Xanthe Hancox

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true… 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.” 1 Kings 10:6,9

In 1 Kings 10, the Queen of Sheba goes to Jerusalem to visit Solomon to see if the rumours of his wisdom and wealth are true. There, she saw all the things Solomon had built – the impressive buildings, abundance and quality of food, the servants in their rich robes, and the truly unique temple and palace.

She was so impressed by what she saw and heard that she praised the God of Israel. She wasn’t the only one; kings from all over the world came to hear of Solomon's wisdom and see the kingdom he had built.

It is easy to see the riches that Solomon had and to want the same for ourselves. It is true, God does bless those who are faithful to him, and sometimes with material blessings. It’s never for our own indulgence though. The Queen of Sheba was so impressed by what she saw, that she praised God. Others who came from around the world saw Israel’s riches and wanted to know more about their God. 

Whenever God blesses us materially, eventually there will be other people who notice our blessings. Their response should be a desire to know more about our God, and this can only be their desire if they know that our blessings come from God in the first place! They must know that we serve God. If we live our lives in such a way that they are completely unaware of our walk with God, we rob God of the results of his blessings.

If instead people praise us, glorify us, and treat us with great respect because of the things we ourselves have done, it may have been better off that we were not blessed in the first place. All the praises should go to God, and people should ask us to share with them our knowledge of him.

Prayer: Lord, we ask for your wisdom, so that those who ask us questions about the blessings you give us might find your love and forgiveness. Give us all that we need to be useful to you in your Kingdom this day. Amen