The Queen of Sheba Travels to Meet King Solomon

     Today we see the Bibledoorajar for the Queen of Sheba. The first thing noticed is that her given name is not mentioned. Scholars are not even sure where Sheba was. They think the lady ruled somewhere in Southern Arabia, possibly modern day Ethiopia. To say so little about a person of rank tells us that the emphasis of our story is not going to be on her as much as on the king she meets. And, so it is with the us; it's all about the King we meet. One day, when we have completed the journey and are seeing firsthand all that we have learned about Him, He will give us a new name--one that will have great significance and will be worthy of mention. So, I'm traveling on. How about you?
     Like some believers, the Queen's effort to meet and talk with the king was so incredible that she became famous. The first thing that stands out about her was that she wanted to visit the king herself. It was not enough to just hear about him. She had to meet him and test for herself whether all she had heard about him was indeed true. This is the kind of visit that our King Jesus likes to have with people this side of Glory. Remember the Samaritan woman (no given name mentioned) at the well? There, Jesus was sitting by the well thirsty and tired. He had been going to and fro in the land sharing about righteousness and explaining how to be near to God. He extended His "scepter" to the woman; "give me a drink." He had her attention. Remember when He got yours? Next, He talked to her in such a way that she wanted to know more about the kind of water He said He could give. Are you convinced you need better water in your life?
     So it was that the Queen of Sheba just had to go to Israel. She had HEARD a lot about the King and maybe she had even heard some of his famous sayings for he was certainly had a way with words. According to the biblical record, he wrote more than 3,000 proverbs, sayings and 1,005 songs. He could "sum up matters" correctly and his wisdom about the God of Israel was beyond description. Who wouldn't want to have an audience with such a king and SEE for yourself?
     The Queen just simply had to know more. MORE. God loves those of us who just have to know more, to have more of Him, to be with Him more. And the good thing about Him is there always IS more. Just like Jesus told that Samaritan lady, it's living water, flowing first here and then there. It sounded to the Samaritan lady just like it sounded to the Queen, too good to be true. But soon she would see for herself. Just as the Queen had to go to Israel so she could document what she saw in order to be able to tell others, the King compelled the Samaritan lady to "go, call your husband, and come back." That's the way it is with divine conviction. It has a way of exercising our hearts to the point that we must pursue Him--we must make the journey--and we must find a way to tell others about the wonders we have seen.
     I wanted to show you a picture of a lovely ''Queen of Sheba" from Alabama but for some reason I cannot import the picture from my camera. I will try to resolve this problem before the next blog for she is too lovely to miss!