SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
Sunday, March 19, 2019, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Since the inauguration of the President of the United States (60 days), there have been seven foreign leaders visit Donald J. Trump. I believe this has spiritual implications as revealed in the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The rewards of individual and national recognition of God come through seeking God and His Government.
The Church is to be salt and light, a witness to the nations of the earth.
1 Ki. 10: 1-7; 10: When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove (test) him with hard questions.
She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. Solomon told her all her questions; there was not anything hid from the king, which he did not tell her. When the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house he had built, the meat of his table, the sitting of his servants; the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord,; there was no more spirit in her. She said to the king, it was a true report that I heard in mine own land of your acts and your wisdom. I did not believe the words until I came, and my eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was not told me…And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, of spices very great store, and precious stones; there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba visited Solomon. Sheba is present day Yemen located in South Arabia. This was an important area particularly active in regard to the spice trade and the excavations at Marib, the capital of Sheba. This indicates and advanced and progressive civilization. Trade was carried out throughout the area and northwards to Phoenicia and Syria. The sudden emergence of a new trading empire on their doorstep threatened their overland caravan route by inaugurating a sea link to the mineral wealth of Ophir. This was sufficient to initiate high level diplomatic activity.
The visit of the queen of Sheba thus takes on an added significance and it may be viewed almost certainly, as a trade and diplomatic mission to establish some sort of agreement between Sheba and Israel.
The result of the visit was a declaration from the queen, extolling Solomon’s wisdom; and her affirmation by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Not only did Solomon have the spirit of wisdom, but he had the gift of administration. He was able to organize, arrange and was a shrewd trader and negotiator.
In 1 Ki 10:9, Solomon sits on the throne of Israel, but in 2 Chronicles 9:8, he sits on Yahweh’s throne as king for the Lord your God.
Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore, He made you king over them to do justice and righteousness.
It is God who rules through His anointed King/civil leader and Priest/spiritual leader.
The visit between Solomon and the queen of Sheba ends with a mutual exchange of gifts, perhaps ratifying a treaty and trade agreement between the two nations.
2 Chr. 9: 23-24; 26: All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. They brought every man his present, vessels of silver, of gold, raiment, harness, spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year…Solomon reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.
After the visit of the queen of Sheba, then the surrounding kings visit to hear, admire, and honor Solomon for his riches and his honor. This was probably a commercial and trading empire from which Solomon exacted various forms of taxation on the gold and passage of goods on which he was able to impose restrictive trading practices to the benefit of Israel’s treasury.
For decades the United States has been paying money to foreign nations for their protection and friendship. The result of this generosity has been their contempt. Donald J. Trump just cut our support of the United Nations by 40% and in his budget he is cutting most of our support to foreign nations. Solomon negotiated deals to benefit Israel. Our President says he is going to negotiate deals to benefit the U.S.A. Solomon built his empire through peaceful commerce.
As I mentioned earlier seven foreign leaders have already visited Donald J. Trump and more are on their way.
The carnal pundits, media, and leaders do not see what is happening in the earth through the eyes of God. They view it through the eyes of the outside world.
In the outside world, this was the age of Homer, the beginning of Greek history. The nations of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon were weak at the time. Israel was the most powerful Kingdom in all the world, Jerusalem the most magnificent city, and the Temple the most splendid building on earth. Men traveled from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom and to see his glory.
While Solomon and his Kingdom speak of the Lord’s Hand and blessing on His anointed and chosen for God’s Kingdom purposes; it also is a type and shadow of the nations coming to Jesus Christ and his brethren in the glory of the Kingdom of God.
In the light of present truth, Solomon points to the Sons of God, those overcomers who are destined for the glory of the Kingdom. Solomon was the SEED of David. Jesus Christ is from the lineage of Solomon and David. Better said, David and Solomon are from the lineage of King Jesus.
Like Jesus, David prepared abundantly in his death to make a complete provision for the building of the Temple of the Lord. The glory of David’s vision is consummated in the reign of Solomon. We are the seed and offspring of the Lord Jesus who are building the House of the Lord.
