Sermon Notes + 3.9.2025
SERMON NOTES
The Report Was True
1 Kings 10:1-13
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: The wisdom of Solomon and the prosperity of Israel captures the attention of the queen of Sheba, who travels to Jerusalem on a quest to discover if the rumors she has heard correspond with reality. Though the queen is wise and wealthy in her own right, Solomon’s wisdom and Israel’s joy exceed her expectations, leaving her at a loss for words. Her encounter with Solomon leads her to recognize the true source of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth, as well as the unique relationship between God and His people. In addition to her words of praise, the queen of Sheba gifts Solomon with gold, spices and precious stones; but despite the incredible value of her gifts, she receives much more from Solomon before returning to her own land. This encounter between the king of Israel and the queen of Sheba provides insight into how our walk with the Lord and our words about the Lord can draw others to consider giving their lives to the Lord.
- The queen of Sheba is a good example of an outsider looking in to determine if what is said about God and His people is true; let’s be consistent in our walk with the Lord.
- The queen of Sheba is a good example of an inquirer asking questions in order to see if there is any merit to the claims of faith; let’s be prepared to respond.
- The queen of Sheba is a good example of a person receiving more than they can ever give to God; let’s be a bit more heavenly minded.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
- The queen of Sheba is not named in this chapter, but there are many details in the text that help build a character profile. What can we learn about the queen of Sheba from these clues? To whom might we compare her today?
- How does the queen of Sheba compare with Solomon in terms of her wisdom, wealth, and power? In what ways is Solomon shown to be superior in this chapter? What effect does her encounter with Solomon have upon her? How important is it that she praises not only Solomon, but the Lord who has granted Solomon wisdom, wealth, and blessings?
- In what ways does the queen of Sheba represent an outsider looking in, personally inquiring whether or not what she has heard about the Lord is true? Before you became a Christian, did you observe the lives of Christians to determine if there was any merit to their claims of faith? Did anyone in particular stand out to you and lead you to conclude that their faith was genuine and worth inquiring about?
- The queen of Sheba came to test Solomon with hard questions. What questions are non-Christians asking today? Is the Bible sufficient to address such questions? If you were asked questions about the faith that you are not able to answer, how would you direct someone to find the answer?
- Jesus commends the queen of Sheba for coming to hear Solomon, but condemns those who failed to respond to the One greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42). In what ways is Jesus greater than Solomon? In what ways does He give us more than we could ever ask or think?
For Further Reading: Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (first published, 1963; Revell, 2nd Edition, 2010).