Solomon Saturday

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True Prudence: The Proverbs! The Preacher! The Song of Songs! As we ponder Heaven's order in human affairs....

inspired from Scriptures from the King James or New International Version Bible

BIBLE STUDY

SOLOMON & THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

August 28, 2010

"And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spice, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon."

--1Kings 10: 10

Solomon tells us in Proverbs 17:16, "Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?" Because he sought wisdom rather than worldly things, wealth, fame and honor, were given to Solomon by the Lord. The true meaning of money is that of means to ends. When the heart is set right, opportunities always present themselves. The fool is blind to life's meaning, wasting what he has instead of grasping opportunity within reach. The wise one makes the most of the best one can. The wise one sets himself up to cultivate what is there no matter how little there is to work with, makes use of the talents one has, reads books to expand one's horizons however limited one's library may be, the wise person uses what's there and does not neglect duties at hand or obsess over what is out of reach.

The Queen of Sheba endures a very long trip not fearing the hazards she may face, including robbers along the way, to seek a pearl of great price, wisdom and the truth, and brings to King Solomon many generous gifts including gold and jewels, and rare spices he needed, and other things not found in his homeland or the extended world known to him. Spices have a sweet odor and are used for cosmetics, medicine and healing, and food, and this was a tremendous gift the king received. Her munificence is unparalleled as no one in this land has ever seen such an abundance of real sweetness.

Solomon talks wisely about money in several passages in Proverbs. In 11:24-25 he tells us "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." If we would understand the paradox, that rather than hold onto as much as possible or focus any worry on money, when we give freely, and it can be our time, possessions and energy as well as money, God blesses and supplies us with more and there's is joy in true giving. Rich people who are prudent are benevolent.

Next Saturday:

"When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the offerings in the ascent he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed."

--2Chronicles 9:3-4

August 21, 2010

"Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God."

--2Chronicles 9:8

Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, as she is known in Ethiopia, is from the south, of Africa, or western Arabia, by the Red Sea. She is the bridge to understanding the Judaic laws interacting with the Islamic and their influence on Ethiopian and Christian culture. She realizes that God embraces all of us and God's love is eternal and shapes our destiny in life, "He has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness." she says to Solomon. She is humbled to learn from his wisdom. He is in awe of all she has to give. She is like the Magi following a star to Bethlehem to witness the birth of a future king wiser than them, and they show up with gifts of gold and spices. The fame of Solomon has spread to her land and she courageously sets out on a long and arduous trip with gifts of gold and spices, following a star seeking someone wiser than her. It is the road of adventure. Town after town, night after night, this first world wide tour begins. It's a hard trip with magnificent purpose. She is royalty crawling, like liberty on the back of a terrapin, hoisted on a carriage platform, with a caravan of camels come to meet Solomon's horses and donkey. Makeda is smart, beautiful, ornamental, courageous and a seeker of truth.

Solomon's wisdom comes at a young age after praying to God. Solomon builds the greatest ,most elaborate temple ever to God to house the same ten commandments we follow today. Solomon tells us " I believe God wants us to have a place to look towards, a place where we know he hears our prayers. The people of Israel have built this temple as the dwelling place for the God most high and as a resting place for this holy ark of the covenant. It is fitting that the laws given to Moses, by the Lord God himself, should be kept in his house forever. Grant Lord God that we keep your laws and please you in all that we do both from this day and forevermore. I pray you look kindly on this place and make it a house of prayer for all nations and all people."

August 14, 2010

"She said to the king, 'The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.'"

--2Chronicles 9:5-6

The Queen of Sheba came a long distance about three thousand years ago to visit the King in Jerusalem, Solomon, famous for his wisdom. She is courageous, familiar with the camel trading routes, and made the trip in about three years, accompanied by a cast of many. She is accomplished as ruler in her own land which encompasses Ethiopia. She is queen of the south, queen of the ends of the earth, queen of the scene. She is spiritual, knowledgeable, and this queen and the King know how to test each other. She worships the sun and moon, honors the stars, is a priestess in harmony with nature and is so swayed and overcome with passion for wisdom that she understands how universal God is and Solomon's connection. He's the son of David, and though they are imperfect as humans are, King Solomon and Sheba, as Balkis the queen is known, are the perfect duo who complement each other. Solomon could have any woman in the kingdom and had hundreds of wives but the beauty of Balkis is astounding, dark and radiant, braided hair and sparkling jewels, and they both are attracted to each other in a challenging way. Sheba is virtuous, spiritually inclined and a seeker of truth. They trade information and knowledge and are romantically linked in local gossip, acting like the two main characters in a series. He's not gonna conquer her in a one night stand.

