Arlene S.

“5 Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. 6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect. 7 Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?” Song of Solomon 1:5-7 (NIV) It is said that the Song of Solomon references the relationship between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Who is the Queen of Sheba? Ethiopia claims her. The name that they have for her is Makeda. Yemen, also, claims her. They call her Bilqis. She is mentioned in the Christian Bible as well as the Koran. Her story is told in I Kings 10:1-13 and in II Chronicles 9:1-12. Both Books say the same thing. What we know for sure is that the Queen of Sheba is a black biblical figure known for her beauty and wit, and for challenging King Solomon. She was rich and wise in her own right! The Queen acts as Solomon’s equal. She knows her own worth. Where is the location of Sheba? The exact location of Sheba is unknown. Both Ethiopia and Yemen are searching for her tomb. Scholars say that Sheba is the same as the territory of Saba, which is discussed in the Bible. It occupies the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula and the territory of eastern Ethiopia. The land of Saba was rich in gold and precious stones, frankincense, and sugar. The people were known to be tradesmen. Ezekiel 27:22-23 (NIV) says, 22 “The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold. Jeremiah 6:20 (NIV) says, “What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Joel 3:8 (NIV) says, “8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The LORD has spoken.” Job 1:13-15 says (NIV), “15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” Let’s take a look at the story of the Queen of Sheba: 1 Kings 10 (NIV) says, “Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. 4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 6 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7 However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. 8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” 10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir. 12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.” Why is the story of Queen of Sheba so applicable today? First, it teaches all of us a lesson that we should apply to what we hear today. The Queen of Sheba heard about the wealth and wisdom of Solomon. She went to see for herself if it was true. She went to verify that truth with questions of her own. How should we apply this to our own life? Answer. Don’t be so quick to believe what we are told. Verify the facts first. It is easy to be deceived when you really do not know the truth. In fact, we are told to learn the Bible or the word of God for ourselves. Remember what Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:4:5 (NIV): “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Second, the story of the Queen of Sheba rewards the fact that she is inquisitive, thoughtful, and inquiring as to the meaning of things. Her desire to learn and know the truth, even about his God, was compensated. Jesus the Christ referenced the Queen of Sheba in Matthew 12:42. He says, “42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.” This statement reminds us that Solomon was only a man, a blessed man, but a man. Whereas, Jesus the Christ is our Lord and Savior. We all should seek the wisdom of God by learning the word of God. Third, the story recognizes the fact that God blessed Solomon with his wealth and wisdom. Solomon did not create or build his wealth. The Queen of Sheba does not look at the greatness in the man, but at his God. It is said that her beliefs in the Living God changed, that she converted to his religion, believing in his God by the time that she went home. Fourth, the story acknowledges the fact that God put Solomon on the throne for the greater good, which is to serve his fellow man to do justice and righteousness. Proverbs 31:9 says, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” We are reminded to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to love one another as ourselves. In fact, Jesus Christ states that this is the greatest of all the commandments. And fifth, the story is about acceptance of other people and their customs. During Bible study, a participant asked this question, where was the Queen of Sheba’s king? It was assumed that a man has ruled her because of our patriarchal society. But what is significant about the Queen of Sheba is the fact that she is not only rich and knowledgeable herself, but she rules her land. It appears as if she is from a matriarchal society. A society in which the woman rule and governs. This idea is not so unusual. These societies exist today. In fact, there was an article in “Town and Country” magazine titled, “6 Matriarchal Societies That Have Been Thriving With Women at the Helm for Centuries.” They can be found in Kenya, India, China, etc. So, the Queen of Sheba may not have been so different from these societies. We have a lot to learn about the Queen of Sheba, but what we know is that her story teaches us valuable lessons for today. Lessons that should apply to our everyday existence.