She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
The queen of Sheba heard reports of Solomon in her far-off country, and she turned the report into a journey. She arrives in Jerusalem with a loaded caravan and a heart full of questions. Commentators read the scene on two levels: a foreign ruler seeking God, and a picture of any soul coming to Christ.
Why a queen leaves her own kingdom
Nothing forced her to travel. She already had everything a person could want, and that was the problem:
The Christian's FriendThe queen of the south had all royal honours on her, and all royal resources around her. She could command the delights of the children of men, and clearly had the health and capacity to enjoy them. The world was at her disposal, but the world had left her with an aching, craving heart. She found no satisfaction in her royal position. Uneasy, she took a long, untried journey from the ends of the earth to Jerusalem. She went because she had heard of the wisdom of the king there, "concerning the name of the Lord."
Acting on a little light
All she had was a distant report. Another writer treats that report as the test of what was really in her:
J. G. BellettThere is something admirable in this. The state of the soul itself was tested. It proved the love of wisdom was in her heart, since a mere distant report about it moves her so much... Her heart was right. She had a desire for wisdom. Through that desire she could separate herself from her home and her kingdom, to seek wisdom at the distant feet of Solomon.
The camels and what they carried
The spices, gold and stones are not payment for services. They are the only fitting response to the person she is approaching:
H. L. RossierShe comes with a large company, bringing all the most precious things her kingdom can produce. She brings spices in such abundance as would never otherwise come to Jerusalem. She considers this great monarch worthy of all homage. Let us note here that it is fitting not only for a queen, but for the lowest of sinners, to approach Him with her perfume. The soul is not asking for a trade when she comes to Him. She can only present Him the homage that is His due.
Another writer weighs the gold she brought:
An Outline of Sound WordsHer tribute of gold, "120 talents," was a large one, probably weighing between six and nine tons. It was the measure of her appreciation of what she had seen in Solomon. Gold in Scripture speaks of divine righteousness and divine glory. This should challenge our poor hearts about how much we appreciate the divine glory of the Son of God.
A foreshadowing of the nations' tribute
A wealthy outsider carrying her treasure to David's son in Jerusalem is read as a preview of something far wider:
Leslie M. GrantBeing a wealthy woman, she came with a great entourage which included spices, gold and precious stones (v.2). This reminds us of Isaiah's prophecy that in the millennium the wealth of the Gentiles will be willingly brought to the Lord Jesus (Isa. 60:5-7).
Everything in her heart
The gifts are impressive, but the last words of the verse matter more. She told Solomon all that was on her mind — older translations say "all that was in her heart":
H. L. RossierBut the queen brings something better still than her gifts; she comes to speak to him of everything that was in her heart... She opens her heart to Solomon. The secrets of her heart are made plain (1 Cor. 14:25). But they find a perfect answer from the one from whom nothing is hidden. In meeting Solomon, she has found God Himself. God is indeed there, in mercy stooping down to bring full light into this soul, leaving no room for a doubt and no question without an answer.
What she unloaded before the king still fills honest hearts today:
J T MawsonThe queen had many difficulties that the wisdom of her own land could do nothing to relieve. She brought these to Solomon and unburdened her heart to him. He answered the questions and solved all the problems... There are hard questions in most hearts at some time or other: questions about sins, sin, self, the past, the present and the future. To all who are weighed down and struggling under such questions, He says: "Come to me... and I will give you rest."
The journey that judges us
Jesus later pointed back to this trip, and one writer draws out the sharp contrast:
W. W. FeredayThe Queen of Sheba came a long way to hear the wisdom of a servant of God. The men standing around Jesus as He spoke were unwilling to listen to the wisdom of the Son of God. They needed no tiring journey; the Eternal Son had come from Heaven into their very streets.
Summary
- Emptiness starts it. She had royal honours and royal resources, and still an aching heart. The world at her disposal left her unsatisfied.
- Desire travels. She had only a distant report, yet that little light moved her to leave home and kingdom.
- Homage, not trade. The camels of spices, gold and stones do not buy answers. They are the honour due to the king, and the measure of how much she valued him.
- Open heart, full answer. She held nothing back, and nothing was hidden from him — in meeting Solomon she met God.
- A greater King. She crossed the earth for a servant's wisdom; the Son of God came into the streets of those who would not listen.