1 Kings 10:1-9
The Epiphany of Our Lord Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke Sunday, January 5, 2025
“See How the LORD Loves Israel”
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” That’s the instruction to the yellow-brick-road travelers who had arrived in Emerald City. Dorothy and her companions were shown a flashy, smokecircled depiction of the great Wizard of Oz. Of course they were impressed, but then the curtain was pulled back, and they realized that it was all show. Everything was an illusion caused and controlled by that man behind the curtain.
In our reading from 1 Kings today, we hear about another journey to see something very impressive on the outside. The whole kingdom of Israel gives evidence of being run well, and enjoying great wealth. Its fame had spread far and wide. And the reality was even better than the rumors suggested. What went unseen by many was noticed by this traveler: that there was someone behind the scenes in this instance as well. There was someone behind the curtain. The difference was this was not a disappointment or a letdown. What was behind the curtain was even greater than the wealth, power, and wisdom that was on display. Looking behind the curtain allows us to see how the Lord loves Israel.
The traveler in our 1 Kings account is the Queen of Sheba with her entire entourage. We don’t know a whole lot about her for certain. This same account is also found in the book of 2 Chronicles, and Jesus talks about it when he rebukes the Pharisees in Matthew 12. It’s real history, but we don’t know with confidence some of the details that we might be interested in. How long was the journey? What was her name? Scholars have found some intriguing possibilities where other evidence outside of the Bible could match up with the biblical account, but nothing absolute.
What we do know is clear from the verses in front of us. Sheba was a rich country to afford sending an entourage laden with gold and spices and precious stones. However long the journey, the Queen made it with camels and men and riches. And why did she come? Because she had heard about Solomon. You might recall that God had blessed Solomon with the opportunity to make any request, and Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people. And that was an amazing request. God spoke highly of Solomon, praising him for not asking selfishly for riches or long life or the death of his enemies. And God promised to not only give Solomon incredible wisdom, but to give him riches and honor as well.
The report that the Queen of Sheba heard was evidence that God had kept his promise. In fact, the wealth and wisdom of Solomon was even greater than she had heard. She asked Solomon difficult questions. She watched how his ministers and officials conducted their business and ate their meals. She was impressed to say the least. It took her breath away. She hadn’t even believed what had been reported to her, but on seeing it concluded that she had not even heard half of how impressive these things were.
What was even more amazing than what the Queen of Sheba saw, however, was the conclusion she reached. Listen again to her words: “Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness.” The Lord had allowed the Queen of Sheba a peek behind the curtain. She confessed that what she saw was more than just Solomon’s doing. It was God’s. He wanted his people to have justice and righteousness. He wanted his own name to spread. He wanted his people to serve his purposes. He loved Israel, and so he blessed them with a great king. Too often we settle for what we can see and hear. We look at impressive things like great wealth and success and fame, and that’s what we fixate on. You can look up the richest people in the world. You might even be able to name some of them. And you can be impressed. You can try to find the wisest people in the world, and you can be amazed by what they can explain and describe. But if you stop there, you will be ultimately disappointed. There’s something that happens behind the curtain. There is a spiritual reality. God is the Creator of the Universe, and while he extends his providence over good and
evil, only certain things align with the fame of the Name of the Lord. Go ahead and compare the wisdom and the wealth of a Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk to that of Solomon. Could those men answer every hard question you ask them? Do you expect that you would be more impressed by them in person than by their reputations? And maybe you think that they would be able to answer lots of questions, but could they answer the most important questions? What would they say if you ask them about eternity? What would they tell the cancer patient, the elderly relative who seems to be slowly wasting away, the accident victim, or those affected by sudden and unexpected tragedies? No question that Solomon was asked was too hard for him to answer. The Lord had blessed him with true wisdom.
The Lord blessed Israel with a king like Solomon because the Lord wanted his people to know him and his love and his mercy. The queen was absolutely correct in saying that the Lord loves Israel forever. He wants his people to be with him forever. And that is not limited to the Old Testament nation of Israel. It never was. The true Israel has always been those who believe in their Savior. The true Israel comes from every tribe and language and people and nation. The true Israel knows the wisdom of God that is wiser than man and the power of God that is more powerful than man. The true Israel knows the gift of God that we have been celebrating throughout this Christmas season and that we see on display as we celebrate Epiphany.
It’s not hard to see the parallels between the account before us and that of the Magi. These are people we know something about, but in the long run not as much as we would like. They are foreigners making a long journey, bringing rich gifts and wealth. They are expressing faith in what God is accomplishing. The biggest difference is that for the Magi, the king was a small child. Yet he would outshine Solomon in every way. He would truly bring justice and righteousness for his people. He would earn righteousness for his people and give it as his gift. There in a Bethlehem house was the one about which people could truly say, “Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king.” See how much the Lord loves his people! He sends his own Son and he invites all nations to worship him.
The Magi had been allowed to peer behind the curtain. They knew that a special star was guiding them. They knew that the small child was truly a king. They knew, they believed, that God was sending them a gracious gift. And they worshiped with their time and their wealth and their efforts. The Queen of Sheba worshiped, too. She offered praises to the Lord knowing, believing, that he was the one who had so richly blessed Solomon and his servants and his people.
It is good for us to peer behind the curtain. On this side, we see the physical blessings we enjoy. We have food and money and shelter. The specifics are different for each of us. And I am not suggesting that our wealth is like that of the Queen of Sheba or King Solomon or the Magi. But there is more to the story. What is most important is not seen. Too many people miss it, and sometimes we do, too. God’s Word consistently teaches us that God is the source of our blessings and that our greatest blessings are our spiritual blessings. We lose sight of what is most important when we get caught up in visible, physical, tangible things. But when these gifts of God remind us of the gracious giver, then we give thanks. We worship. We honor God with our gifts of time and effort and wealth.
And Epiphany shows us God’s greatest gift once again. God makes it absolutely clear that his gift is for all people. Jesus is not only for the shepherds of Bethlehem or the Jewish couple that served as his earthly parents or the nation in which he grew up. He came also for the Magi from afar and for all gentiles, all nations, all people. He came for the Queen of Sheba who visited another king so many years previous, illustrating that God was never limiting his gifts to any particular people. He always loved the whole world.
Do look behind the curtain as it were. The God behind the curtain wants you to know that his gift is for all people. He wants you to know that his gift is for you.
The Text: 1 Kings 10:1–9 (EHV)
10 The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, which was connected with the fame of the Lord, so she came to test him with hard questions. 2She came to Jerusalem with a very great entourage—with camels carrying spices and a large quantity of gold and precious stones. She came to Solomon and told him everything that was on her heart.
3Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
4The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, 5and the food on his table. When she saw the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers, as well as their attire, his cupbearers, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord, it took her breath away.
6She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your accomplishments and your wisdom is true. 7I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. The truth is, not even half of it was told to me! Your wisdom and wealth surpass the report which I heard.
8Blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! 9May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness.”