Wooden carousel on our kitchen table. Heat from the candles make the tiers go around and around. It has baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph inside along with the wise men and angels.
The Queen of Sheba was wealthy and beautiful. She had everything a queen could want – gold, silver, ivory, precious jewels and servants taking care of all her needs.
Well, almost everything.
She’d heard about the famous King Solomon (I Kings 10:1) and his miraculous God. Even though her people had many gods to worship, none intrigued her like the Lord God of Israel. Her heart was so moved by His Name she traveled 1,400 miles across the desert sands of Arabia to visit King Solomon, a man who knew this God personally.
Camels can travel around 20 miles a day, so the trip would take her six months each way. She brought a great caravan of servants, loads of spices, gold and unusual woods to give as gifts to Solomon. Her heart and soul longed for riches she did not have, and she sensed they would be discovered through him.
When she finally arrived, she stood before the grandest palace she had laid eyes on. But her purpose wasn’t to see the most beautiful archeological place ever built, it was to find a secret treasure.
Scripture tells us she talked to Solomon for hours, asking him deep questions about God. Based on her response, she found what she had longed for and declared, “Blessed be the LORD your God” (1 Kings 10:9a NKJ).
The Queen of Sheba took great pains to find wisdom, yet the wisdom available to her at that time was the lesser wisdom of a man. Even so, Jesus mentions the Queen in Matthew 12:42 and honors her desire for His wisdom.
The wisdom we have access to through Jesus far outshines Solomon’s. If the Queen of Sheba would travel six months to find truth, how much more should we search for wisdom by opening our Bibles and hearts to Him in prayer?
When people travel to our home this holiday, it will not be the seasonal décor or cleanliness that will ultimately impress them. It won’t be a perfectly sculpted yard or a new car in the garage. It will be spiritual insight and the presence of grace they will be drawn to — through the Holy Spirit living in us. When we share the love of our God with them they will have visited a wealthy home.
As rich as Queen Sheba or King Solomon’s palaces.
Our home is where our heart is, and our heart is Christ’s home — a dwelling place for the Lord. Let’s be sure to spend time with Him this week so we can be filled with love and prepared with wisdom to offer our guests. May those who enter our homes this Christmas, and in the New Year to come, find treasures that people have traveled the whole earth in search of!