Queen of Sheba

I kings 10:1-13 (NRSV)

When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, (fame due to the name of the Lord), she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba had observed all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his valets, and his burnt-offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

 So she said to the king, ‘The report was true that I heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. Not even half had been told me; your wisdom and prosperity far surpass the report that I had heard. Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel for ever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.’ Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again did spices come in such quantity as that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

 Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a great quantity of almug wood and precious stones. From the almug wood the king made supports for the house of the Lord, and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers; no such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

 Meanwhile, King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba every desire that she expressed, as well as what he gave her out of Solomon’s royal bounty. Then she returned to her own land, with her servants.

Just saying "Queen of Sheba" evokes such an enigmatic and majestic image.  She's always been a character who looms larger than life in my imagination.  Clearly she was rich and powerful, but also it seems likely she was one smart cookie: worthy of judging Solomon's wisdom for herself.  A smart woman ruler in the Hebrew scriptures!

Some of the glamour of her story has to do with the mystery of Sheba itself.  There's debate as to where it was:  Ethiopia, Iraq, and even Zanizibar have been put forth as possibilities, with Yemen being the most likely.  

Wherever she came from, in this short story, she casts a long shadow.

She places Solomon in the larger context of a world beyond the small outreaches of his kingdom.  The Israelites - who longed for a king for so long - now have one who has hit the world stage running.

And its all downhill from there.

For all Solomon's wisdom and power, the tide turns for the Israelite kings and their worldly power will come to an end: paving the way many years later for another king.  A new kind of king.  

A king who rules not with royal bounty but with royal grace.  

A woman will recognize this king as well.  She won't be the ruler of a fabulous country, but instead she'll be an outcast from a despised neighboring land.  A woman who is forced to draw her water from a well at the heat of the day because her neighbors gossip about all her husbands.

"Come see the man who told me everything I've ever done." this woman will say.  "He cannot be the Messiah, can he?"  And people will believe because of her testimony.  

Two perceptive women.  Two different kings.  One amazing God.

God of Grace, you use the most unlikely of us to sing your praises and to tell of your good news.  Keep my ears open to hear your truth even from those I least expect it.  Amen.