THE KING’S BUSINESS
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mon was by “hard questions,” that was a decidedly oriental way (cf. Judges 14:12- 14), but we can test our Solomon in a similar way. He will answer all the “hard questions” of our hearts, if they are only honest and earnest (Jno. 4:29; 7:17). v. 2. “And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that hear spices, and very much gold, and precious stones." The $Queen did not come empty handed, but brought the very best she had. We can come to our Solomon with nothing at all (Isa. 55:1; Luke 4:18), but having come and received life by pure grace, we too should bring all that 'we have find lay it at His feet. "She communed with him of all that was in her heart." These are ^profoundly sug gestive words, and they set forth just what we should do with our Solomon, of every thing that is in our hearts, we should com mune with Him. Blessed indeed is the man who has learned to do that with Jesus; there is no greater joy or comfort than that. If we did commune with Jesus of all that’s in our heart, much that is now in our heart would disappear; for it would not stand His steady and holy gaze. v. 3. “And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not." How like our Solomon: there is no puzzling question that we can put to Him that He cannot an swer. There is absolutely nothing hid from Him, which He.cannot tell us: indeed there is much in our hearts that He sees, of which we have never dreamed (Jno. 2:24, 25). vs. 4, 5. “And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.” What the Queen saw and heard completely overwhelmed her, and emptied her of all her self-sufficiency, “there was no more spirit in her” (cf. Joshua 5 :1), and when our eyes are really opened to the fullness
of wisdom and glory that there is in our Lord Jesus, we too are completely over whelmed, and' self is utterly poured out. Every little detail of what she saw in Solo mon has its deeper meaning in Christ. (1) “Solomon’s wisdom” (cf. Col. 2:3). (2) “The house that he had built,” type of the real temple which Christ built of living stones (Matt. 16:18; 1 Pet. 2:4, 5). (3) “The meat of his table:” it was abundant indeed (ch. 4:22, 23), but nothing to the meat or food of our King’s table, the Word of God (Job 23:12; Jer. 15:6; Ps. 119:103), and His own body (Jno. 6:55). (4) “The sitting of his servants.” It .was doubtless splendid, but nothing to the sitting of the servants ,of our. King (Eph. 2:6; Rev. 3: 21). (5) “The attendance (Hebrew, “standing”) of his ministers.” Doubtless the standing of his ministers was very strik ing, but it is nothing to our standing in. Christ. Our standing in Christ is that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). (6) “Their apparel.” Doubt-' less their apparel was éostly and beautiful, glittering with gold and jewels, .but our apparel is more costly: it cost the atoning blood of Christ, and, it is more beautiful— its beauty beggars all description (Ps. 45: 13, 14; Rev. 19:8). (7) “His cup-bearers.” These cup-bearers waited immediately on the king, and consisted of the choicest youth of the land, but Christ’s cup-bearers, those who minister immediately to Him are them selves kings (Rev, 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:9). (8) “His ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD.” The writer does -not give us any details of the magnificence of this ascent, but however magnificent it might be it could not be in the smallest degree comparable to the ascent whereby our King went up “into the house of the Lord” (cf. Acts 1:9, 10; Eph. 'l :20, 21). The LXX, and Luther’s Bible (as well as the Chal dee, Syriac and Arabic) render this “and the burnt offering which he offered in the house of the Lord” : no other offering is so glorious and wonderful as that which our King offered (Heb. 9:11-14; 10:10-14). V. 6. “And she said to the king, It was
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