Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - Evensong
23rd August 2009
Preacher: The Rev'd Gillian Moses, Assistant Curate

Theme: Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Text: 1 Kings 10:1-13

May my words be in the name of God: Source of all being, eternal Word, and holy Spirit. Amen

The story of the Queen of Sheba coming to visit King Solomon is an interesting vignette which appears in the First Book of Kings. At first reading it is a simple story. Solomon’s fame as a wise and great king has spread far and wide, and even in distant Sheba his reputation is enough to prompt the queen to gather a large caravan and journey to sit at his feet. Yet the Queen of Sheba does not only appear in the Bible. She is also mentioned in the Quran, and in Josephus’s histories, and she even plays a foundational role in the founding myth of the modern state of Ethiopia . In 1955 the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie enshrined in the Ethiopian constitution the story of the direct descent of the imperial family from Sheba and Solomon. So the story prompts many questions for me – who was this Queen, what is the significance of her journey, why is it included in the biblical account?

There is very little hard evidence to identify the location or existence of Sheba . The best evidence suggests that there was a nation called Saba , in modern day Yemen . Recent excavations of the town of Marib have uncovered an ancient temple known as the Mahram Bilqis – with Bilqis being the name given to the Queen of Saba in Islamic writings.

The Ethiopian stories naturally site Sheba in modern-day Ethiopia , in the city of Aksum , which is also alleged to be the true location of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was smuggled out of Jerusalem by Menelik, supposedly the son of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. However archeological data suggests that Aksum is around 1000 years too young to be the city of the Queen.

As for the queen herself, unnamed in the Hebrew Scriptures but known variously as Bilqis in Arabic, or Makeda in the Ethiopian accounts, there are some fascinating legends attached to her. Some say she had a cloven hoof, which suggests something sinister about her. As a female ruler in a predominantly patriarchal world, it shouldn’t surprise us that she is depicted as so utterly other. And this deformity may also explain how the queen has in some legends come to be seen as the origin of Mother Goose, the story teller. The biblical account of her testing Solomon with riddles and stories adds a further layer to the image of the narrator queen. By medieval times the Queen of Sheba had become a symbol of divine wisdom. For someone who only scores a few verses in the scriptures, she has been an influential and significant figure.

It is also remarkable to note the magnitude of this royal visit. The queen came in state, with a huge retinue of camels, attendants and treasures to pay tribute to Solomon. It has been suggested that the trip would have taken around 6 months, as camels don’t travel particularly fast. So that was a round trip of a year, with a 6 month stay in Solomon’s court. Quite an undertaking.

The biblical account suggests that the queen came because she had heard of Solomon’s great wisdom and majesty. A poem by John Greenleaf Whittier recounts an incident involving an anthill, to illustrate the king’s unique qualities. While out riding, the royal party encounters an ant hill directly in their path. Solomon in his wisdom has the ability to speak the languages of animals including the ants, and he hears them bewailing their doom and they wait to be crushed under his horse’s hooves. When he interprets for the queen she remarks:

“O King!” she whispered sweet,
“too happy fate have they
who perish in thy way
beneath thy gracious feet!”

However Solomon is quick to respond:
“Nay!” Solomon replied,
“The wise and strong should seek
the welfare of the weak”
and he turned his horse aside.

The queen is suitably impressed and expresses her admiration:
The jewelled head bent low;
“O king!” she said, “henceforth
the secret of thy worth
and wisdom I well know

“Happy must be the state
Whose ruler heedeth more
The murmurs of the poor
That the flatteries of the great.”

And here we have what is probably the point of the story of the Queen’s visit. It is the journey of a pagan ruler to learn from God’s anointed king how to be a godly and wise ruler. Sheba is generally accepted to have been a nation of sun-worshippers and stargazers. This story then is for Jewish people an example of their calling to be a light to the nations. Solomon’s task is to enlighten the pagan nations around Israel. Where the Queen expected the ants to rejoice in their doom at the hands of so great a king, Solomon teaches her that mercy is the hallmark of the truly great ruler.

We can look back at this story and see something of a foreshadowing for Christians of a later event. There is another story of star-followers who travel great distances and bring treasures to lay at the foot of a king. I speak, of course, of the magi of Matthew’s nativity story, who also came to find the king who would embody wisdom and God’s grace.

Tragically, the Queen of Sheba’s visit marks the high point of Solomon’s reign. From here on, it is mostly downhill. He began to amass greater wealth, and to focus on the construction of his own lavish palace instead of completing the Temple . He also collected many wives and concubines – more than 1000 women altogether (some might say that was the least wise of all his decisions!) He also built shrines to other gods and turned away from the Lord.

Is there any connection between this decline and the visit of the Queen of Sheba? Probably not. However once again we are reminded that none of us, not even one as great as Solomon, is immutable. Solomon the Great can still turn from God, the pagan, cloven-hoofed Queen of Sheba can come to embody God’s wisdom, and each one of us keeps them company in their highs and lows. The important thing is that like Sheba, we remain open to knew knowledge, we keep journeying, and we pay attention to wisdom whenever and wherever we find it.

In the name of God. Amen.

Gillian Moses, 23 August 2009, St John’s Cathedral Brisbane.