Praise for God’s Lavish Grace

2 Chronicles 9:1-12

    1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 2 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her. 3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.

    5 Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 6 However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. 7 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

    9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

    10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 And the king made walkways of the algum wood for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.

    12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

The Queen of Sheba praised the grace of LORD God of Solomon after hearing of his fame of God-given wisdom and abundance.  She came with a myriad of difficult questions, no doubt of deep philosophical and spiritual conundrums which other wise men would have difficulty to answer.  She poured out all these mysterious wonderings that filled her heart and mind, not expecting to have them all explained; but she was quite wrong because she did not know the majesty and extent of the wisdom given to king Solomon by God as more than any man to walk the earth who ruled as king (Matthew 12:42, Luke 11:31).  It was not until the descendant of His in the flesh who was also the same God who gave this wisdom came and walked among us that one far greater was heard.  It was God Himself who spoke to us as the Messiah whose infinite wisdom (Romans 9:5, Hebrews 1:1-4) fueled Solomon and who spoke so much wiser to us directly without another intermediate.  He is the wisdom and living Word of God, the one who gave Solomon a great measure of His wisdom, but nowhere near to His own.  Yet the ruler of Sheba was brought low in awe of that wisdom given to a man, and lavished expensive gifts on him; then the king did the unthinkable, he lavished more gifts on her.  This grace and witness of that wisdom she took back to her people in awe.  Likewise, we in Christ are in awe of such mercy and grace in His wisdom of the saving work of the cross, the wisdom written down and explained in the scriptures of His New Testament in blood, and the proof of the resurrection out of death to life in both body and spirit.  This is the certain hope by God’s wisdom far exceeding the magnificence of the mortal Solomon.  We can now reflect and meditate on His wise words and infinite grace in His work spoken and demonstrated to us as recorded for us in the written account and exposition of that divine wisdom.  May our hearts far exceed the wonder and awe that the Queen of Sheba knew.  Let us therefore praise God’s lavish grace in Christ!