You won't know my name, but I want you to know something about me. I came to Jerusalem from Saba in southwestern Arabia. My purpose was to work out a trade zone demarcation and alliance. And more than that, I also wanted to investigate what I had heard about Solomon, Israel's wisest and wealthiest king.
My journey by camel caravan was approximately 1,200 miles. We went through the Arabian Desert, across the land of Moab and into Jerusalem. You can read about our caravan in I Kings 10:2, as a "very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones." I brought Solomon 120 talents of gold, and he exchanged generously with me as well. I knew that King Solomon derived a large part of his revenue from the traffic of spice merchants, tolls, dues, and iron and copper mines. Rulers from far and wide sought to learn about Solomon's wisdom. Others sent ambassadors, but I chose to go myself.
When I reached Jerusalem, the magnificence of his palace and other public buildings surpassed my expectations. My comments were recorded, "I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me" (I Kings 10:7).
Something else impressed me, and that was Solomon's wisdom and ability to answer hard questions.
Many legends have already grown around my visit, and there are sure to be more for you to hear.
I wonder . . . when 30 centuries pass, and you read about me . . . I hope you will say that THE QUEEN OF SHEBA lives on as a woman whose spirit of adventure and whose resourcefulness, courage, and curiosity have not been surpassed by any queen in history. And at least I think you will agree that my sense of good public and international relations is unparalleled among the women of the Bible.
Copyright ©2004. Beverly Whitaker
[You can read about the Queen of Sheba, also called the Queen of the South, in I Kings, II Chronicles, and in references by Jesus Christ in Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31. And she is memorialized in art, music, and literature.]
The Queen of Sheba
I Kings 10:1, 4, 10, 13 – II Chron. 9:1, 3, 9, 12 –
Matthew 12:42 – Luke 11:31
Matthew 12:42 – Luke 11:31