Jesus is a descendant of Solomon and one day addresses the Pharisees and teachers of the law who ask him for a miraculous sign and he answers in Matthew 12 that those who repented, hearing the preaching of Jonah, and Sheba, "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 one greater than Solomon is here." She is worthy to judge the hypocrites, those masquerading as God's compatriots, these doubters, unbelievers, unrepentant, with cold minds and closed hearts. Sheba is full of faith and zeal and as a seeker of truth knows it when she finds it. She recognizes the truth about God when Solomon presents it to her, unlike these religious leaders of Jesus' generation who ignore the truth staring them in the face. She came from the uttermost parts of the earth. Rising up, this is the energy Sheba evokes. Getting up and looking forward to hear the wisdom of Solomon and not just a curiosity to see him! This is what Jesus is communicating about her. Solomon is a prophet listened to by a Gentile nation. His wisdom drew inquirers from the ends of the earth.

August 7, 2010

"Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?"

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the lord than sacrifice."

--Proverbs 22: 17-21; Proverbs 21:1-3

Incline your ear to listen to the sound, around the sight in focus, mind attentive to the sayings of the wise, apply these in your heart to know their good, and keep all pleasant things within thee, in mind and memory, and put your confidence in the Lord this day. Discover the fresh clear path that leads to understanding Divine truth.

"Pay attention!" "Listen!" he says to the wind, words of life that enable you, exhort you, strengthen you. Thirty sayings of beauty, of poetry with rhythm, evocative, emotional, clinging with light, calm, patient, flowing, going, growing, looking, connecting, changing, transforming, evolving into the natural fountain of wisdom and beauty. Solomon is tapped in to the Divine mind, stays in touch with the neighborhood men, and speaks with common sense, making fair judgments with knowledge and understanding, a royal king, equestrian, troubadour, architect, eloquent and artistic, creative in his literary responsibility.

There is Providence in human purpose. A guiding hand to hold our heart, happy inside where love cannot hide! As streams of water ripple and flow, courses of canals and trenches as rivers of life over the land, God made nature in harmony and balance.

Even we can be blinded by our own motives pondering our doings and plans and God weighs the intent of the heart, and paying attention, we can become enlightened by his holy Word.

God is pleased when we do right and speak the truth and worship in spirit. Equity and justice proceed from the golden rule of love. The one great work of Solomon's life was the erection of the great temple where sacrifices were offered to the Lord. Solomon understood the context of ceremony in the chambers of the heart. Samuel shares this view declaring in firm and powerful language, "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice ..." His father David is also filled with a deep sense of worship as he humbles his soul before God, his Strength, singing praises, recognizing his fortress is his loving God.

The heart of the powerful is in the hand of the Lord. We should always have hope that when we seek to "move the hand which moves the universe" and "turns the hearts of kings whithersoever" he will. As water springs he knows the courses.

The Queen of Sheba begins to understand her mission, and her destiny falls into place as she sees the hand of God directing the prudence of Solomon. Apply the teachings in your heart ready to speak them.

July 31, 2010

"There was never a king like Solomon

Not since the world began

Yet Solomon talked to a butterfly

As a man would talk to a man"

--Rudyard Kipling

"As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name-for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when he comes and prays before this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I built bears your Name."

--1Kings 8: 41-43

This is the way Solomon prayed. He has built the great temple and he becomes a testimony and example, kindly, human, helping, interceding on other's behalf, he empathizes with those in need and suffering among his people, and takes on the burden through prayer, more paternal than royal. The model king is one in heart and interest with those over whom he rules. Here the king prays more broadly pleading for "the stranger, the foreigner from a far country". In the Pentateuch, the Bible of their time, they were commanded not to "vex a stranger" but to "relieve his poverty" even to love him as God loves him. Numbers 15:16 says "One law and one manner shall be for you and for the stranger that sojourns with you." Solomon gave expression to the spirit of this dispensation when he thus prayed, "He is the God of the whole earth".

Solomon lived in a palace of gold. He had the power to move nations. He had great wealth, good health, unbelievable abundance, riches and fame, but these were not the things Solomon sought the most. He wanted wisdom and understanding, and God grants his wish and his mind is transformed with knowledge, common compassion and sense, spiritual insight, a keen mind, heart to God, and in tune with all of nature. He is calm in the sight of bees, learned to build with trees, watches the caterpillar change and approaches the butterfly with "Thank you" and "Please!", and sets his sights on the birds' flight and stars at night.

The Queen of Sheba is Arabic, and she is found in the Bible and in the Koran, and this is a time when Israel prospered, under the rule of King Solomon, befriending the nations to the farthest end of the earth, and they found mutual ground, something in common, honored their differences, loved the experience of the great things they were witnessing, got along as distant neighbors on one world, unraveled the babble, and began to understand the common kindness that is sown in us as love, and the reaping of salvation reaching within.

Solomon had great influence among the nations and in commerce. The Queen of Sheba came as a seeker, and with tremendous insight, marvels at Solomon witnessing to God's power and love for his people. The good times show God's love and faithfulness, but difficult times come to believers too, and we persevere with hope, steadfast in our love and faith. We can apply many of Solomon's lessons in our lives and his wisdom speaks to us in the Word preserved for us today.

July 24, 2010

"King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart."

