SEEKING SOLOMON

“The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here” (Matt. 12:42 NKJV).

When Solomon was king of Israel, his wisdom and the splendor of his kingdom became known throughout the world. The queen of the nation of Sheba heard of Solomon and went to visit him. She concluded that the greatness of Solomon was far greater than what she had heard. Although the Lord Jesus Christ is far greater than Solomon, many folks show any interest in Him. The Lord Jesus used this incident to rebuke folks for their lack of interest in Him. Thus, we want to note three things about the Queen of Sheba seeking Solomon which are a rebuke to us today for our lack of interest and devotion to the Lord Jesus - cares, cost, and calling.

Cares - The Queen of Sheba made the trip to see Solomon even though she had many cares in life. Being queen meant she had great responsibilities. Yet, she felt it was important to see Solomon that she made the trip anyway. Many of us today use the cares of life as an excuse for our lack of devotion to the Lord Jesus. We are always too busy to read the Bible, pray, and worship. But if the Queen of Sheba could leave her cares just to see Solomon, surely, we ought to leave our cares to seek the Lord Jesus Christ.

Cost - The Queen of Sheba had to make a great sacrifice to see Solomon. She had to travel many miles by camel which must have been a very hard trip. Furthermore, she brought many expensive gifts to Solomon. If she could sacrifice all of that to seek Solomon, how much more ought we to be willing to sacrifice to seek the Lord Jesus Christ.

Calling - The Queen of Sheba had no special calling from Solomon to encourage her to seek him. Nonetheless, she came to see him anyway. We have many encouragements and exhortations from the Lord Jesus to seek Him. Yet, we fail to seek Him as we ought. The Queen of Sheba truly rebukes our lack of interest in the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement!”

Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430)

Theologian and Philosopher

Word Study

Evil

In Rom. 12:21 we read, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (NKJV).

Evil is the Geek word kakós (κακός = kak-os'). The word defines one who is evil in himself, wicked, vicious, bad in heart, conduct, and character. In classical Greek kakós means bad, wrong, especially in the sense of lacking something. Thus, if something is unsuitable or unusable it may be termed kakós; something kakós meant morally evil. In the Septuagint, kakós means to do bad, evil, or harm. In the New Testament, kakós carries the idea of evil, wrong, and is contrary to what is good, right. “Evil” (kakós) is conquered through moral goodness, uprightness.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God” (Isa. 40:9 KJV).

Did You Know…

The Lord Jesus and the apostle Peter are the only two people who walked on water in the midst of a storm (Matt. 14:22-32).

Bible Quiz

What reason is given by the apostle John for Nicodemus being a secret disciple of Jesus?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: Although Satan was permitted to attack Job, what did God prohibited him from doing? Killing Job (Job 2:6).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“HIGH PRIEST”

"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus!” (Heb. 3:1 NKJV).

1. Meaning – HIGH PRIEST speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who represents men to God the Father.

2. Insights – Every religious system must have a priest and a prophet: the prophet to declare the will of God, and the priest to minister in holy things. The Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme Priest, the supreme Mediator, between God and man. He is not only the Sent-One from God with all of God’s power, speaking with God’s voice, but He is the One who brings man and God together. Thus, He brings God to man and man to God.

Did You Know – Christian History

Gregory was born around A.D. 213 in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor). He was a Christian bishop of the 3rd Century.

Originally known as Theodore (gift of God), Gregory was born into a prominent pagan family. After his elementary education, Gregory and his brother went to Beirut to study law. At that time, the famous Origen, a Christian theologian and scholar taught in Caesarea. Out of curiosity, the boys went to hear him. Origen’s charm, his virtuous life, his sincerity, and sharp arguments persuaded them that Christianity was the truth. Both were converted to Christianity. Law was forgotten for the next eight years as they immersed themselves in Christian theology and philosophy. At some point Theodore changed his name to Gregory.

Although devoted to Christ, Gregory still planned to practice law when he returned home. Nevertheless, Origen urged him to turn the reasoning of the Greeks to account for Christianity and Gregory did hope to write a definitive work proving Christianity the one true religion. He never accomplished this. Instead, the few Christians of his hometown persuaded him to become their bishop.

Neocaesarea was prosperous, idolatrous, and wicked. But with determination and optimism, Gregory exerted all of his talents in the task of converting pagans. To attract them within reach of the Christian message, he arranged games on martyrs’ days. God granted him such gifts of healing that many people came to him to be cured and heard the gospel. His sermons were direct, lively and fruitful. He taught and worked miracles in the name of Christ: he healed the sick, helped the needy, and settled disputes and complaints. Because of this, he received the surname Thaumaturgus, “Wonder Worker.” Even the enemies of the truth called him a second Moses.

By the holiness of his life, his effective preaching, his miracles, and inspired guidance of his flock, Gregory increased the number of converts to Christ. When he became bishop of Neocaesarea in the region of Pontus (modern Turkey) in the year 239, there were only seventeen Christians. When he died on November 17, 270, there were only seventeen pagans. That transformation was owing largely to his faithful efforts.

A Little Humor

A distinguished minister and two elders from his congregation attended an out-of-town meeting that did not finish until rather late. They decided to have something to eat before going home, but unfortunately, the only spot open was a seedy bar-and-grill with a questionable reputation. After being served, one of the elders asked the minister to say grace. “I’d rather not,” the clergyman said. “I don’t want him to know I’m here.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Don’t be afraid to start over, God specializes in new beginnings!”