David was a warrior while Solomon was a builder. The man of war will bring forth a man of peace. Without a fighter, there is no rule of love. The old man kills and tears down, while the new man makes alive and builds up.
Saul and David were born among the common people and grew up among them in village and countryside. Solomon was born in the palace at Jerusalem and grew up among men of power. He had seen the heights of royal glory, and the chaos of rebellion. He was well educated and never knew poverty or hunger, but he did know the consequences of intrigue, jealousy, and murderous hate. Before he grew to maturity, several of his older half-brothers had met violent deaths and one half-sister had been raped. Solomon never knew other than a unified Hebrew nation which was strong in a chaotic world. Solomon had troublesome neighbors, but no true rivals. It was Israel’s “Golden Age.”
The queen of Sheba was thoroughly impressed with Solomon’s wisdom and the order of his house and Kingdom. But she was completely overwhelmed when she beheld “…his ascent by which he went up onto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.”
We can suppose Solomon said to her, “O queen, you have only see the natural half; the other half is yet to be told in the unseen realm of the Spirit. I am but a mere human king, a picture of the Messiah who is to come. It will be the revelation of His ascension and coronation that will move and impact all nations with the overwhelming presence of God.”
Isa. 2:2: It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Jesus Christ, the One who is “greater than Solomon,” is here! The nations are coming to Him as they are being drawn to the House of the Lord, the end-time church. As they flow up to Zion, the Church (Heb. 12: 22-23), they will behold the ascended life and wisdom of the Corporate Church and consequently offer their riches, creating a massive transfer of wealth.
And the city (Church of the Redeemed) had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. (Rev. 21: 23-24)
This world is in a crucible. Nations are at their boiling point. The need for real answers has never been greater. There is only one way to overcome it---we must get above it. We must show them how to ascend into Zion and to see the world with the eyes of God.
Now is the time to arise, to ascend. Now is the time to be strengthened and empowered by His life. There is an overcoming remnant, a governmental people who have pressed their way to the top of Mount Zion.
Those who partake of the ascended life are called to the top of the mountain to share Jesus’ perspective, to look through the eyes of God.
Jesus gave an end-time prophecy about the queen of Sheba: Mat. 12:42: The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Jesus was speaking of His generation of those who rejected Him and His words. I am pondering the present threat of Isis, terror, chaos, and war in Yemen. I cannot say it is relative to this scripture…nor would Yemen’s present sins take away from the glory, authority, and honor due the queen of Sheba for her faith in that she believed Solomon’s great glory and blessing was due to the appointment of God:
Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore, He made you king over them to do justice and righteousness.
In spire of the golden exterior of Solomon’s kingdom all was not well. Peace had been assured through a network of alliances sealed by political marriages, intrigue and opportunism had made rifts in the empire. The damage to the nation is seen both as a result of, and a judgment upon the king’s neglect of the Mosaic command.
Solomon’s sin was apostasy and idolatry because of his numerous pagan wives and marriages for the purpose of carnal security.
The Lord raised up adversaries to chastise Solomon: Hadad the Edomite (Jordan); Rezon, founder of the Aramaean kingdom of Damascus (Syria) and Jeroboam, who later became head of the Northern Kingdom.
There are various elements which played a part in Solomon’s failure which is a warning to all of us:
- Extravagance
- Ostentatiousness – multiplicity of mistresses was to enhance his own renown in line with the customs of the East.
- Evil Companionship – Women of foreign lands and heathen religions.
- Misplaced affection – He fell out of love with His first love
- Compromise –
- Ingratitude
- Idolatry
- Disobedience – by degrees, he infringed upon the sovereignty of God.
- Oppression – He disregarded the burdens of His people.
- Substitution – the joy and satisfaction once found in God is now vainly sought for in other sources.
Today is the day of salvation. Make a choice. Change your mind. Make your calling and election sure.
Seek those things which are above.
Arise and ascend.
There is a high calling.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. and N.K.J.V.- I entered into the labors of Secrets of the Ascended Life and Principles of Present Truth of 11 Kings by: Kelly Varner and The International Bible Commentary by: J. K. Howard. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.