Breathless!

1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. 3 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. 4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. 6 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.

Miriam Webster’s Dictionary defines “breathless” as being gripped by emotion. I can almost visualize the scriptural account of the Queen of Sheba’s response to the testimony of God’s greatness. We must keep in mind that she was, in her own rights, a woman of renown. She brought great riches as gifts for the king. Her wealth and influence was staggering. She awoke to multiplied riches every morning and servants attended to her every need. I’ve never experienced anything like that in my lifetime! But, that was the norm for the Queen.

The text seems to imply that she came to Solomon with the intent to “stump” him. After all, she had heard of his great fame and wisdom concerning the name of the Lord. So, when she approached, “she came to test him with hard questions.” But, after her interrogation; after telling Solomon ALL that was on her mind, “Solomon answered ALL her questions.” 

I recently had to get a new doctor because of insurance regulations. It took three months to get an appointment, so when I got there I was full of questions. I asked her everything I could think of. At the end of the appointment, she asked me if I could think of anything else to ask and then proceeded to tell me to call if I thought of anything else! I was satisfied that I knew everything I needed to know about the services she would provide and was pretty impressed with the clarity with which she spoke. But, I was not breathless! I was not gripped by emotion!

The Queen of Sheba listened intently to the wisdom of Solomon, toured his impressive mansion, observed the details of the servants and officials, even down to the clothing choices. This was one THOROUGH investigation of the facts! When she completed her visit, we are told that she was BREATHLESS! As in, “gripped by emotions” kind of breathless.

Why should this matter? The world is full of individuals who possess great wisdom and knowledge. If we took The time to do it, we could rattle off dozens of people who are extremely smart; able to think on a level much higher than my pay grade!

I believe the key can be found in the report, “the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord.”  Did you catch that? She was familiar with riches. She understood about high quality “stuff.” She had toured expensive mansions and probably lived in one. So, why was she breathless? I believe it was because of the way that Solomon gave the glory to God. When she heard that all of these blessings could be traced to the hand of God in Solomon’s life…. SHE WAS BREATHLESS!

Has God been good to you? Have His blessings left you breathless? I can honestly say that after having walked with Jesus these many years I am “gripped by emotion” when I think of His goodness to me!

PRAYER: Father, I stand amazed at Your goodness to me. Help me to never lose the wonder of Your amazing grace. Amen.