The Queen of Sheba — The Woman Who Made History

And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts of thy wisdom... And behold, the half was not told me (I Kings 10: 6, 7).

   When we read of the Queen of Sheba there immediately arises the question of the historicity of the narrative. Was the Queen of Sheba a real person? The allegation has been made that this story is a myth. In my student days I read a statement by a prominent professor saying, "The Queen of Sheba is a myth. There was no Sheba and there could have been no Queen of Sheba." Many other like statements have been made concerning the Bible. It was said that Moses could not have written the Pentateuch because there was no writing in Moses' day and that Abraham was not an individual but a tribe and the flood was impossible for there were no evidences of the flood. All these statements have been disproved by archaeology. Writing existed at least 1500 years before Moses and tablets from a library in Erech are in the British Museum. The fact of the flood has been fully proved by the University of Pennsylvania expedition in Ur of Chaldee. The greatest living American archaeologist and authority on antiquity W.F. Albright of Johns Hopkins, declared that Abraham was an historic person.

   In the year 1950, an expedition was conducted by Mr. Wendell Phillips, President of the American Foundation for the Study of Man, into modern Yemen in Arabia, the site of four ancient kingdoms, Na'in, Hadhramaut, Quatavan and

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Sheba. The American Foundation for the Study of Man has directors such as Admiral Nimitz, Lowell Thomas and other outstanding people. The expedition was composed of 15 members who included Professor W.F. Albright of Johns Hopkins, Dr. Charles Inge of Aden, Director of Antiquities, Professor Alexander Honeyman of the Oriental Studies of Scotland's St. Andrews University, Professor Albert Jamme of Oriental Studies at Tunis University and Dr. Friso Heybroek, geologist from The Hague, as well as other prominent scholars. The expedition was conducted in the Wadi Beiham, the site of Timnah, capital of the ancient kingdom and an important city of the period about 1000 B.C. The expedition was equipped with the most modern pushbutton technical material and was conducted under the protection of the British and Sheriff Hussein of modern Yemen. The conclusions of the expedition confirmed in every detail the high civilization, culture, trade and condition which existed in Sheba at the very time the Bible says the Queen came to Solomon.

   In addition to this, we have the testimony of Jesus (Luke 11:31). Jesus spoke of the Queen of Sheba as an historical person. Either Jesus was in error or the Queen of Sheba was a real character who had deep desire for a knowledge of the true God and came this long journey to interrogate Solomon, of whose wisdom concerning the name of the Lord she had heard.

A WOMAN WHO WAS INTERESTED IN THE TRUTH

   In her own country of Sheba, the Queen had heard the report concerning Solomon. Perhaps we should have a description of this country of Sheba. It was located in the south western part of Arabia between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. In ancient times, it was called Sabea, then Arabia Felix and today Yemen. It is about as large as Texas and it is noted for its magnificent scenery. Through the center of the area ran a chain of mountains with beautiful and fertile valleys on both sides, irrigated by mountain streams and producing the finest fruits and spices in the world. It was called the region of

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Balsamic trees which yielded their gums for spices to be sent to all parts of the world. The citrus fruits included oranges and lemons and in addition were raised fine apricots, world famous Mocca coffee and some of the finest grain. Birds of fair plumage came from far and wide to roost in the cinnamon trees.

   Wendell Phillips, of the American Foundation for the Study of Man, said, "The wealth from southern Arabia incense trains supported the economy of four important kingdoms for more than a thousand years. The camel caravans coursed slowly and in great numbers from the incense forest in Hadhramaut, north, through the length of Arabia... They returned almost as heavily laden with gold and silver from Egypt, Greece and finally Rome." One can reconstruct in his imagination this picture of green fields, irrigated valleys, forest of trees, fragrant flowers, sweet fruit, wealth from spices and general beauty which marked the area. In the excavation at Timnah statues and inscriptions of a highly cultured order revealed that Timnah existed as a leading city and was destroyed approximately 50 B.C., about 2000 years ago.

   The dissemination of information concerning Solomon came to Sheba through commerce. We read that Solomon's own ships went to Tarshish, which is Spain, and to Opher, which probably is India. They brought back peacocks, apes and much gold. Those on their way to India must have passed down the Gulf of Akaba through the Red Sea, into the Indian Ocean. Hence, they went right by the shores of Yemen and it would be very easy for reports of Solomon's wealth, wisdom and way of life resulting from his worship of the true God of  heaven to reach the Queen of Sheba (I King 10:6).

