that a Jewish person can actually be provoked. This is what they said in their testimony. I was stirred by seeing how Christians knew the Torah better than me as a Jew. That that's where it all started for this person. I saw how Christians could interpret, understand prophecy and narrative and look at all these things that was such a mystery to me that that was not important to me even.

And that's what caused me to thirst and to inquire and investigate more when I saw Christians know the Hebrew scriptures better than me and many of the Jews that I knew. Isn't that significant? Isn't that incredible? So now in the new covenant, you and I have been called to proclaim and display the wisdom of God, namely in the person of Jesus Christ. And it can draw people even the people who have denied their messiah.

What a call we have as a church. K. We're only at verse three. We better hurry up. Right?

Let's come back to first Kings 10 verse four. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offer at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. And she said to the king, the report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came, and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpassed the report that I heard.

Let's stay on verse seven for a moment. But I did not believe the reports until I came, and my own eyes had seen it. So here you have an individual whose nobility is being proven further by her honest response here to what she had just experienced. Because, listen, Salma, I gotta admit. When I heard all this, I didn't buy it.

I didn't buy into it. And, you know, there are people today maybe you're one of those people today, so pay attention to this, who are inundated, who are overwhelmed by reports concerning the person of Jesus Christ. You've heard the gospel. You've heard matters of the faith week after week after week, and this might be week 8,210 for you. Week after week after week after week after week, and guess what?

You still don't believe. You still don't believe. You still haven't surrendered to the what the report demands of you. And you know what? At some point, this is what the woman was like.

She heard and she didn't believe what she heard, but here's the difference. She was not satisfied to remain in her skepticism. The difference between her and some others, many others may add, is that she questioned her unbelief, and she challenged it. And she was not content to say, you know, it doesn't really matter if this is true or not. No.

She thought to herself, if this is true, I need to find out. I need to know if this is true because it has major implications. And so what she does is that she makes it personal, and she wants to find a more concrete conclusion, and that's gonna require personal investigation. So she sets herself on this quest. And so many people who who are in this world today, especially this generation, are so distracted and careless with their soul that they don't even think about maybe looking a little bit deeper into what they've heard.

And that's a tragic mistake to make. But this woman would not fall into that. She wanted to know what this was all about. And you'd be amazed to know where so many in the bible alone arrive to when they begin in the place of honest examination. What came to mind when I looked at this and I thought about all these different examples of searchers who are rewarded for their searching, you know what came to mind?

Little wee Zacchaeus. I love Zacchaeus for so many reasons. In Luke nineteen three, there's a there's an interesting phrase where he says, and he sought to see who Jesus was. He was rich. He was a tax collector, and he just wanted to know.

He's heard so many things about Jesus. Maybe Zacchaeus even heard this Jesus forgives tax collectors. He eats with them. He becomes friends with them. He goes, maybe he'll become a friend with me.

And so he wanted to know who Jesus was. And what began as just a little curiosity how does the story end? He has Jesus over his house, and Jesus proclaims salvation to that house. God honors searchers of the truth. He rewards them.

And this woman is no different. She's willing to make a great sacrifice to meet with this king, and she does. And she is rewarded in many ways. And here's an encouragement from her example. What she discovered about Solomon in a limited way is what any person who will seek to know about Christ will discover in a greater way.

What was her main observation according to verse four to six? Read it again. We're told here that when she saw the house that he built, the food of his table, the seating of the officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupboards, and his burnt offerings, like she had no more breath in her. In other words, every corner that she looked, she was blown away by Solomon's influence. Let me let me word it this way.

Everything that was under the governance of Solomon was blessed, and this moved her. And in like manner, when you investigate the lordship of Jesus Christ, what you will discover is that when Jesus Christ becomes king of a life, he will gloriously influence everything in that life. Everything. And any person who is trying to see who Christ is and what he can do in a person's life should see that clearly in the lives of the subjects of this king. Yes?

