Gifts From the Queen

Synopsis      1Kings 10:10-19     4/19/2019 

The Queen of Sheba gave King Solomon one hundred and twenty gold talents. And additionally she game him many other valuable gifts.

In the same year, the king also received gold and almug wood from Ophir. So, in all he received six-hundred and sixty-six talents of gold.

Solomon used the sudden influx of wealth to further strengthen and adorn the temple and his palace. The adornments included decorative shields made from beaten gold. And Solomon also had a throne made entirely from ivory covered in gold.  

Gifts from the Queen 

The Queen of Sheba traveled a great distance to see King Solomon. And when she recognized the depth of his wisdom and the expanse of his vision for Israel, she gave him a large gift of gold.

Gifts to Jesus 

God doesn’t need anything. He certainly doesn’t need anything that I could ever give him. This is a profound theological truth.

But, in a way it seems to beg the question: Why should I give God anything? Or, why should I even offer Him anything? He doesn’t need it, right?

In one of the few episodes recorded in all four gospels, a woman once came to Jesus while he was eating at table. And right there, in front of the entire dinner party, she poured an unimaginably expensive perfume over his body. Some of the people who were present were offended. They viewed the woman’s action as wasteful and otherwise inappropriate.

For His part, He didn’t need this offering, but Jesus celebrated her gift.

I come to this same Jesus. And if I recognize Him for who He is, then I want to be with Him. I want to sit at His feet and listen to Him. I want learn from Him. 

And in a very natural way, I want somehow to contribute to what matters to Him.  This is what it means to love.

“At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” Matt 12:42