Joel M Bradshaw

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…3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. …9Praise 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.”–1 Kings 10

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

1. Many believe that Ancient Sheba was part of the Arabian peninsula or (across the Red Sea) Ethiopia.
2. Though I am nowhere near as smart as Solomon, I occasionally have cups of coffee with individuals who just want to ask me questions about the Bible or about theology. You might also get those moments, from time to time. That seemed to be the Queen’s plan.
3. Long ago, I remember reading a children’s book about this moment. 1000 fake flowers were put into a room and 1 real one, all looking the same. Could Solomon quickly locate the real flower? And so he released a honey bee into the room, and the bee flew around, but only landed on the genuine flower.
4. I like how the Queen cared about Solomon’s relationship with God.
5. She even (rightfully) gave God credit for Solomon’s splendor.
6. Praise be to the Lord YOUR God. She celebrated a God who was not her own. It’s like what Jesus said in the above Matthew verse taking about YOUR Father.
7. Do you live in such a way that even non Christians notice and praise God? May the way you live your life be refreshingly different than the world around you. Many are divided over politics or the news and make it their life to post an opinion. Be different and joyful even in this broken world. Let your light shine and others will notice.–JMB