The Way
The Queen of Sheba's Visit
Not even half had been told
Story
A long line of camels loaded with spices came in through the gates of Jerusalem. Many of the loads held gold and precious stones. It was the queen of Sheba, from a far country in the south. She had heard of Solomon's fame and of the name of the Lord, and she had come a long way to test the king with hard questions. The queen asked him everything that was on her heart.
Solomon answered every question, and nothing was too hard for him. The queen saw the king's wisdom and the palace he had built. She saw the food on his table, his officials seated in rows, the dress of those who served him, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings the king went up to offer at the house of the Lord. It left the queen breathless.
The queen said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country was true. I did not believe it until I came and saw it with my own eyes, and not even half had been told to me. Praise the Lord your God, who has delighted in you. Because he loves Israel forever, he has made you king to do justice and what is right.” The queen gave Solomon a hundred and twenty talents of gold and spices, and went home to her own land.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and the Prophets
I did not believe what I heard until I came and saw it with my own eyes. And not even half had been told to me.
How blessed are your servants, who stand before you every day and hear your wisdom!
Praise the Lord your God, who has delighted in you. Because he loves Israel forever, he has made you king to do justice and what is right.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Kgs 10:1–13
Background
Sheba is thought to have been a kingdom in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, in what is now Yemen. It grew rich on the trade in spices such as frankincense and myrrh, and camel caravans traveled north and south along the Red Sea.
Pause and Reflect
Could people see God's goodness through my life?