Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”
A visiting queen has just seen all that Solomon has — his wisdom, his house, his table, his servants. She does not stop at praising the king; she looks past him to the God who set him there, and names the reason for the throne: love.
Love behind the throne
One writer notes what the queen saw behind the gift of such a ruler, and what the same love has given since:
W. W. FeredayThe Queen of Sheba perceived that it was love that prompted Jehovah to give Israel such a king... The same love has provided us with a wonderful Saviour and glorious Head, and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Him. Every favour that we now enjoy, and all that awaits us in "God's eternal day," is the fruit of His great heart of love.
The king as the proof
The queen's words tie two loves together: God's delight in the king, and God's love for the people. A commentator traces the steps a soul takes, from first hearing about Christ to boasting in the God who delights in Him and set Him on the throne:
H. L. RossierOne hears about Him. This stirs the interest of a heart in need. One goes to find Him, for He is easy to approach. One enters into relationship with Him. He answers the needs of the heart. One admires Him and adores Him in hymns of praise... And going on in this path, one's soul boasts in God who has taken pleasure in His King, who has found His delight in Christ and set Him on the throne. And this is also the proof of the love of God for His people, that He has given them such a King to execute righteousness and justice.
Delight and "for ever"
Two words in her speech reach beyond Solomon's lifetime: God "delighted in" this king, and He loved Israel "for ever". One writer hears both again in words spoken over Christ, and in a promise to Israel that still stands:
An Outline of Sound WordsIf Jehovah delighted in Solomon, how much more precious is the Father's delight in His well-beloved Son. He opened the heavens over Him at His baptism, and again on the mount of glory, to say, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"... Jehovah's love for Israel is indeed for ever, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29); and His love for those He has given to share Christ's place of glory will be displayed in His coming kingdom (John 17:23).
The purpose: justice and righteousness
She names the purpose of the throne, not just its glory. One writer follows the same pair of words through Israel's kings and on to a king still to come:
C. E. StuartRighteousness and judgment are the foundation of God's throne (Ps. 89:14). Executing righteousness and judgment characterised David (2 Sam. 8:15; 1 Chron. 18:14) and Solomon (1 Kings 10:9; 2 Chron. 9:8) and Josiah (Jer. 22:15). A king shall yet reign at Jerusalem executing judgment and righteousness.
A foreigner glad for Israel
Nothing forced this queen to celebrate another nation's blessing, yet she does. One commentator reads her freedom from envy as a sign that she was born of God, against the long record of Gentile resentment toward Israel:
Leslie M. GrantShe shows no envy in speaking of the Lord delighting in Solomon and setting him on the throne of Israel. She expressed her genuine joy in Solomon and in Israel (v.9)... Through the ages the Gentile nations have resented Israel, because God has chosen them as His earthly people. But there is no doubt that the Queen of Sheba had truly been born of God, and this beautifully shaped her attitude.
From praising a man to blessing God
A writer holds up her turn from praising a man to blessing God as a pattern for believers today, with words they can borrow from Paul and Peter:
An Outline of Sound WordsFrom the praise of Solomon, the queen turns to bless... What a pattern for saints in this day. Can we not say, in the language of the apostles Paul and Peter, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"? (2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3).
Summary
- Love is the cause. The queen does not explain the throne by Solomon's merit; she explains it by God's love for Israel, and by His delight in the man He set there.
- The King is the gift. God did not only speak His love. He gave it in the form of a king, and the same love has given us a Saviour and every spiritual blessing in Him.
- Justice is the purpose. God gave the king to do justice and righteousness. That was the mark of David, Solomon and Josiah, and of the King who will yet reign in Jerusalem.
- "For ever" is the guarantee. God's love for Israel has no expiry date, because His gifts and calling are irrevocable.
- Blessing God is the result. Seeing the King, a foreigner rejoices in another nation's blessing without envy and blesses the God behind it — the pattern for every believer's "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."