News of the splendor of Solomon's kingdom has spread far and wide. His great wisdom, granted to him by the Lord, is spoken about in many other nations. The queen of Sheba hears of him and comes to see him, not so much to admire the glory of his kingdom, but to find out if it's true that he possesses a level of wisdom that can only be granted by the Creator.
"When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions." (1 Kings 10:1, 2 Chronicles 9:1a) What better thing could anyone hear about any of us than that we have a relationship with the Lord? People ought to be able to tell we are children of the Lord without us even having to say so---by the way we love and serve Him and by the way we love and treat our fellow man.
We know very little about this queen or about where she was from. The majority of scholars in our day believe she was from an area in southern Arabia that was known in ancient times as Sabea but which is now Yemen. If so, she traveled about 1,500 miles to see the famous king of Israel and to view the splendor of his kingdom. She, like Solomon, is from a wealthy nation and she brings many fine gifts with which to honor the king. "Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan---with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones---she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her." (1 Kings 10:2-3, 2 Chronicles 9:1b-2) The author doesn't provide us with a list of her questions but I assume they concerned a variety of subjects such as religion, morality, laws, and political issues. Perhaps she even presented some difficult legal cases to him that were taking place in her own nation and he quickly and accurately saw through to the truth in those cases.
It's important to note that Solomon treats this woman as his equal. He doesn't have a sexist attitude toward her because she's a woman. He doesn't look down on her because her kingdom is not as great as his kingdom, for I believe Israel was the greatest kingdom on earth in Solomon's day. He entertains her at the royal palace and has what must have been multiple discussions with her because no one traveled 1,500 miles in those times for a one-day visit. While no one on earth possessed as much God-given wisdom as Solomon (1 Kings 3:12, 1 Kings 4:29), the king does not "talk down" to the queen of Sheba. They are well-matched enough where their IQs are concerned that Solomon enjoys his conversations with her very much. He is not bored. He does not find it tiresome to answer all her questions. I believe their discussions are animated and absorbing.
I do not, however, think there's any evidence in the Scriptures that the king of Israel and the queen of Sheba had a romantic relationship. That's what the Hollywood version of their meeting might look like but there isn't the slightest hint in the Bible that any such thing took place. Solomon was a man who loved women and he legally married 1,000 women during his reign but nowhere in the Bible does it say that he ever had relations with any woman outside the bonds of matrimony. The queen of Sheba is not his wife and there's no reason to assume she slept with him during her visit to his nation. Besides there being no evidence for such a thing, we can't be sure they were anywhere near each other's age. She could be as old as his mother or grandmother. Or she could be young enough to be his daughter if the throne passed to her at a very young age. I have my doubts that she's a very young woman though, since she has enough political experience and enough life experience to be able to hold her own in complicated discussions with the wisest man on earth. I lean more toward thinking she's at least as old as Solomon and quite possibly much older.
The splendor of Solomon's kingdom is more than the queen expected. The tales she's heard about it didn't do it justice. It's something a person has to see for himself or herself to believe. His wisdom is also something to behold. "When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed." (1 Kings 10:4-5, 2 Chronicles 9:3-4)
She knows now that everything she's heard is true. She's happy to find out it's all true. She is pleased for Solomon and for the people of Israel that the Lord has dealt so bountifully with them. "She said to the king, 'The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness." (1 Kings 10:6-9, 2 Chronicles 9:5-8)
I don't know what religion the queen of Sheba followed but it's evident that she believes the God of Israel is real and that He has done great things for His people. It seems clear that Solomon has explained to her the Lord's covenant with the people of Israel since she makes reference to His "eternal love for Israel". At the time of her meeting with Solomon it doesn't seem as if she converts to the God of Israel since she refers to Him as "the Lord your God" but for all we know she may have converted later. Or she may not have forsaken the gods of her people for the one true God but either way we can safely assume she went back to her nation and told her people about the God of Israel and about the way He was blessing the nation of Israel.
"And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon." (1 Kings 10:10, 2 Chronicles 9:9) She brought more spices into the nation that anyone else ever did but she wasn't the only person to bring large quantities of gold into the nation. The author adds the following information in parenthesis: "(Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)" (1 Kings 10:11-12, 2 Chronicles 9:10-11) The queen of Sheba visited the kingdom of Israel when it was at its zenith. She saw these fine imported materials and she saw how they were utilized in beautifying the temple, the palace, and the royal city. I think that, as Solomon took her on a tour of the city, she stared at it with wide-eyed wonder.
The queen brought Solomon many valuable gifts from her own land. In exchange he gives her many valuable gifts and offers to grant her any other fine products she desires from his nation. "King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country." (1 Kings 10:13, 2 Chronicles 9:11) It's doubtful these two world leaders ever saw each other again. It was a major undertaking to travel 1,500 miles in a caravan with a great retinue of soldiers and servants. But I'd be willing to bet the queen talked of her trip to Israel for the rest of her life.
I'd like to conclude today's study with a brief look back at the queen's statement that not even half of the splendor of Israel had been conveyed to her by words. It was something a person had to see with their own eyes to believe. Someday we will reach a place that has to be seen to be believed. The Lord is preparing a place for us, and about that place the Scriptures say, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived---the things God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) The Bible doesn't spend much time trying to describe the splendors of heaven to us, and with good reason---no words can describe those splendors! Even if there were words for such glory, as long as we live in these frail mortal bodies we couldn't fully picture in our minds anything these words describe. We are going to have to see our home in heaven to believe the magnificence of it. And thanks be to the Lord our God who wants us to spend eternity with Him, we shall see it!
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