Yes. Look what Christ does in a marriage when he becomes lord of that marriage. Look what he does to that household. Look at what Christ offers in terms of peace and joy in this life and the life to come, security for salvation. Look at the victory that this king gives to his people over sin.

Look at how this king can bring people from different tribes and tongues and nations, put them in the same place together and they can live in love and harmony. Look at how Christ gives wisdom concerning what people would deem mysteries with human psychology and sociology. This king has answers. Every sphere, every aspect, every facet of life is gloriously influenced when Christ becomes king. That's true for the individual life.

That's true of the church of Jesus Christ in this corrupt world, and it will be undeniable when Christ becomes king whether people want him to be king or not. And so this is what she observed. Everything this man touches is blessed. It's unparalleled. There's nothing like this.

Shouldn't that be true of people who peek into the church? Oh, yes. We are fallen. Oh, yes. We make mistakes.

But there should be some distinction here. There should be some evidence. Look at what Christ what did Christ say? They will know you from what? Your love.

Yes. We're supposed to proclaim his excellencies. Yes. We're supposed to defend our faith. But there's something about love.

It gets real. This this theology stuff gets in your blood. It's supposed to at least. Some people doesn't get past their brain. It's to get to your heart.

It's supposed to spill over to your finances, to your dealings, to your reactions, and to how you translate world events, and to how you hear good news, how you hear bad news. Everything is supposed to be touched when the king sits on the throne of a heart. And so this lady makes this observation, and she made a very good observation, but it wasn't just that. She goes on to say in the latter part of verse seven, your wisdom and prosperity surpassed the report that I heard. Not only did this meet the reports that I heard, it went above and beyond.

So it is with a person who has a personal experience of the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. It surpasses the greatest sermons you can ever hear. When your heart knows him, when it truly comes into contact with his grace, when you are born again, there is nothing like it. And though that is true in this life, surely what this woman experienced will be true of us when we see our king and his majesty. All the reports, all the sermons I heard about heaven and about eternal life and about meeting you, this surpasses it all.

We see through glass dimly. That's what Paul tells us. And I and I believe in part, not only can our minds not comprehend the the details of what's to come, but in some fashion, there's an element of surprise that awaits us. Amen. And even if you become an expert concerning these things about eternity and the life hereafter, you you will not be able to say sufficiently, I can understand what's to come.

You will be blown away when it comes. I can't wait for that day. So this is what she says. It surpasses what I heard. Get ready for that reaction when we stand before him.

There won't be indifference in heaven, by the way. Just to give you a heads up. There won't be. Verse eight, she goes on to say, happy are your men. Happy are your servants who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom.

So she has this experience, and she goes, is this how your people live? How do your people breathe? Happy are your men. Happy are your servants. And notice what she highlights.

Happy are those who what? Who enjoy the gold, who know national peace. No. The thing that she underscores is happy are those who what? Hear your wisdom.

And what's so fascinating about what she says is that she says, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom. You know, human nature, very common to be amazed by something and for that amazement to lose its sense of awe, and we become familiar. Yeah? We're we're very much susceptible to becoming familiar with some that once took our breath away. And, unfortunately, that can happen spiritually as well, which it shouldn't.

But in this woman's estimation, there is no way that someone, even if they stand continually in the presence of this otherworldly mind, can fail to be and remain happy. And here's the thought that came to mind when I read this. If this is the estimation of this woman who looked at the servants and says, there's no way that you can cease to be glad when you are exposed to this kind of mind, how much more us who serve and receive from a greater king? Yeah? How much more?

How much more to the king who gave this mind to Solomon should we as his servants who have access to his voice and his word on a daily basis should remain happy? Can I tell you why some who claim to be his servants failed to remain happy in him? I can guarantee you one thing happened at some point. You failed to hear from him. You failed to stand in his presence, and you removed yourself from his word.

