The Praises Belong to God
When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. . . . Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.
When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
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 what they said until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be!
. . . Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on His throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of the LORD your God for Israel and His desire to uphold them forever, He has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness." Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 2 Chronicles 9:1-9
When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
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 what they said until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be!
. . . Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on His throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of the LORD your God for Israel and His desire to uphold them forever, He has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness." Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 2 Chronicles 9:1-9
Was it possible for one man to be endowed with as much wisdom and knowledge as Solomon had? A man who wrote thousands of proverbs and had all kinds of knowledge about plant and animal life? A man who could answer any hard question posed to him? Was it also possible for a man to be that rich to the extent of making silver a common thing in his nation? Yes, it was possible because God made a promise to do that for Solomon, and He did. God fulfilled His word to Solomon. Nothing is impossible for God.
The queen of Sheba heard about the riches and wisdom of Solomon and she found it to be incredulous. She said to herself that "seeing is believing" so she traveled a rather long distance to ascertain things for herself. She was awestruck and made a confession: "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw it with my own eyes . . . not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was told me."
The queen of Sheba was dumbfounded by what she saw but her response was even more revealing.
First: She praised the Name of the LORD God who had made Solomon king to rule over His people. Second: She pointed out that Solomon had the responsibility to maintain justice and righteousness for God's people. Third: She gave a massive gift of gold, spices and precious stones to Solomon.
The order of her response is insightful. She recognized that Solomon's accomplishments could only have been possible because of God. She also realized that Solomon was to rule and maintain righteousness and justice on behalf of God. Solomon was to serve the purpose for which he had been made king. Finally, she gave gifts to Solomon himself. The queen first gave Praises to God before giving Gifts to Solomon.
Psalm 115 says, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your Name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." May the blessings of God upon our lives evoke praises from the lips of mortals unto the Almighty God, and may gifts be showered upon our lives because we are genuinely serving the purposes of God. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He promises to add all other things unto us.
The queen of Sheba heard about the riches and wisdom of Solomon and she found it to be incredulous. She said to herself that "seeing is believing" so she traveled a rather long distance to ascertain things for herself. She was awestruck and made a confession: "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw it with my own eyes . . . not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was told me."
The queen of Sheba was dumbfounded by what she saw but her response was even more revealing.
First: She praised the Name of the LORD God who had made Solomon king to rule over His people. Second: She pointed out that Solomon had the responsibility to maintain justice and righteousness for God's people. Third: She gave a massive gift of gold, spices and precious stones to Solomon.
The order of her response is insightful. She recognized that Solomon's accomplishments could only have been possible because of God. She also realized that Solomon was to rule and maintain righteousness and justice on behalf of God. Solomon was to serve the purpose for which he had been made king. Finally, she gave gifts to Solomon himself. The queen first gave Praises to God before giving Gifts to Solomon.
Psalm 115 says, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your Name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." May the blessings of God upon our lives evoke praises from the lips of mortals unto the Almighty God, and may gifts be showered upon our lives because we are genuinely serving the purposes of God. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He promises to add all other things unto us.
Prayer: Lord, may my life draw praises to your holy Name as I continue to live for you. Amen.