The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Kings 10:6-7,
"She [the queen of Sheba] said to the king [Solomon], 'The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard."
The queen of Sheba was simply overwhelmed as she observed the wealth, the majesty, all the trappings of the great monarchy and the wisdom of Solomon. Solomon was truly blessed by the Lord and as the queen heard of it she decided to go see it for herself.
She was not disappointed. All she heard was true and then some. When she saw what she did of Solomon, she exclaimed that what she had heard, what had prompted her to go and see for herself, was not even half of what she saw.
What she did see was the exquisite trappings of the king of God's covenanted people, a man blessed beyond any other with wealth and wisdom.
What catches my eye this morning is that the queen had heard something that prompted her to make the arduous trip to go see for herself if what she was hearing was true. She must have been tantalized by the reports she was hearing about Solomon.
While we are not Solomon, while we do not hold the throne over God's covenanted people, while we do not have the wisdom Solomon had or the wealth with all its trappings, we do have something quite remarkable.
We read of the things the Lord is building in our lives in passages like Galatians 5:22-23, "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." These things in themselves are rare among sinful and fallen mankind. And, the thing is, we all yearn for the opportunity to be around those who manifest such wonderful qualities. Passages such as Proverbs 19:22 tell us about the desires we all have for those who display such qualities, "What a person desires is unfailing love..." The reason for this, of course, is that we all were created to have a relationship with our God whose personality is marked by these very kinds of things.
So, my thoughts go back to the queen. She heard things about Solomon that prompted her to go see for herself. Since people are drawn to the wonderful nature of Jesus Christ, to hear of those who manifest those same qualities built into their lives by him, I suspect many might be interested to see for themselves. I believe this is the principle that Peter had in mind when he said, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15. Peter also said, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12.
What the queen heard of Solomon was true. What do the folks around us hear about us, see in us? Are we drawing interest in the Lord by the things seen in our lives? The hope we have and the wonderful qualities God builds into us as he conforms us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ, Romans 8:29?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"She [the queen of Sheba] said to the king [Solomon], 'The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard."
The queen of Sheba was simply overwhelmed as she observed the wealth, the majesty, all the trappings of the great monarchy and the wisdom of Solomon. Solomon was truly blessed by the Lord and as the queen heard of it she decided to go see it for herself.
She was not disappointed. All she heard was true and then some. When she saw what she did of Solomon, she exclaimed that what she had heard, what had prompted her to go and see for herself, was not even half of what she saw.
What she did see was the exquisite trappings of the king of God's covenanted people, a man blessed beyond any other with wealth and wisdom.
What catches my eye this morning is that the queen had heard something that prompted her to make the arduous trip to go see for herself if what she was hearing was true. She must have been tantalized by the reports she was hearing about Solomon.
While we are not Solomon, while we do not hold the throne over God's covenanted people, while we do not have the wisdom Solomon had or the wealth with all its trappings, we do have something quite remarkable.
We read of the things the Lord is building in our lives in passages like Galatians 5:22-23, "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." These things in themselves are rare among sinful and fallen mankind. And, the thing is, we all yearn for the opportunity to be around those who manifest such wonderful qualities. Passages such as Proverbs 19:22 tell us about the desires we all have for those who display such qualities, "What a person desires is unfailing love..." The reason for this, of course, is that we all were created to have a relationship with our God whose personality is marked by these very kinds of things.
So, my thoughts go back to the queen. She heard things about Solomon that prompted her to go see for herself. Since people are drawn to the wonderful nature of Jesus Christ, to hear of those who manifest those same qualities built into their lives by him, I suspect many might be interested to see for themselves. I believe this is the principle that Peter had in mind when he said, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15. Peter also said, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12.
What the queen heard of Solomon was true. What do the folks around us hear about us, see in us? Are we drawing interest in the Lord by the things seen in our lives? The hope we have and the wonderful qualities God builds into us as he conforms us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ, Romans 8:29?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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