And that's where things started to go downhill. But we are guaranteed in the scriptures because there's this inseparable link between joy and the word of God. Joy and the word of God, like real joy, not just theological joy. Not just okay. Joy.

No. Real joy, like, actually affects you. Here's one of my favorite Psalms out of Psalm one nineteen. Psalm one nineteen verse one six two. I rejoice at your word like one who finds a great spoil.

I rejoice at your word like one who find can I translate that in modern language? I rejoice at your word like someone who won the lottery. That's what he's saying there. That's how exciting the word of God is to me when I discover something about it. When I eat of it, when I taste it, when I see the blessings from it, I rejoice.

I get so excited. I get so moved. I get so if you talk to any person who regularly preaches the word of God and loves the word of God, there's a common experience that they have as they read and study and explore. Maybe you've you've taught in some level with bible study and you had this experience where sometimes you discover something or something's brought to your attention, something is illuminated that you're so overjoyed that you have to push yourself away from your studies and just pace back and forth or do something else because you can't handle the excitement that just come to you. Okay.

So some people know what I'm talking about. That can happen. That's supernatural. That's what the Holy Spirit does through his word. And here's this woman saying, if these people are exposed to the words of Solomon, surely they are happy, continually happy as long as they remain in the presence of this man's words.

How much more you and I as we understand that our godness and God is charged by the discoveries that we make in this book. And if you're someone again who who says, I don't know what you're talking about. I know the Bible as a duty. I read it because I know I'm supposed to as a Christian, I want my elders over my shoulder telling me when I last read my Bible. I'm not interested in having the awkward confrontation, so I just do my daily devotions.

How sad How sad that you do not see the joy that this word can produce to a heart that is hungry for heavenly wisdom. So it's not just for knowledge. No. There is true satisfaction that is realized when it comes to revelation, and this woman points to that in some regard. Now what else she says?

Verse nine. Blessed be the Lord your God who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king that you may execute justice and righteousness. So she was able to discern that Solomon being king is an act of God's sovereign choosing. You're a king because your God made you king, and that's true.

That's an accurate assessment. But that's not the only thing she says. Does anything stand out to you by what she's saying? This is why we have to read our Bibles carefully, slowly, sometimes repetitively. Note, there's something that stands out here concerning her statement.

Well, let me say this before we get to that point. We can borrow this woman's words concerning our king. Notice what she said. She said, blessed or rather because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king. Because the Lord loved Israel, he has made you Solomon king.

You know what we can say? Because God loved the world, he gave us his son. That's That's what we can say in the new covenant. That's what we can say about our king. He didn't just love Israel, he loved the world, and he gave one who is greater than Solomon.

But there's something else here. There's another truth tucked in here. Let me give you a hint. It gives us insight about how one way, many ways God can demonstrate his love toward us in this life. He can demonstrate his love to us practically.

What do you see in here of how God can show his love to a people? Do you see it? Because the Lord loved Israel forever, what did he do? So not only did God choose Solomon to become king, but because of his love toward Israel, he raised up Solomon to be their king. Here's one way God can show his love to you and I, he raises up people in our lives.

He brings people into our lives. He introduced people what kind of people? Well notice the qualification here, that you may execute justice and righteousness. So not just Solomon being king, Solomon being a certain type of king. A king that would reflect and display the character of God and the will of God.

That kind of a king was not just the will of God, but the expression of God's love toward another, namely a nation. So when God brings people into your life, notice also that Satan can bring people into your life. God has his evangelist, God has his people, Satan has his evangelist, and Satan has his people. Unfortunately, so many people can't discern between the two. So God can show his love in bringing peep well, what kind of people?

People that reflect the character of God and enhance and enrich your walk with God. Those kind of people. Don't just see people as people. Because if you are able to identify people in your life, say, because of that brother, I'm a more effective follower of Christ. Because of this sister, my heart remains more tender towards Christ.

