CROWNED | 1 Kings Chapter 10
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Week 1 / Day 10
INTRODUCTION
In today’s passage, we will be meeting a new and fascinating character, the Queen of Sheba. So, who is she and why is she important?
The Queen of Sheba is a powerful, wealthy monarch who is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments and was most likely from either the ancient Kingdom of Saba in southwestern Arabia (modern-day Yemen) or the Aksumite Empire in East Africa (modern-day Ethiopia). It’s difficult to trace exactly where her Kingdom lay because there is so much overlap in the trade record for that region. But at the end of the day, we know she was wealthy, powerful, and keenly aware of others rising to her level of wealth, status, and prestige.
READ
Now, go ahead and dive into reading 1 Kings 10. I can’t wait to unpack today’s passage with you!
REFLECT
As chapter 10 opens, we immediately meet our new friend, the Queen of Sheba. And upon doing so, we learn that not only has word of Solomon’s great (and growing) wealth, power, and wisdom spread far and wide, but the tales of it all have intrigued the Queen to such a high degree that she decides to load up a caravan and go check it out for herself! Now, it’s important to note that this journey wasn’t just a quick little day trip to a neighboring tent city! In fact, the distance between the Queen’s kingdom and Solomon’s would have been a daunting 1000-plus miles.
A road trip of that nature would take roughly 15 hours of pure drive time for us today, and that is only if we are able to keep a steady pace of 65 - 70 miles per hour! In reality, with stops and traffic slowdowns included, you are looking at closer to 18 hours of travel. A trip that, for most, would be split into a 2-3 day road trip!
The Queen of Sheba, though incredibly powerful and wealthy, obviously did not have access to modern-day vehicles, hotels, or conveniences such as fast-food restaurants and quick stops. She would have been making this grueling journey with a caravan, which would have taken anywhere from 2 to 3 MONTHS to complete.
There’s one thing we can say for sure: the Queen of Sheba was DETERMINED! And you better believe that, having traveled so far for this testing moment with King Solomon, she came armed and ready for a verbal duel, ready to take this King's claim to fame down a notch or two, diminishing his greatness and elevating her own! However, that is not what happened. Even though the Queen showed up guns blazing, Solomon was able to answer every single tough question with an ease that was truly unprecedented and left her with nothing else to say except:
‘Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loved Israel, He has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 1 Kings 10:9 (ESV)
I love that even this pagan Queen can’t deny the supernatural power with which Solomon is ruling his Kingdom. After all, there is truly something tangibly different, even in our menial, day-to-day tasks, when the Lord is in the middle of it! But what catches my attention even more than her acknowledgment of the Lord is her response to the Lord's power she just witnessed firsthand. Did you catch what it was? Right after her acknowledgment of the power of the Lord, verse 10 tells us she “gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones.” (ESV)
Already, in our study of 1 Kings, we have seen Solomon and the Kingdom of Israel blessed with incredible gifts of wealth and grandeur, but each time it was in response to a need or request from Solomon. But not only was this gift incredibly generous and grand - in fact, verse 10 concludes by saying that “Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon” (ESV)- it was also unprompted. Why was this her response?
There are likely many answers to that question. Some believe it was a diplomatic move, presenting these gifts as a political investment to secure favorable trade treaties and alliances for the future. Others say it could have been out of respect for the wisdom he possessed and demonstrated. A sort of token of appreciation and respect after having proven his reputation was well-founded, and offering a showing of mutual respect for the strength and wealth of his kingdom. I, however, think her response goes much deeper than that - an act of overwhelming gratitude and worship. Ya see, before she gives the grand offering, she first gives praise to the Lord, as we just read in verse 9 - “Blessed be the Lord your God.”
And it is in this moment that we are reminded once again that this whole story, the story of David, the story of Solomon, and the story of everything that had taken place before and has taken place since, are not stories of a nation's greatness or a man's conquests and wealth. It’s a story much greater than that, pointing towards someone much greater - Jesus! For no matter how acclaimed or intellectual or wealthy or beloved Solomon was, Jesus is greater! Luke actually points out this very truth to us in Luke 11:31 when he writes:
“The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment of this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.” (NIV)
This “Queen of the South” referenced here is the Queen of Sheba - the very same Queen we talked about earlier who traveled an incredible distance just to see for herself the splendor of Solomon’s wisdom. But now, something (or better yet, someone) even greater than Solomon is here, and His name is Jesus! Can you imagine to what lengths the Queen of Sheba would have gone in order to see the wonders performed by Jesus Himself???
After wrapping up the account with the Queen of Sheba in 1 Kings 10:13, verse 14 then launches into a detailed description of the incredible wealth and prosperity of the Kingdom of Israel under King Solomon’s reign. We’ve seen similar accounts previously; however, this one reads a bit differently. In chapter 4, we read of the glory of the kingdom, which detailed out “the daily provisions required for his massive court, the expansion of his borders, and the flourishing trade and peace that brought unprecedented prosperity to the general population.*” Then in chapter 9 we read about the commercial successes, highlighting the massive international trade networks, specifically the fleet of ships built in Ezion-Geber that brought back vast quantities of gold from Ophir to build the Temple and his [Solomon’s] own palace.**” But here, in chapter 10, at the height of prosperity, we are given “the most extensive, comprehensive breakdown of his riches.***.”
And as you read through all that the Lord has blessed His people with, there is so much to be thankful for and to give Him praise for! But then we get to verse 27. Let’s reread that verse together.
“And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.” (ESV)
The people of Israel were living in such abundance that even silver, normally a precious commodity, was so plentiful that it was no longer looked at as extraordinary. This incredible blessing from the Lord was no longer viewed with eyes of awe but with a mindset of commonplace expectation.
And oftentimes we are guilty of the same. We are blessed abundantly by the Lord’s provision and presence daily. But far too often, His extravagance has become so commonplace in our lives that the “silver is seen as common,” and we are seemingly blinded to the splendor of the gift and blessing He both promised and fulfilled. And I’m not just talking about the blessing of possessions: the homes we live in, the clothes we wear, the food on our tables. I’m talking about the power of His presence. The Queen of Sheba traveled for months to get a glimpse of the Lord’s splendor, but we overlook it every single day. And without even realizing it, His holiness is now seen as the mundane, and His extravagance has become commonplace.
RESPOND
The Queen of Sheba was willing to travel for months to experience the wisdom and presence of God at work through Solomon, but we struggle to travel across our own homes to simply pick up our Bibles and take the time to sit and read, study, and meditate. To what lengths are you willing to go to intentionally see the splendor of Jesus in your life daily?
In response to the Lord’s wisdom flowing through Solomon, the Queen of Sheba was so amazed that she gave a gift of great wealth. When was the last time you were genuinely amazed by God’s presence, provision, or faithfulness? Have any of His blessings become so familiar that you’ve begun to treat them as ordinary or mundane?
The people of Israel eventually came to view silver as commonplace because they were surrounded by it in abundance. What “holy” things in your life - salvation, the Bible, prayer, worship, the Holy Spirit, etc - have become so commonplace that you no longer see them as extraordinary gifts? What would it look like to recover a sense of wonder in your walk with the Lord?
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