Splendor Without Surrender
The One Year Bible (June 12)
I Kings 9:1-10:29
“Splendor Without Surrender”
What could possibly be more exciting than “A Royal Visit”?
Are there any Downtown Abbey fans out there? Just thinking of the first movie, with the royal visit, makes me think of scones, lemon curd, and a cup of hot tea. My mind always wanders back to the scene of dear Mr. Molesley serving the Royals for the very first time. Just speaking out loud and out of turn, he nearly swallows his own tongue. He is left SPEECHLESS!
So, is “The Royal” in today’s story. Her name is The Queen of Sheba or the “Queen from the South” in the New Testament.
“When the Queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, she was OVERWHELMED or SPEECHLESS. (I Kings 10:5)
Her royal visit gives us a glimpse of the splendor of Solomon’s palace. She was impressed by the meals, the conduct of the servants, and the seating of the officers and guests for starts. Then there was the incredible wealth displayed on the tables and the gold everywhere. (No silverware here! Only gold cups!)
The Queen was not just impressed with his WEALTH. She was even more impressed with his WISDOM. She asked Solomon every hard question she could think of and he answered every single one of them, and then more.
She announced publicly that his servants in the palace must be “the happiest people in the kingdom”! (Wonder where Disney got their slogan? Thank you, Queen Sheba!)
As she left, she bestowed wealth upon him. Wealth upon wealth flowed through his fingers and through the kingdom. Yes, God had blessed Solomon by making his name famous. He was the richest, wisest, and most honored of all kings of all time!
Did you know that The Queen of Sheba is mentioned in the New Testament by Jesus in Matthew 12:42? Jesus actually commended her even though she went home to worship her own gods. Why was she mentioned by Jesus?
The Queen of Sheba actually traveled hundreds of miles to hear Solomon’s wisdom and she blessed the Lord because of the testimony of what she saw and heard in the Solomon, the son of David.
Jesus Christ far exceeded the wisdom of Solomon but the Jewish religious leaders only scoffed in disbelief at the Son of God. Jesus made the statement that “The Queen of Sheba” will point her finger at them in condemnation. She an unbeliever was listening, seeking, and impressed. The religious leaders had their own ungodly agenda.
They were looking for SPLENDOR but were not interested in SURRENDER.
Sadly, they weren’t the only ones who missed the main event.
Let’s look at how this chapter begins today. “Then the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had done before at Gibeon.” (I Kings 9:2) He reminded Solomon of the covenant that he had made with David and now with Solomon. “If you keep my commandments, I will keep you.” His dynasty would only last as long as his commitment to honor God as the true king over the kingdom.
The saddest words begin tomorrow’s passage, “Now King Solomon LOVED many foreign women”... The Lord had warned him not to marry foreign women or his heart would be turned away. However, he ignored the Lord’s warning and promise.’’
“Yet, Solomon insisted on LOVING them anyway… And, in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.” (I King 11: 2-3)
“In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.”(vs. 4)
Yes, the Queen of Sheba came to behold all of Solomon’s glory and praised his God because of his wisdom and kingdom. In the very next breath, we are left speechless as Solomon sought the LOVE of other foreign women. The message of the fall of the united kingdom will now defame the God that has blessed him all of his earthly life.
How heartbreaking to have SPLENDOR without SURRENDER…