Those people are gifts from God. They are gifts from God. Leaders in your life that reflect the character of God and exercise the will of God. Those are gifts from God. Parents, whatever that may be, those are expressions of his love.

And perhaps in your mind that's a foreign concept. So let me confirm it to you with another verse in the Old Testament that I will never forget. It was when I was studying the book of Numbers and we went through the book of Numbers together long time ago, a different setting. There is a verse that stood out to me when the Lord spoke about the Levites and it just, again, solidifies what I'm trying to articulate here. So here's another reference.

In Numbers eight verse 19, when the Lord was speaking about the Levites and the role of the Levites, he makes this interesting note concerning the Levites in relation to the people of Israel. Numbers eight nineteen. He says this, and I have given the Levites as what? Can you say those three words? As a gift.

As a gift. I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron. As a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary. These Levites that I will raise up, that I will call this ministry position that I will ordain and the people that will fulfill it, they are a gift to Aaron and, by extension, the people of Israel because what they will do in helping Aaron will preserve this people from experiencing the wrath of god, the chastisement of the lord. Do you have people in your life that you can look and say, because god loves me.

This is a person in my life. This person, this brother, this sister, this church is a gift to me because they want, and they help me love God more, walk with God more closely. Develop that kind of mind. Develop that kind of language. This gentile woman could recognize God's love for the people by raising up Solomon to be a leader in their midst.

You and I have so many people that we can thank God for. And here's the thing, you're saying, why is this important? Why are you why are you getting at this? Because the woman praised God, didn't she not? She said what?

Because the Lord loved Israel forever. And he said earlier, blessed be the Lord your God. She recognized God's goodness through Solomon, and it was a reason for her to worship. You and I can enhance in our worship when we see people as gifts from God. So what does she do?

Verse 10. Then she gave the king a 120 of gold and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. One would simply explain this away as a custom of that day between royalty. They exchange gifts.

But the flow of thought suggests a deeper truth, especially when you're aware that Solomon was in no need of such gift. Right? Did Solomon need this kind of an offering? He didn't need it. I'm sure the queen of Sheba after a visit realized that he also didn't need it.

So she's giving here from a different motive. She's not making a contribution to a lack, is she? No. This extravagant offering is a result of the experience that she had. Let me put it this way.

It was a reflex to this revelation that she received. My breath is taken away. And she's seeing all this, and she see God's fingerprint all over. And here's what she does. She she just gives and gives and gives above and beyond.

I'm sure she did it joyfully. And it's a wonderful illustration of how our awareness of the beauty and the glory and the majesty of God's kingdom, God's people, God himself will bring you to a place where you will give. You will give. And some people are satisfied to give, an empty confession of their allegiance to Christ, but that's not the giving that the scripture speaks about. There's a deeper stirring that occurs when you really see who God is, what his word is about, what he has done, and what he will do that will make you say, I wanna give.

What do you give? You give your time to the Lord. Do you not? You give your talents to the Lord. Do you not?

You You give your treasures to the Lord. Do you not? You are moved to give based on your understanding and your insight of who he is, his goodness, his power, his wisdom, his grace, ultimately, his precious son, Jesus Christ. And you give everything. If this woman was willing to give so much to someone who was lesser than our king, how much more than the one to the one who is greater than Solomon?

And so this is what she does. And guess what? Like Solomon, god doesn't need it. Solomon didn't you think God needs your stuff? Think God needs us to help him advance his purposes?

Think God needs us to sing because he's lonely and he's entertained by us coming here on Friday night? Think he doesn't need anything. And when we understand that, then we realize that our offerings are just simple expressions of our desire to honor and be part of what the Lord is doing on the earth like this woman. I just wanna honor this god. I wanna honor what he's doing here, and if I can play any part in it, here it is.

In verse 11, moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir brought from Ophir a very great amount of Almug wood and precious stones. And the king made of the Almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king's house also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almagu would has come or been seen to this day. It's an interesting insertion here. It seems to be out of place, but I think all it's doing all that the author is doing is just to show again the great prosperity of Solomon.

