The Queen Of Sheba

I came across something I had never thought of while reading 1 Kings the other day. 1 Kings 10:1-10 is an account of the splendor of King Solomon when visited by the Queen of Sheba.

1 Kings 10:1-5 “The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame connected with the name of the Lord and came to question him with difficult questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke to him about everything that was on her mind. So Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba observed all of Solomon's wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, his servant's residence, his attendant's service and their attire, his cup bearers, and the burnt offerings he offered at the Lord's temple, it took her breath away.”

Literally, “There existed no more spirit in her.” She was blown away by what she observed. In the next few verses, she tells Solomon that she hadn't believed the reports she had heard concerning his wisdom and wealth, but now that she seen for herself, the queen realized she hadn't even been told half of it.

Isn't this how we should seem to unbelievers? Shouldn't they be blown away by what the Lord has done for us? How wonderful it would be if they came to meet us because of the marvelous things they had heard and wanted to check it out. I really don't think this is too much to expect out of Christians.

I think it's funny that the old saying, “Who does she think she is? The Queen of Sheba?”, describes a person who thinks overly high of themselves. That's a great picture of what unbelievers tend to do. They think more of themselves than they ought to because they haven't recognized their sin and desperate need for a Savior. When they do come to us questioning what it is that's different – how we've endured with grace through a difficult situation – we need to blow them away with what our God has done for us. Then just perhaps, there will exist no more spirit in them, so that they can then be filled with the True Spirit.