   If we are to take the parallel established by Jesus between the coming of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon and the coming of people unto Him, who was greater than Solomon, then we also have the parallel in the method of dissemination of the truth. You have heard concerning Christ's deity manifested by His pre-existence, His virgin birth, His sinlessness, His teaching, His miracles and His incarnate life. You have heard concerning His life, death on the cross as an atonement for our

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sins and His resurrection for our justification. You have heard of His ascension to the right hand of the Father, His ministry of intercession, as Mediator between God and man, and His imminent second coming in power and glory to judge the quick and the dead. Hence, you know far more about one greater than Solomon than this Queen of Sheba ever knew about this king of antiquity.

   One may easily understand the reluctance of the Queen to believe these things about anybody. She was wealthy, cultured and probably well versed in the knowledge of the day, so that she had a native inability to believe what she heard about Solomon. When these merchants, either from her camel trains or from the passing ships, came to Sheba she summoned them before her presence to testify of the things that they had heard and learned concerning Solomon and his glory. Perhaps you also have found the Gospel incredible when you first heard of it. The news is so wonderful as to be unbelievable. To learn that God loves you, that God Himself came into the world to be your Redeemer, that God died on the cross for you and rose again from the dead to deliver you from sin and death is truly incredible. Yet these facts of the Gospel create in us a desire to hear more, to know firsthand, to investigate for ourselves and not to depend upon the reports of others. Have you had aroused in you a desire for proof for the existence of God, for evidences of the incarnation, for the dependability of the New Testament records, for the credibility of the miracles, for the possibility of prayer which changes things in the world, for assurance concerning your own dead loved ones?

   This Queen of Sheba resolved that she would go and see for herself. She was so interested, so disturbed, so curious, so hungry that she determined she would not depend upon the reports of others; she would investigate on her own. This is exactly what Jesus wanted the people of His generation to do; namely, to come to Him, to learn of Him and to be saved by Him. He stood up at the feast and said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living

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water" (John 7:37, 38); " I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12); "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (14:6). As a result, as many as received Him, to them gave He authority to become the sons of God (John 1:12). Such included Matthew, the publican; Mary Magdalene, the demon possessed; Nicodemus, the Pharisee; Joseph of Arimathea, a ruler in Israel; and Zacchaeus, the outcast.

   This is the practice which is urged in Scripture. The Bible says, "Come and see"; "O taste and see that the Lord is good"; "Prove me now herewith..."; and, "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." The resolve to see for oneself is a proper resolve.

THE WOMAN INVESTIGATED FOR HERSELF

   The Queen of Sheba made her journey to Jerusalem from the uttermost part of the earth. The text says she came "with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones." The pomp of this train was very impressive. It was attended by hundreds of guards, by officials of the kingdom, by ladies in waiting, by slaves attending the camels bearing the burdens, by all that was necessary to transport the great wealth she was bringing from her prosperous kingdom. Wendell Phillips said, "The Queen of Sheba's trip to Jerusalem, about 950 B.C., coincided with the greatest expansion of camel caravan trade in ancient history, and it is more than likely that she as head of south Arabia's wealthiest and most powerful state, made the trip to help establish the trade route, as well as to see Solomon." Hers was a long journey. Jesus said, "She came from the uttermost part of the earth." Sheba was between 900 and 1000 miles from Jerusalem as the crow flies, but on foot, through the mountains, valleys and deserts it would be much further and involved a journey of weeks if not months. Yet all this the Queen did seeking to learn from Solomon the ways concerning the name of the Lord. God's promise is that all who make an effort to find God

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and the truth will be rewarded by an answer, but these seekers must be driven by an inner hunger.

   Out in Taylor University, Indiana, there is a memorial to Sammy Morris. Sammy was born in the heart of Africa and was taken as a slave. He was terribly maltreated and finally he escaped. He had heard about some missionaries and he made his way to the mission station. There he was received as one who worked and ultimately as one who attended school. He learned to read and write. He learned about the Bible and with an insatiable hunger he pursued the study of Christian truth. He wanted to know most of all about the Holy Spirit. Finally, the missionaries told him all that they knew, but he still wanted to know more. Then they declared that he would have to go to New York to meet Stephen Merritt. So Sammy prayed about this and offered himself to every ship that came into port. Finally he was signed on as a cabin boy and taken to New York. Arriving there, he asked to see Stephen Merritt. In the providence of God, he met someone who knew Stephen Merritt and he was led to him. Stephen Merritt told him all that he knew about the Holy Spirit and then sent him out to Taylor University in Indiana. There he became a great inspiration to the students and to all who knew him until finally he took sick and died. Literally thousands have been inspired by the life of Sammy Morris. Sammy was hungry for God and he sought until he found Him.