It's not just coming from one stream, but many streams. He was a very successful person. And, again, this growing prosperity, this growing power is leading to something in the second portion of this chapter. As he is growing and maturing in this area, he is declining in the most important area, and that's in his walk with God. But here's how this section in our bible study ends tonight in verse 13.

And king Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of the of king Solomon, so she turned and went back to her own land with her servants. You know, there is a tradition that comes out of this verse among the Ethiopian people actually. Is anybody familiar with this legend? This is just a footnote, something to throw at you if you wanna study a little bit of history on top of your bible study. There are many who believe that when the queen received the opportunity to ask for whatever she desired, that one of her requests was that she would have a child with Solomon.

And this has some to believe that there is a Solomon dynasty among the Ethiopian people. And so you can look into this and see, I'm not making this up. There is that kind of a legend that when the queen returned to her people, she came back with Solomon's seed because she was so impressed and she was so moved by Solomon. She wanted what was with Solomon to be with her and her people, and so she requested that. There is no evidence of that in the bible.

I thought that would just be an interesting thing to throw out there that you can investigate for yourself. But notice more carefully again when you read slowly, if we look at this in light of our relationship with our king. King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of king Solomon. So Solomon already had prepared something to give to the queen. He had his own respective bounty here, his own reward and gift, but he didn't just give what he had prepared for her.

He was willing to give whatever she asked on top of it. There are many Christians who are willing to be content in their whole life to just live with what they receive as an inheritance by faith, which is a glorious inheritance, but they never go beyond that for one simple reason. They don't ask. You have not because you ask not, James tells us. And our king gives us so much already in himself, gives us so much already in the gospel, but there is more that he's willing to give us that is predicated and based upon your willingness to recognize his goodness, recognize his unlimited resources and ability and say, oh god, would you give this?

Thank you for what I have already, and I am so content and joyful with what I have. But Lord, I'm also asking for this, and the one who is greater than Solomon will do it with greater joy and love toward his people. Isn't that amazing how much we can learn in 13 verses in the Old Testament? Blessed me. Had a few of those moments where I had to step away and just pace back and forth and think about the wisdom of God, the symphony of the scriptures, the harmony of the Holy Spirit's authorship in the word of God.

Surely, we are a happy people because we stand in the presence of this king, and we hear from his wisdom day by day by day. Let's pray. Father, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts that we are indeed happy. We are happy men, happy women, happy servants for one main reason. We have access to your word, and we get to glean from not just the wisdom of God, but who embodies the wisdom of God, your son, Jesus Christ.

Lord, tonight, if our hearts are not happy in God and we find greater joy and thrill in other things, Lord, would you rescue us from such a pathetic place, from such a dangerous place? And, Lord, perhaps there's even one in here who has heard the reports of Christ, and they have memorized the reports of Christ. They can even explain the reports of Christ, but they have not, for themselves seen what these reports invite them to see. Lord, by your power and grace, would you, in a holy way, disturb that heart to not remain content in their unbelief or in their self deceived condition. May they instead place themselves on the path of discovering what they have access to because of the one who has made himself accessible.

And Lord, for us in this new year who perhaps have made no resolution to reignite a passionate pursuit after you and your word, oh Lord, May they understand that the fuel to their joy is charged by this word. We ask, Lord, that you would make us a people who are happy again. Revive us again, Lord. And for the person in here who has not yet sought you again, may they never be able to remove from their minds the example of this queen who made a great sacrifice to seek this king. Lord, may tonight be the night for some who are here, maybe some who are watching to say, I will go to him who has summoned me.

I will go to him who promised I will never cast out those who come to me. This is our passionate prayer tonight. Lord, we thank you and we rejoice in your courts because we are, again, your people, and we have a purpose to proclaim your excellencies and to be a light to all men. Help us fulfill that calling in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.