In Matthew 12:42, we read, “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” We know that the Queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba. We read about her coming to Solomon in 1 Kings 10. There, we read in verse one, “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.” We are not given this queen’s name. All we know is that she was from the southwest part of Arabia and that she was very wealthy. The historian Josephus wrote that she was very interested in philosophy and logic.
The queen was not just interested in the riches that Solomon had. She was not just interested in hearing him talk about all the animals in the world. We are told he could do that (1 Kings 4:33). She was not just interested in hearing him speak proverbs. We are told he gave 3,000 of those (1 Kings 4:32). The queen came to test Solomon’s spiritual wisdom. She was interested to see if what he had was from the God Jehovah that the Israelites claimed led them.
After she had questioned him in every way she could think, she admitted that indeed Solomon was wiser than she had even heard. She admitted that his acts were greater than she had been told. She also admitted that his wealth was greater than she had imagined. She, then, in verse 9 blessed “the Lord thy God.” She admitted that Solomon’s Jehovah was God and had set Solomon on the throne to “do judgment and justice.”
Jesus is the person speaking in Matthew 12:42. He told the scribes and Pharisees that they would be judged at the Judgment by the Queen of Sheba. What did He mean by that? He was saying that the Queen was willing to travel a great distance to listen to and to prove to herself that Jehovah was Solomon’s God. When she observed Solomon’s actions and his wisdom, which Solomon stated came from Jehovah, she willingly admitted that Jehovah was God. She believed what she saw and heard. Yet, the scribes and Pharisees refused to believe that what they saw Jesus do and speak was from Jehovah God. The Queen of Sheba believed Solomon. Solomon was only a man. The scribes and Pharisees refused to believe Jesus, though, Jesus was (and is) God.
Do not be like the scribes and Pharisees. Be like the Queen of the South. Listen to the Word of God, the Bible. Believe the words of the Bible. Then, obey the words of the Bible. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
