9:1 A prominent queen from a southern nation, queen of Sheba, traveled to meet with Solomon because of all that she had heard about him. The success of Israel and the wisdom of their king spread far and wide; the queen of Sheba traveled with the intention of questioning Solomon and discerning for herself whether his qualities were fact or fiction.
9:2 Solomon was able to answer all of the queen's questions. God had gifted Solomon wisdom many years before; Solomon had anticipated that it would be a benefit for him to be a wise king, able to lead the people with skill and deal with other nations diplomatically.
The queen did not, could not deny Solomon's wisdom. We do not know the content of their conversation but considering that the hearts of humans do not change (we always have personal and national existential questions) we can guess that Solomon was able to give her peace by the word of God. After all, Israel's success was due entirely to their adherence to God's instruction.
The queen traveled to have her questions answered. Similarly do we travel on a journey of faith. God answers our questions throughout the journey. In the Old Testament, people looked to their kinds for leadership. The New Testament encourages us to look to God's complete leadership. The queen of Sheba had the fortune of a private audience with the wisest man alive; we have the private audience of the creator of the universe! Wisdom Itself. The benefits of such (utilized) access are inevitable as well as undeniable.
9:3-4 Evidence of God's provision was all around her while she was in the kingdom of Israel: the house that Solomon had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel,..etc. Everywhere she looked, she saw an ordered and prosperous nation. Her own personal observation and experience was enough to convince her that Solomon's fame was indeed not fiction and his God was fact.
When we follow God faithfully, our own lives are a representation of God's care-taking abilities. People may not at first understand our faith or believe in our God but our well-being is undeniable. His light in our lives inspires others to seek out its source. The most effective preaching we can ever do is the manner in which we live our lives.
Being a christian is more important that proclaiming yourself so. Meaning that, your behavior and interactions have a more profound impact than the religious name you use to identify yourself. In fact, a lot of people are skeptical and even resistant to the mention of religion/spirituality; people might turn away from the name but they are far less likely to turn away from what it represents, being represented by your happy life.
9:5-8 Most apparent to the queen of Sheba: the happiness within the kingdom. The queen was skeptical of everything she had heard but the sheer abundance of joy within Israel exceeded the hype. It was evident to her that God loved His people. How sweet is it that the love and attention and nourishment God provides us is evident even to others? In your smile, in your life, in your ability hope and persevere people will see that God loves you.
People in the world want (and think they want) a lot of different things. Various are our aspirations: to be a dancer, a singer, a businessperson, a mother, a husband, an astronaut. But all of those things are wanted to achieve the same thing: happiness. The queen of Sheba found herself in a place where people had happiness regardless of their position in society. God's love supplemented every void they had felt, every desire they thought they needed. They were made happy by Him, and so can we be made.
God provides blessings; often we do receive the things we want (to be a husband, a dancer, a writer). But the real miracle is that even without those things, His light ensures happiness within us. Happiness during the whole journey of life: career, parenthood, childhood... whatever it is, the creator of the universe is creating happiness in you.
9:9-12 Solomon and the queen exchange gifts, a custom of diplomacy. But the queen departed with everything she wanted, everything she asked for, and much more than she expected. More than she gave to Solomon. God's children have so much to offer the world! Discipleship makes us strong and wise, brave and patient, tolerant and respectful, observation and meticulous; the skills He gifts us with and grows us with are tools He has given us to change the world.
9:13-28 Solomon was the most prosperous king of his generation and of all the kings before him. The inception of the kingdom exuded God's ability to provide and provide abundantly. Solomon was blessed with wisdom and wealth. This chapter omits what 1 Kings 11 focuses on: Solomon's downfall. Solomon allowed the gifts and opportunities God provided him to take God's place.
To whom much is given, much is expected... if we, like Solomon, pray for wisdom or anything else, we should only do so with the intention of handling the responsibility that will also come with it. A lot of things want desperately to be our master: the desires of our bodies, the desires of our minds, the desires of our hearts. We must shut them all out and allow only the Master of our soul to have authority. Because only He really knows and cares about what you want and need and only He is able to provide it, prepare you for it, sustain it.
9:29-31 We benefit from our perspective: reading about kings who existed thousands of years before us allows us to see how God's children have constantly fluctuated in faith. They were gathered and rescued and loved and provided for by God... and then they took their blessings for granted. And then they left God. Chaos and desolation ensued, personally and nationally. Then they would repent and repeat the process over and over again. We do not have to be caught in such a cycle anymore. From their example, we learn to have steadfast faith, faith that sustains.
