The Queen of Sheba, Pt. 3

Matthew 12:42 “The queen of the South [the Queen of Sheba] will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.”

In Matthew 12, the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign. In rebuking them, Jesus said that the Queen of Sheba will rise up in the end times to rebuke and bring judgment against those who were in the very presence of God and rejected Him. She went 1,200 miles to see Solomon—ultimately a mere man—and they had Jesus right in their midst!

What does that say to us?

Author Tom Ascot writes: “…[T]he queen of the South is not only an example worth emulating, she also is an indictment on many who have spiritual privileges and opportunities that exceed what she possessed. In her we see a great response to very little opportunity whereas too often today we see very little response to great opportunities.”

I don’t want to be rebuked by the Queen of Sheba at the end of time. But I confess I’m guilty—how greatly do I treasure God’s word? Or His chosen ways of connecting with us, such as through His Word, worship and prayer? The Bible is a treasure trove of revelation and blessing. Prayer isn’t an exercise—it’s being in the presence of the most amazing Person ever! Worship is getting to share in the praise and honor going on in eternity around the throne of God!

Have you ever thanked God we live now instead of in Old Testament times? We have the Holy Spirit living within our hearts! How the old prophets would have treasured that opportunity!

Solomon was the greatest king of his time, the epitome of wisdom in the eyes of Israel. We have a greater than Solomon available to us!

Solomon could provide answers to difficult questions. Jesus doesn’t just have the answer—He is the answer!

And in perhaps the greatest of all contrasts, The Queen of Sheba went to great pains to get to Solomon. God went through great pains—literally and figuratively, to come to us!

In the last day, our flimsy excuses for why the scriptures don’t excite us, or how inconvenient it is to get to church on time, or our preferring one preacher’s or worship leader’s style over another’s—that won’t need to be rebuked by Jesus. One look from the Queen of Sheba will do it all.

Instead of an indictment, let’s receive the Queen as a model for us. The pains she took to get to Solomon, the time spent, the expectations—she was rewarded for all of that with answers and a vision of kingship and worship that overwhelmed her. She was gifted not only with answers to her deepest questions, but with a permanent change of perspective.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for this example. The Queen knew what she had to do and where she had to go to find what she was seeking. I know, too. Help me to have her drive and expectation for the greater treasures that lay on the other side of my seeking You.