   When the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem to Solomon we read "she communed with him of all that was in her heart." Considering this negatively, we may remark that it was not from curiosity, it was not as a receiver of gifts, and it was not for matrimony. Her interest was deeper than her curiousity. She came bringing $3,250,000 in gold as a gift to Solomon, in addition to invaluable spices and precious stones. She did not have in mind a political marriage which was so common in those days. Positively, she came to seek his wisdom and not his worldly wisdom, but that which begins in the fear of the Lord. The introduction to the Queen of Sheba declares that she was interested in "the name of the Lord." She came to

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prove Solomon with hard questions because she loved the truth and she sought it in all of its parts. In her we have one who deserves to rank with Socrates in a sincere search for the truth and in his obedience to it. There is nothing wrong in asking questions concerning God and the truth. Remember that the truth is of God and wherever you find the truth you are finding that which belongs to God.

   Undoubtedly the word of the approach of this caravan train was given to Solomon and he prepared himself for the arrival of the Queen and her retinue. Upon her arrival she observed all that pertained to Solomon, "the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord." Solomon's table was served with 30 stall-fed oxen, 200 fat sheep innumerable deer and fowl daily. When I want to give a dinner to a dozen or more of my friends, if I can afford it I get a rib roast. This is quite an indulgence. Imagine what 30 stall-fed oxen per day would mean. Solomon had graced that balustrades of his balconies and the approach of his temple with almug trees which were sandalwood brought from India and when polished were as white as silver. No such almug trees were ever seen again as those which were brought and placed in the temple and palace area of Solomon. Solomon had made the house of the forest of Lebanon in which he had 200 targets of beaten gold around the walls and 300 shields of beaten gold hanging on the walls. He had a temple which, computed according to the requirements of what went into it in addition to the preparations David made before his death, would amount to $2,000,000,000 in our present money. And he had a magnificent palace. Solomon's throne was made of ivory covered with gold. It had six steps on it and on each side of a step was a lion covered with gold and there was not the like of it in any kingdom. Solomon's drinking vessels were all of gold, and silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. All this the Queen of Sheba observed.

   While being entertained by Solomon they conversed of

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botany, for Solomon could speak of the "trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall." He was well versed in all matters of nature. They spoke of zoology, talked of "beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes." Solomon was well versed in the things of biology. They talked of geology, for Solomon was an expert in reference to precious stones and metal and expanded the finding of them very widely. In addition, they spoke of the true wisdom which begins in "the fear of the Lord." Solomon told her of the creation of man and of the world. He discoursed upon the stars, calling them by name. He explained to her the fall of man, the promise made to the seed of the woman, the giving of the law, the institution of sacrifice to betoken atonement, the promised Messiah and the establishment of the kingdom of God under the lion of the tribe of Judah.

   The conclusion to their conversation was that "there was no more spirit in her." She was convicted of her own insignificance and her ignorance in comparison with Solomon. Here we get a picture of how we feel in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The closer we come to Him, the larger He grows. The more we know about Him, the more there is to know. The more of His truth we apprehend, the more we recognize there is to apprehend and we know our insignificance. The Queen of Sheba was converted. She said, "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom." It surpassed all that she had heard and she humbled herself in its presence. Who is there who can tell the glory, the beauty, the wealth, the grace, the power and the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ? It is far beyond all reports that we have received. Therefore, the Queen of Sheba made a commitment. She said, "Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom." This was the conclusion of her investigation of those of us who come to Jesus Christ. We should be filled with joy and happiness that we can stand in His presence. There is no joy

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like knowing Him. We could say with the Queen of Sheba, now I know for myself.

A WOMAN WHO INHERITED TRUTH'S BLESSING

   The Queen of Sheba received religious truth. She said, "Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever." Her contact with Solomon led her thoughts to God. What a testimony this was of Solomon and of his way of discourse with the Queen of Sheba. How this should put us in judgment and condemnation because of our failure to discourse adequately concerning our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. She had the concept of God's love and sovereignty in appointing Solomon as king over Israel forever. Can we not see the parallel in the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ to the church forever? Hence, the Queen of Sheba conferred her valuable gifts upon Solomon as the representative of God. She gave him a gift of three and a quarter million dollars in gold, of unparalleled precious spices and of precious stones that had been mined in the mountains of Hadhramaut.

   In return, she received of the royal bounty, "King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire" (I Kings 10:13). The desire of the Queen of Sheba as mentioned in this chapter of Scripture was knowledge of the Lord. The Queen of Sheba came desiring to know God and Solomon led her heart to be satisfied in the Lord God. He gave her a full answer to all her questions, "whatsoever she asked." And beside, he gave her many gifts from the royal bounty. Thus we may see that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to answer our questions and God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.

   This Queen returned the long journey from Jerusalem to Sheba a changed woman who could never again be the same.

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She had come in contact with a man who had lifted her thoughts to the Lord and had satisfied the hunger of her heart in the knowledge of God.

   Jesus tells us that in Himself a greater than Solomon is here. We have all the information necessary to come to Him and to receive the answers to our questions. Whether we have that answer or not depends upon the response which we make. His approval is pronounced upon those who come in faith and sincerity.

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