--2Chronicles 9: 22-23

Solomon's wisdom is Divinely inspired. Balkis, the queen of Sheba, follows Solomon's fame seeking an audience with him to test him with hard questions and he responds with quick, versatile, innovative, natural examples, framed in light with "an understanding heart to judge the people and discern between good and evil." There is no hesitation in him for he is spiritually blessed with greater knowledge and deep understanding and insight. Wisdom is the power that discerns and utilizes the innermost truth of things, finds and practically applies whatever is essentially Divine. Solomon expresses this wisdom in many ways, including books, literary compositions, through history and science, and architectural undertakings. Proverbial is the Book of Proverbs. Poetic are his songs and psalms. Socratic, by question and answer, are like riddles-"dark sayings" and the interpretation thereof. The Queen of Sheba communes with him and shares what's in her heart. She remains amazed that all she has heard about Solomon's achievements and wisdom are true, exceeding all expectations she had, and her eyes are full of wonder at the splendor she beheld. Solomon's accomplishments and tales of his wisdom spread abroad through all countries and his fame attracts kings and queens to his court to hear his oracular insight, as well as to gaze upon his grandeur.

July 10, 2010

"When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 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 she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her....She said to the king, 'This 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.' "

--1Kings10: 1-7

Solomon is in his young thirties, famous for his wisdom and wit, his lavish wealth, his songs and wives. Much has been written about Balkis the Queen of Sheba, Queen of the South. They believed she came from the southernmost point of the then known world. She came to Jerusalem and hung out with Solomon. He's the wealthiest in the extreme sense, good-looking, who had the best of the best and most of the gold yet these were not the things he had sought. When God offered him a gift of his choosing he chose knowledge and wisdom and he was transformed into the wisest of all and these other blessings followed him. How many of you, given a wish for anything in the world, would ask for wisdom? Solomon's fame traveled the commercial world and the Queen of Sheba arrives in Jerusalem with gifts and caravans of followers and is greeted by a cart of Solomon's wives. Some of what's written about the Queen of Sheba is man's speculation but the truth of who she is can be found in the Bible and she is drawn to Solomon spiritually like a story from the Bible, and it would be an awesome study listening to Solomon's commentary. Balkis is different from his other visitors. She brings him gifts of things he has never seen, spices he is smelling for the first time; she is royalty seeking true wisdom and in awe of the magnified magnificent Solomon.

July 17, 2010

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb

Sweet to the soul and health to the bones."

Proverbs 16:24

A bit of kindness, a pleasant phrase, soothing comfort, a soft word, costs little yet means so much. The comparison with honey speaks across all cultures through every generation.

As a story goes, his father watches a swarm of bees covering the infant head of Ambrose in his cradle, and when the bees lifted they left a drop of honey on his lips, foreshadowing his future persuasive eloquence.

The honeybee is a symbol for work, industrious, pleasant, busy, cooperative, creative, orderly, and diligent. The honey produces a symbol of wisdom, sweetness, wealth, eloquence, and positive changes pleasing to the soul, and the senses, with healing characteristics. The Hebrew name for bees is connected to the word "speech". The true and righteous words of our Lord are said in the Bible to be "sweeter than honey" and the pleasant words of humans compares to the health-giving honeycomb. A sweet-talking person's lips "drip as the honeycomb" with honeyed tongues. The Bible refers to the Promised Land as a land of abundance "flowing with milk and honey."

St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, as I know of him, is the patron saint of beekeepers, bees, and candlemakers. He taught that the church is like a beehive, and the bees faithful, diligently storing up honey like treasure in heaven. The beehives represent a peaceful, cooperative community wisely ruled by one head, the Queenbee. The bee is also the emblem of Christ, like the sweetness produced by His eloquence and because His words may sting the sinner. When Jesus Christ, resurrected from the dead, appearing behind locked doors to his disciples, they thought they were seeing a ghost, even after He spoke to them and showed them his punctured hands and feet, they still did not believe it was him, until he ate a piece of fish and honeycomb, convincing them this was not a ghost, but the same man they saw die, now return in the flesh to life, fully alive.

Like the lion, bees represent vigilance. And because they store up honey, they are examples of thrift, banking and forethought.

During Biblical times. the bee was the emblem of Ephesus and the city's coins were minted with bees on their faces like the coin I have pictured here which is about 2200 years old.

Ambrose is known as the Honey-Tongued Doctor, bestowed upon him because of his speaking and preaching abilities. He is also a teacher, and a Bible student who converted and baptized St. Augustine, and was a great influence on the Roman emperor. Born to Roman nobility, he was a wealthy man who gave it away to the poor, serving up as an example to others. He was part of a chanting choir and wrote many hymns. Ambrose is a great orator, and a Christian universalist, who believes that all people shall eventually achieve salvation.

Love is magnanimous, and its eloquence sweet as honey. Solomon understood nature and drew wisdom from his surroundings. He wrote: "Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." A positive attitude, pleasant kind watchful words, can transform & heal us.