Dear Friend,
I taught on the Queen of Sheba for a women's ministry yesterday. Though I was a little resistant to the text, I'm happy I allowed Holy Spirit to use her to teach me about the new archetype of a woman rising. Though we've heard a lot about the Deborah's arising, we have not heard nearly anything about the Queens of Sheba.
The modern-day Queens of Sheba will not be positioned in the church but will run alongside it. We will not be the ones who do the heavy lifting in church culture, but we will be the financiers. We are the ones who God has chosen to underwrite the Kingdom.
When we meet the Queen, she is interjecting in an ongoing story between God and Solomon in 1 Kings. God has promised him and the children of Israel much, and she comes along to test Solomon's wisdom. You can find her in 1 Kings 10:1-13 if you want to follow along.
Let's breakdown the profile of the benefactors for a moment.
v.1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.
1. Status
The Bible doesn't identify her by her first name but introduces her by her status. She is the Queen, which signals power and authority. So we see that her status is crucial because it gets her in the room with the king. Similarly, the rising benefactor women will have their status outside the church. We won't build our wealth on the backs of God's people but will use world systems to fund God's house. We won't be pastors or even First Ladies (shout out to the First Ladies), but we will be Kingdom women.
2. Wisdom
The Queen of Sheba didn’t just take everyone’s word about Solomon but went to investigate him herself. Today, we can’t afford to take people at their word, but we must test the spirits for ourselves because great deception is rising. Remember 1 John 4:1.
I think it’s also essential to address Matthew 20:16, when Jesus says, “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” If you haven’t already noticed, not only is the guard changing in the Kingdom, but women are moving into more leadership roles in the world. For a long time, women have been regulated to subordinate positions, but as the scriptures tell, we will no longer experience that type of oppression. God's wealthy daughters are rising and we are wise.
3. Wealth
(v.2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.)
The Queen of Sheba had her own money and influence. When she came to Solomon, she wasn’t looking to be connected to him for clout; she came to see if he was safe to listen to. Remember, she heard rumors of him in her country, so she traveled to see if they were true. God is raising up women who have their own. We won’t be beggars or individuals living paycheck to paycheck. We will travel proudly with our possessions—as the Queen did—and won’t be ashamed of our status because God will use our status to give us access to high-ranking individuals.
Just in case you’re a little squeamish about this point, take a look at Ecclesiastes 7:12 (MSG) Wisdom is better when it’s paired with money, Especially if you get both while you’re still living. Double protection: wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.
4. Thinker and Communicator
(v2b she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.)
The Queen of Sheba had to be a thinker to share her thoughts or questions with Solomon. When she comes to him, it appears that she has already considered what she had heard, what she thought, and what she currently sees.
5. Discerning
(v3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.)
Anyone can tell you anything, so you must be discerning to really decide if they’ve told you everything. Since she came to Solomon for wisdom, she also had to discern what he was sharing. Sis, we need Holy Spirit now more than ever before.
6. Humble and Mature
(V.7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.)
The Queen of Sheba was a woman not afraid to publicly admit her wrong judgments or skepticism, which takes humility and maturity. She admits to Solomon that she might’ve prejudged him based on what she heard and can admit she was wrong. Not only can she admit her fault, but she continues to praise Solomon and affirm that He is greater than she once thought.
In the vein of transparency, I'm still working on this part.
7. Honors God and can Prophesy
(v9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.)
The Queen of Sheba is clear that God has made Solomon who he is and no one else. Her words are indicators that God is paying Solomon back for his obedience to Him. Ultimately, as a result of Solomon’s dedication to God, God has allowed him to rule and reap the benefits of kingship. Additionally, she is perceptive enough of the God in Solomon to prophesy to him. She tells Him, “God has delighted in you and placed you on the throne.” How else would she know this? God revealed it.
8. Understands God's Heart
(V9b “Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”)
The Queen of Sheba also acknowledges that Solomon is not in his position just because God likes him but because of His love for Israel. God was so committed to Israel’s well-being and protection that He put Solomon on the throne for their sake. Similarly, how God’s positioning of us is not just for us but also for the greater good of the body of Christ and the world.
9. Abundant Giver
(v10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.)
I looked up how much money 120 talents would be today, and according to Google, it’s $259,603,200.00. I don’t know about you, bbbuutttt that’s a lot to be giving away; however, since she had her own, she could give what she wanted to who she wanted. It’s also important to remember that Solomon was in the middle of several building projects, and you can read all about them in 1 Kings 9.
I say all this to say, God is making some of us wealthy for His sake.
10. Rested in her Femininity
(v13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.)
Because the Queen showed up in the fullness of who she was (i.e., she didn’t cower, challenge him, or dim her own light), Solomon then gave her whatever she desired and what he wanted to share. So the Queen not only received the wisdom and insight she was looking for but was also treated as a Queen and reaped the benefits of being a woman. Remember, she got all these things from Solomon because she was a woman and a Queen. Her confidence in her God-given position caused him to fall in line with her.
Friend, I don't know about you, but the Queen of Sheba was a Kingdom baddie and I'm here for all of it.
Did you catch the live teaching???
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