1 Kings 10 1When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. In this era, queens were commonplace. There were queens presiding in Assyria, Egypt, and Yemen (Southern Arabia)- where The Queen of Sheba, also known as Sabea, came from. As the scripture tells us, she was drawn to Solomon because the king had become not only regionally famous, but famous throughout the world for a land that was rich and prosperous. People were also drawn to his wisdom.
2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
This trip would not have been an easy one. It was about 1500 miles from Yemen to Jerusalem. Sheba also comes with a great caravan of spices, gold and precious stone. This implies that she was coming to Solomon not just out of curiosity but to trade with him. Southern Arabia would was known for its wealth of spices.
She also comes seeking wisdom. We don’t know the questions she had, but this is at the apex of Israel’s wealth and fame. So it is entirely possible that she not only traveled to trade, but also to seek the wisdom of this well-known king. After all, Solomon is in control of the Gulf of Aquabah, which is the north/south Arabian trade route. Because of his tremendous wealth the queen, who is very wealthy herself, is overwhelmed.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 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. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
The Queen of Sheba, in essence, is a seeker. She came seeking one thing (perhaps politically motivated) but left with something far greater. Solomon proves to her the opulence of the kingdom. But he also proves the God-given wisdom that underlays everything God has provided. The queen understands this now and praises God for it.
10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.) 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
The Queen of Sheba rewards Solomon greatly for the wisdom shared. She gives Israel an amount of spices that is never again equalled. In turn, Solomon gives her what she desires and she returns to her country.
This is all we hear from The Queen of Sheba in scripture. But there is a popular myth that has circulated through the centuries, which involves The Queen of Sheba and an offspring of Solomon:
Queen Sheba travels to Israel for Solomon’s wisdom, but also in the hopes of healing. She has a cloven foot. She asks for Solomon’s healing and he polished the floor to a mirror shine. When she sees the reflection, she is healed. She tests his wisdom and is completely overwhelmed by it. In turn, Solomon teaches her about God and she becomes a follower.
The Queen of Sheba remains as a guest, but demands that Solomon does not touch her. Solomon demands that she take nothing from him. One night, she is thirsty and goes for water. Because she takes his water, the agreement is broken. Now he can touch her. They spend the night together and front reunion a son is produced. His name is Menelik. Menelik grows up and eventually wants to know his father. So he travels to Israel. But when he returns, he returns with the Ark of the Covenant. The myth concludes that the Ark remains in Ethiopia to this day.
Although this seems like it could be true, it isn’t biblically supported. Until the Ark is found, it is simply a myth.
Solomon’s Splendor 14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories. 16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[g] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
One way we can track the beginning of Solomon’s demise is in this passage. First, when looking at this passage from an historical standpoint, 666 talents yearly, not including other sources of revenue, is an incredible amount of money. Some have gauged it at around $300,000,000, others have ratcheted it all the way to 1 billion. The point is that Solomon’s kingdom is extraordinarily wealthy.
At this point, Israel has reached the plateau of its fame, wealth and size. Israel would begin to shrink its borders, it would begin to lose some of its riches, and Solomon would fall in popularity before the eventual division of his kingdom.
One way we can tell that the tide has turned in his kingdom is the number 666. Of course, we know this is the number associated with the AntiChrist (Rev. 13:18). This is the only other place the number appears in the bible. It points to the idea that Solomon is beginning to be corrupted by the riches of his kingdom. God told him that besides wisdom, he would also give him wealth and honor (1 Kings 3:14). Now, it appears, something is amiss.
666 is also notable because it falls short of the number of perfection, 7. It tells us that Solomon is beginning to slip, both spiritually and inside the vast riches of his surroundings. We will further see that in the next verse.
Verse16: The king requisitions a vast number of shields. This seems completely in line for a king to order. After all, his soldiers need proper protection. But is gold a good material for a shield? It’s not. In fact, what we learn is that Solomon is using his great wealth for his own vanity. He’s hanging the shields in his palace. Maybe this is to remind him of the many military victories he had? No again. Solomon’s splendor is beginning to reflect back on him.
18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
Solomon continues his extravagance. He builds a tremendous throne. Not only is an opulent throne constructed, but his very goblets and household articles are also made of gold. Gold is so abundant and valuable that silver is almost worthless! Beyond that, the riches kept flowing, and Solomon even imported apes and baboons to live in Israel.
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. 26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[j]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
Solomon has accumulated world-wide fame. Kings from all nations come to him for wisdom. But as you’ll see, something here has changed: they bring gifts. First, Solomon shared his wisdom openly. Second, he shared it in conjunction with trade (as with the Queen of Sheba). But now, he is accepting gifts for his wisdom, trading the great knowledge that God has adorned him with for personal enrichment.
God has undoubtedly fulfilled the promise He made to Solomon in 1 Kings 3:13. But is Solomon keeping his part of the bargain? You’ll notice, if you read the entire covenant (1 Kings 3:13-14), you’ll see something interesting:
13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”
A covenant always has two agreeing parties. In computer terms, it carries an If/Then statement. In Solomon’s case, God promises a long life if he continues his obedience to God. The question remains, however, is his obedience solid? When we go to Deuteronomy 17:14-20, we get another clue:
The King 14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
This passage, written by the hand of Moses, is an important piece to the puzzle. Solomon, a man of God, would certainly have know about this scripture. It was set up, for a time long after Moses, when God already knew the Israelites would demand kings. So God set up a system in which the king should operate.
1.Appoint a king that God has chosen. Solomon is a king, appointed by God (1 Kings 1:29-30). 2.He is an Israelite. 3.The king must not acquire a great number of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “you are not to go back that way again.” Here begins the issue. 1 Kings 10:28 tells us that Solomon does that very thing. Why is it such an issue? Because acquisition of excess can become an idol. Idolatry simply means that something is between you and God. The object (idol) becomes more important. Secondly, God specifically commands not to have any business with Egypt. That is where the Israelites were slaves for over 400 years. You’ll notice in scripture, when dealing with the Israelites, God puts stringent controls on them to keep to themself. They aren’t to marry or deal with certain peoples. This isn’t racism; its protection of their faith. When the Israelites (and we) dabble with people, and in places we shouldn’t, it causes us to stray from God. 4.Verse 17: He is not to acquire many wives. Why? Again, his heart will be led astray. The king could easily forget about the humility he is to rule with and find another pleasure to indulge in. This is particularly a problem for Solomon. In the next chapter, we will see exactly how many wives he has. 5.Verse 17: He must not accumulate much gold and silver: As we’ve seen, Solomon has already done this. God provided, but what we see in this chapter is that he is beginning to keep some for himself, bask in his own perceived glory. 6.Verse 18-20: We don’t know if Solomon was doing this, but if he was, he slipped into a superficial relationship with God. That is the best scenario, because the other option is that he disregarded the scripture completely. He would have known this from David (1 Kings 2:1-4).