This chapter brings us one of the best-known visitors to king Solomon. This was the Queen of Sheba (v1), who, when she heard of his fame came to visit him to test him with hard questions. Sheba is also known as Saba and is somewhere in the region of Yemen in the present day. It was a wealthy kingdom, and it is thought that she came as part of a trade delegation. However, she came to test Solomon’s wisdom. She certainly came with a large retinue (v2) of attendants and lots of gifts.
She also came with lots of difficult questions for Solomon. I doubt that this was by way of a test of his knowledge, but more likely to help her to make decisions in her own country. His wisdom had become known in other lands, and she wanted to tap into it.
She spoke with him about all that was on her heart or mind. So much so that Solomon answered all her questions, there was nothing too difficult for him (v3). They were difficult problems to her but not to Solomon. Remember that the wisdom he had was given to him by God, who is all-knowing, all-wise. Little wonder he could answer all her questions.
After the talking, Solomon showed her the house he had built for the LORD, the food on his table, the way his servants dressed and their deportment, even the seating of his servants (v4). Normally, I guess that servants didn’t sit, but in his house, they apparently did, unless it means how his servants carried out their duties in seating the royal household. It could also mean his officials rather than the menial servants. Whatever it means, it was a well-organised household and possibly, a contented one where servants of whatever status were well-cared for and treated well.
She was so overwhelmed by the whole experience that there was no spirit left in her (v5) or to use the vernacular, she was gob-smacked in wonder and amazement at it all.
The queen’s reaction was quite honest and outstanding (v6-9). She admitted that the report she had had beforehand was true, and that before she experienced it for herself, she had difficulty in believing it. She said that even what she had been told, didn’t amount to the whole truth, it was only half told. She commented on how happy even his servants were and how blessed they were to hear his wisdom. She gave the praise and honour to his God, who, she stated, had blessed Israel as His beloved nation and people, whom He delighted in, more so by making him king.
God had promised (Deuteronomy 28:1,10) that “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth… Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.”
They were to be a beacon to the world and the world would be in awe of them, even afraid of them. All the world would recognise that they were the people of God. What a responsibility? Did Israel always do the right thing? No they did not, but God was glorified in his disciplining them. Even His disciplining of them showed how much He loved and cared for them.
We discipline our children not because we love to punish them but because we love them and want the very best for them. Proverbs 3:11,12 says, “My son do not despise the LORD’S discipline, nor detest his correction, for whom the LORD loves, he corrects”
Were the queen’s words a true confession of her allegiance to the God of Israel? It does not appear that it was anything more than she recognised Solomon’s God, not that she was a follower of his God, or her personal faith in his God. It isn’t enough to show our God by His amazing show of power and strength. We need to display our personal faith and trust in God and how much He means to us in the way we live.
In Matthew 12:42 Jesus referred to the Queen of the South coming from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. A greater than Solomon is here! If she sought Solomon so diligently, how much more should we seek the Lord Jesus and His glory. Solomon, despite his wisdom, is nothing to be compared with the Lord Jesus. Even the Queen of Sheba will rise up in judgment on this generation for our failure to seek Jesus.
It was God who made Solomon king because he would not have been the automatic heir as he was not the eldest son. Of course there was no official heir in those days. David was only the second king of Israel, and he was no relation to Saul. Kingship was given to him by God alone.
The Queen then gave Solomon gifts, 120 talents of gold, such an abundance of spices never seen before or since, and precious stones. Ships of Hiram brought gold from Ophir, large quantities of algum wood and precious stones from Ophir. The amount of algum wood was more than has been seen since and Solomon built steps out of it for the LORD’S house and his own house. It appears that the wood was also used for the making of harps and stringed instruments (v10-13). Solomon gave the Queen all she asked for besides royal generosity. She then returned to her own country with her servants.
The weight of gold that came to Solomon every year was 666 talents, besides that from the travelling merchants and traders from all the kings of Arabia and the governors (v14,15), estimated at just under £1b a round ten years ago, but the value does fluctuate. Whatever its value, Solomon was a very rich man. You will notice the number 666 appears and that has connotations with the end times and the Antichrist, however, I’m not going to go into that here. It may be a coincidence; I don’t intend to elaborate.
Solomon’s riches caused him to stray from God. The Bible tells us that riches can be a snare and a trap for us today. It does not condemn a person being rich but gives warnings of the dangers putting our trust in riches and the pitfalls that lie on the way of being rich. “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9).
Solomon did something with the gold (v16-27) – he made two hundred large shields; six hundred shekels of gold were hammered into each one. He made three hundred shields of hammered gold. I guess these were smaller ones containing three minas of gold in each one, and he put them in the house. These shields were ornamental only because gold is too heavy and soft to be used for a shield in battle. Thus, in a way he was pandering to his pride.
He made a throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. Nothing like this had every been made before. It had six steps leading up to it and it was round at the back and there were armrests with a lion at each side and twelve lions, one at each side of the steps. This was opulence on a large scale. I’m assuming the lions were made of gold and not real ones. All his drinking vessels were of gold and the vessels in his house of pure gold. Silver was accounted as worthless and so he had no silver vessels in his house. Only the best would do. He also had merchant ships with the fleet of Hiram, king of Tyre (Lebanon), and once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. Why apes and monkeys, I don’t know, so, please don’t ask me.
It probably goes without saying that Solomon was richer than all the kings of the earth, to say nothing of his wisdom. You will recall that God told him to ask for anything, he asked for wisdom, which was given, and, because he didn’t ask for anything else, God also gave him many riches in abundance. It seems that not only did the Queen of Sheba come, but all the earth sought to hear his wisdom. They all brought presents of silver and gold, garments, armour, spices, horses and mules, at a set amount each year.
Solomon loved horses and chariots – he had 1400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, stationed in chariot cities as well as in Jerusalem. His collection of silver was as common as stones and planted cedar trees as many as the sycamore trees in the lowland. I am told that remains of Solomon’s fortress and stables at Megiddo can be seen today.
All this wealth and prosperity was promised to Israel if they obeyed the word of the LORD (Deuteronomy 28) however, if they did not obey, curses would come upon them.
Unfortunately, Solomon was not satisfied with horses he already had, he also imported them from Egypt and Keveh, his merchants bought them in Keveh at the going rate. He also imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150 shekels. Through agents, he exported them to the kings of the Hittites and of Syria (v28,29)
This was a big mistake; he had all that he needed. Why disobey God’s word? Deuteronomy 17:16 stated to kings of Israel – “…. he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, “You shall not return that way again.””
Solomon had been carried away with his wealth and fame, he became an entrepreneur trading in horses even for other kings. Maybe he thought it was a way of getting around God’s command in that he was doing it for others. He even did it through agents, maybe thinking that that kept his own hands clean.
We must be very careful in trying to justify what we do. If it’s wrong, it is wrong, whatever our motive or means.
