The Sunday School

1. "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she carne to prove Mui with hard questions. " She heard. and she carne, and she aaw. It was in her own land that she heard (verse 6), therefore some one who knew must have told of the glory of Solomon. We know of "a greater than Solomon" (Math. xii, 42), bilt what are we doing to make known His greatness, and His wondrous love, and His salvation? Faith cometh by hearing, but how can they believe who have never heard? (Kom. x, 17.) It was not merely the fama of Solomon that was made known, but the name of Jehovah, who gave Mm all he had. The exaltation of any man, however great, is not our business, but our motto is, " Jehovah alone shall be exalted" (Isa. ii, 11, 17). There is only one to whom God has í_'i(:i a name that is above every namo (Phil. ii, 9, 10), and we are hcre to magnify Him and make Him known to the ends of the earth. 2. "And she carne to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camela that bare spices, and very much gold, and precioua stones. ' ' Wlien the Sou of David, the true Prince of Peace, shall reign in Jerusalem, for it shall surcly be because the Lord liatli spoken it (Luke i, 32, 33), then"the kings of Shcba and Seba shall offer gifts- yea, all kiugs shall fall down before Him. all nations shall serve Him." "They shall bring gold and . incensé, and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord" (Ps. lxxii, 10, 11, 15; Isa. lx, 6). This was foreshadowed not only in the visit of the queen of Sheba, and of all the earth seeking Solomon to hear hia wisdom (verso 24),%but also in the visit of the wise men from the east, who brought Him gifts - gold and frankincense and myrrh (Math. ii. 11). 3. "And Solomon told her all her questions. There was not anything hid from. the king which he told her not. " We are not told the nature of her hard questions, .but simply that the wisdom of God in Solomon was equal to every one. In Chrlst are hid all tho treasnres of wisdom and 1 knowlege (Col. ii, 8), and there is nothing that we need to know that He by His Spirit through His word is not ready to teil UB. Thero are many things we ase not ablo to bcar Ix'cause of our carnality or lack of faith (John xvi, 12; I Cor. iii, 2; Heb. v, 12), but if we are teachable and believing He who is with us and perfect in knowledge will teacli us all things (Job xxxvi, 4; John xiv, 26). Some things we may not know now, büt hereafter (Johii xiii, T; I Cor. xiïi, 12). A friend of mina has written over 30 hclpful questions and answers from the book, which can bc bad in tract form simply for the postage from L. & K., Box 21ü, Harrisburg. ("The Soul's Cry and the Saviour's Answcr.") 4, 5. "And when the queen of Shcba had seen there was no moro spirit in her." Probably she ca me with the consciousness that'she herself was some great one, and doubtless she was in her own land and among her own people, but uow she is in Emmarniel'a land and sees somewhatof tho glory which Jehovah can givc, and she thinks nothing of her own any more. When we in our ignorance of God's righteousness thhik we have of ourselves soniewhat worth mentioning, it only declarea that we have not seen or known His. (i. "And she said to the king, it was a truo report tluit I heard In mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. ' ' Although we know that the report we give f rom the book concerning our King is all true, how often we have to say, "'Who hath bclieved our report?" (Isa. liii, 1.) As to the last book in the Bible, whieh inore than any other tells of the glory of our King, which has a special blessing both at the beginning and end of it upon all who read and keep it, and in whieh it is three times written that its words are faithful and true (Rev. i, 3; xxii, 7; xix, 9; xxi, 5; xxii, 6), how few thcre are who eount it a true record, while many turn away from it and talk against it? 7. "Howbeit I believed not the words until I carne and mine eyes had seen it, and. behold, the half was not told me. Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fanie which I heard." We remember that ono of the apostles would not believe that the Lord had rlsen until lie saw for himself, but when He did see and believe our Lord said to him, "Blessed are they that have not seen vet havo believed" (John n, 29). Falth in God briaga all blessing to the believer and the enjoyment of it," but unbelief shuts the door. Contrast Gen. xv, 6; Dan. vi, 28; Luko i, 45; Acts xxvii, 25; Mark v, 36; John xi, 40, with Luke i, 20, 62; Heb. iii, 12; iv, 1-3. Do we who profess to believe in Christ Jesus give any kind of a truc report concerning Him, that some ïuay be led to come and see for themselves? We surely cannot teil it all. 8. "Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servante, which stand continually before thee, and that hcaj thy wisdom." How happy should those be who are accepted in ChriSt and blessed with all spiritual blessings in Him, wiio are made partakers of the divine nature uud of the glory to be revealed (Eph. i, 3, 6, 7; I Pet, v, 1; II Pet. i, 4), who aro joint heirs with Christ, laborera together with God, and liere in Christ's stead as His embassadors (I Cor. üi, 9; II Cr. v, 20). But are we? 9. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel, beeause the Lord loved Israel forever. Therefore ruado He the king to do judgment and justice." In II Chron. ix, 8, the record is "to set thee on His throne tobe king for the Lord thy God. " See also I Chron'. xxix, 28, "Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord a3 king tnstead of David, his father.1' The only throne on earth ever called the throne of the Lord was the throne of the king of Israel, and at Jerusaleni shall yet be the throne of the Lord, and a King sliall sit on it who will execute judgment and justice in the earth, and in those days all the earth shall send gifts to that King and shall worship Him (Jer. iii, 17, IS; xxiii, 5, 6). 10. '-And she gave the kingan hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great storo, and precious stones." If we Valué a talento! gold at $25,000, which is probably a low valuation, we have here a gift of í3,U00,000 in gold, not to mention the spices and precious stones. The next verse speaks of gold from Ophir, and verso 14 says that 660 talents ($16,650,000) came every year, bendes the wealth of verse 15. Let "it all suggest to us the "exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think" of the grace and glory of our God. The queen, of Sheba was emptied of her troasures, but went home iilled witli the royal bounty of Solomon (verse 13), even all her desire and more. Christ Jesus will do greater things tor us.