Who are we also known as (AKA) in our world?  In our family for example, one is known for baking great cookies of all kinds, one is known for great casseroles and salads, one is known for bread making, others are known for creating sumptuous desserts no one else would try.  I think of this as the family lists all they will bring to our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow.  It is easy to become known for what we do.  But we are also known for who we are!  Who are we to the world around us? Do others see us as God sees us?  Are we consistently demonstrating the love of God?  Who are we also known as?

King Solomon’s name is synonymous with wisdom.  He didn’t ask God to make him a great contractor and builder of the temple from the plans his father gave him. It wasn’t “make me rich enough to pay all my bills” as king.  It wasn’t “let me live in peace.”  It wasn’t “keep me fit physically” to do the king’s work.  And it certainly wasn’t “help me to please all the people in my kingdom.”  No—it was “Lord God, give me wisdom to rule over all the people you put in my care.” This plea was delivered with a heart humbled before God. This request pleased God so much that He gave Solomon extreme, Godly wisdom, wisdom beyond what the known world had ever heard or seen!  Why? Because this was the first and only thing King Solomon asked of God as he came to the throne after his father King David.  At that time, the young king had his father, King David’s heart for God. 

Even those who are not Bible readers or faithful God believers know or have heard of the wisdom of Solomon!  The stories of God in ordinary people are also known for what God did in and through them.  From Adam to King David to Joseph and Mary also known as the earthly mother and father of Jesus, God Hand is in us all. Jesus is also known as Messiah, Redeemer, Deliverer, Savior, and Lord! We too, are known also as who we are in relationship to God through Jesus, His Son.

Over time, people who have only heard bits and pieces, take the stories of real people who lived and use their character to describe each other…with a bit of sarcasm thrown in. For example, when someone comes into a large gathering expecting to be served and their every need met; we might hear, “Who are you, the Queen of Sheba?”

But, here’s the real story.  The Queen of Sheba was a woman seeking wisdom.  King Solomon was given great wisdom from God.  When she met him, talked with him, she knew his God had indeed given him the wisdom she was seeking.  She exclaimed, “I’ve seen it with my own eyes”! Then she praised God!  Go on…read it for yourself!

2 Chronicles 9

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

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. ² Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. ³ When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built, 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.

⁵ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 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. ⁷ How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 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.”

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.

¹⁰ (The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones. 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.)

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.

Solomon’s Splendor

¹³ The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, ¹⁴ not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. ¹⁶ He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day. ²¹ The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by Hiram’s servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

²² King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. ²³ All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ²⁷ The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.

Solomon’s Death

²⁹ As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? ³⁰ Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹ Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Who do we want to be known as?  We are known more for who we consistently and faithfully are than for what we do.  For Who and what is in our hearts will be displayed in our behaviors—Jesus said.  That’s why, as believers we must guard our hearts, keeping them spiritually healthy. This is done only by surrender to God daily. (Romans 12:1-2) 

The Psalmist teaches us to be still, let go of our will and worries, and really get to know God. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 For there is no one like our God! God created all, owns all He has given to us to manage, is in all, and over all His creation! God is love and real Love is God. (1 John 4:7-8) To know God is to know Love for God is also known as Love.

To know God is to talk to Him as we would a best friend. Complete the communion with Him by listening to what He tells us as a Friend who wants the best for us.  His Word is His love letter with ways to love to all who read it!  Then, throughout the day listen for Him and watch His glory at work in our world as we walk humbly with Him with grateful hearts.  God does not disappoint!  Ever!

As we know God more; we become known more as one who knows God because of our desires to become more like Him in His character and ways. People notice as they are seeking God, too!  The more we commune with God we notice that we are more forgiving of others as we remember all that we are forgiven of by Him.  The more we realize the depth of love God for us—the greater depth our love is for others in the same way. 

Jesus and his disciples after Him were known for consistently preaching, “Guard your heart and keep it holy.” Jesus also added; “don’t follow your heart, for our hearts are deceitful.”  Instead, run after and follow the heart of God!  King David was known as “a man after the heart of God.”  Are we?

Warren Wiersbe writes of the dangers of letting our hearts go unattended while growing  spiritually complacent and ill. Life becomes “meaningless” as King Solomon will contend later after “having it all” while forgetting Who owns it all. Wiersbe comments;

“See 1 Kings 10:1–13. The queen of Sheba couldn’t contain herself (2 Chronicles 9:5–8). She announced publicly that Solomon and his servants had to be the happiest people on earth, yet it was Solomon who later wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and declared, “all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). We wonder if Solomon’s officers and servants didn’t gradually grow accustomed to all the pomp and circumstance of court life, especially the gaudy display of wealth. One of the dangers of living in that kind of situation is that we begin to take our life and livelihood for granted; then, before long, we don’t value them at all. This can apply to spiritual treasures as well as material wealth.”—Wiersbe Study Bible

Oh Lord,

Cleanse our hearts. Remove all that does not belong. Renew our minds with a desire for your wisdom.  Refresh our souls with your tender new mercies.  Restore the joy of your salvation within us.  May your Holy Spirit makes us holy by capturing every thought and guiding us in all we think, say, and do today. I want to be known as Yours.  I be more like you today and every day until I see you face to face! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen