God’s Word for You
2 Chronicles 9:1-4 The Queen arrives
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, October 24, 2024
9:1 The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, and so she came to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. She arrived with a large entourage and with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing that was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the Queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the house he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants, their clothing, the cupbearers in their robes, and the ascending passageway he made that went up to the House of the LORD, it took her breath away.
Sheba was to the south, either in the far south of Arabia (modern Yemen) or across the Red Sea on the horn of Africa (some readers who agree that Wisconsin and Africa share a similar shape might think of this as Africa’s “Door County”). The queen, whose name we don’t know, came to see for herself whether Solomon was such a man of wisdom as his fame suggested. Her visit was probably the result of his shipping trade, which surely would have come into contact with her own merchant fleet. But the land of Israel was new to her. Solomon’s predecessors, David, Saul and the Judges, had all been occupied with establishing Israel’s place in the land of Canaan and with driving out or defeating their enemies. Solomon was the first to reach out to other nations in a peaceful way.
She came with lavish gifts, knowing that he would send lavish gifts home with her, and he did not disappoint. She came with many difficult questions or perplexing riddles, and he answered them all.
She was impressed with his building projects, both his palace and the temple of the Lord. She didn’t miss much. The food he served impressed her; some monarchs and wealthy people eat bizzare things just because they are rare or unusual. Solomon paid attention to God’s laws and ate foods that were ceremonially clean. If he ate meat, it was from domestic animals such as sheep or goats (Leviticus 11:3). If he ate fish, they were from a specific group of mostly freshwater game fish (with scales and fins, Leviticus 11:9). It he ate fowl, it was not from the long list of detestable birds (Leviticus 11:13-20) but a game bird such as a quail (Numbers 11:31-31) or the common doves or sparrows that could be caught in nets in the city (Matthew 10:29; Mark 11:15).
She was impressed by his servants, what they wore, and perhaps even where his advisors were seated at his table, although the precise meaning of “the seating of his officials” is disputed. Some monarchs and wealthy people treated and still treat their servants or employees with contempt. Solomon took care of his people, dressed them well, fed them well, and did not permit those who were ceremonially unclean to approach the place of worship or to come into contact with those who would. “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean” (Leviticus 10:10).
There is a question about the end of verse 4. Many translations take the ‘aliyah to be “burnt offerings.” The usual word, spelled in a similar but not identical way, is ‘olah or ‘oloth (pural). This word appears to be related to various “ways up” such as the ascent into the hill country from the Negev (Numbers 13:17) or even the ceremonial ascent of Solomon to his father’s throne (1 Kings 1:35). It seems likely that this ascent was not a series of offerings, but a physical ascent such as a stairway, a passage, or a long walkway that led from Solomon’s palace further up to the summit of Zion to the temple. Many Egyptian temples were known for their impressive walkways to temple courts, and Solomon’s seems to have been as impressive to this Queen of Sheba.
This passage shows us the effect of the believer’s life on an unbeliever. It does not matter what their status is, or fame, or wealth. When the gospel of Christ is preached, or sung, or illustrated, or reflected by a Christian life, people come from every direction (Mark 1:45). They are drawn to the light of God, and they want to hear more, and he brings his word to light through the preaching entrusted to many by the command of God our Savior (Titus 1:3).
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.