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Study Number Sixteen – 1 Kings 10:1-13, 2 Chr. 9:1-12 1 Kings 10:1-13 v. 1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 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. v. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. v. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, v. 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. v. 6 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 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. v. 8 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! v. 9 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." v.10 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. v.11 (Hiram"s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. v.12 The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.) v.13 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 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 v. 1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon"s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving 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 she had on her mind. v. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. v. 3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, v. 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. v. 5 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. v. 6 But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. v. 7 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! v. 8 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness." v. 9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. v.10 (The men of Hiram and the men of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones. v.11 The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.) v.12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country. Questions: 1. Read 1 Kings 10:1-13 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 and in your own words pull out the main thought of this passage. 2. Why did the Queen of Sheba come to visit Solomon, according to verse 1? 3. What was the Queen of Sheba"s response to what she saw of Solomon"s kingdom, according to 1 Kings 10:7? 4. Describe the gift that was given by the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, according to verse 10. 5. What did Solomon do for the Queen of Sheba, according to 1 Kings 10:13? 6. How did Solomon handle all of her questions, according to 2 Chronicles 9:2? 7. What are the things that the Queen of Sheba observed, according to 2 Chronicles 9:3 & 4? 8. What little phrase summarizes her response to all that she saw, according to 1 Kings 10:5 and 2 Chronicles 9:4? 9. What verse in the study has meant the most to you? 10. What lesson have you learned from this study? Lessons from the Passage: What are some of the lessons we can learn from this particular study? LESSON #1: The Lord is famous for doing exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. LESSON #2: The queen of Sheba paid a tremendous price to have the privilege of this audience with Solomon. LESSON #3: The Lord"s gift of wisdom to Solomon makes it possible for him to answer all of her questions. LESSON #4: When is the last time you have been overwhelmed and left speechless at what God has done or is doing in your life? LESSON #5: We know so little of what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him. LESSON #6: The queen of Sheba says, "Praise be to the Lord your God," not my god or our god. LESSON #7: We must be always mindful that when the Lord gives us an assignment it is our responsibility, just like Solomon, "to rule for the Lord your God," to do it heartily to the Lord. LESSON #8: It would seem that both Solomon and the queen of Sheba are trying to make a statement in the extravagant gifts they have given each other on this occasion. LESSON #9: We must be constantly mindful that the things of this world will pass away. LESSON #10: The choice is really between that which is temporary and that which is eternal. Additional Notes:
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