Journey Thru The Bible! (1 Kings 10 - 13)

Click on the above Scripture to read today's Bible text!

Here are a few lessons we can learn from today's Bible teaching...

1) God invests gifts and talents within us to bring honor to His name! As the queen of Sheba observed the great wisdom God gave to Solomon, as well as the fabulous results it produced throughout the Kingdom, she gave glory to God (10:9)! In fact, the Bible says in 10:1 that Solomon's fame (which was brought on by his wisdom) "brought honor to the name of the Lord." That's why God allowed Solomon to enjoy such a wonderful gift from Him. He knew it would bring honor to Himself throughout the entire world.

Although God gave Solomon an overabundance of wisdom, He has also gifted you as well. His purpose in doing so is to work in you and through you and to display His glory to others through the gifts and talents He has so generously bestowed upon you. You might not think you're very gifted at anything, but He has gifted you!

Have you discovered what it is yet? As a matter of being a good manager of what God has given you, it would be a good idea to discover the gift or gifts that you have, and then use them for His glory!

2) According to Ethiopian tradition and teaching, there are many who think that Solomon may have had a sexual encounter with the Queen of Sheba who eventually gave birth to a son named Menelik 1. However, in the biblical passages there is no hint of love or sexual attraction between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The two are depicted merely as fellow monarchs engaged in the affairs of state.

There are many different ideas as to who the Queen of Sheba may have been, however most of them tend to believe she was from Ethiopia. Jesus referred to her in Matthew 12 as the "Queen of the South." In Ethiopia, she was known to the Ethiopian people as Makeda (mākidā), and she has been called a variety of names by different peoples in different times. To King Solomon of Israel she was the Queen of Sheba. In Islamic tradition she was Balqis. The Roman historian Josephus calls her Nicaule.

3) Don't be married to an unbeliever! It's sad to see how in chapter 11 and 12 Solomon's heart is turned away from being completely faithful to the Lord due to the intermarrying of wives of different faiths! The Bible says that "the Lord clearly instructed the people of Israel, 'You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.'" God knows the power of a woman's sway! Unfortunately, Solomon wasn't listening! It goes on to say, "yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway...and in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord."

This ought to be a good lesson for every young person to learn from! Marrying an unbeliever can have a tragic effect on someone's life...and their marriage! That's why the apostle Paul urged the Christians in his day "do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers."

Well, that's all I have time for now. May the Lord's blessings be upon you today!