Sheba Come and See - 1Kings (3)

Israel as God's chosen nation, was suppossed to be a 'come and see' people.  Few times in their history did they actually function according to this purpose. One of these seasons is captured in 1Kings 10.  The reader notices a mysterious visitor from Sheba, which is the area of modern day Yemen.  The queen 'heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord'  and she came and saw all that God had done with Solomon, the riches, the temple worship, and his great wisdom.  She likely traveled for weeks along the trade route that Mohammad later used from Yemen through Mecca, Medina, Ezion Geber (Aqaba or Eilat), and into Jerusalem.  So impressed was she that the Bible says 'there was no more breath in her.'  

Sheba worshiped the God of Abraham, Issac and Ishmael with Solomon.  There was peace between the descendants of Issac and Ishmael and they worshiped the God of their fathers together. Fulfilling his duty to show the nations, Solomon brought Sheba to the temple (likely the Outer Court), and invited her to observe his daily offerings.  Sheba exclaimed "Blessed be the Lord you God who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel.  Because the Lord loved Israel forever he has made you king that you make execute justice and righteousness.' In awe and wonder she gave Solomon a great quantity of gold (9000lbs, or 4.5 tons!), spices and precious stones, so much so that the Bible remarks 'never again came such an abundance... as these that the queen of Sheba gave.'   

At the rare times when Israel walked in step with God, the Middle East was at peace.  God promised peace and the riches, and the honor and allegiance of nations when Israel fulfilled it's part of the covenant. He promised unrest, plague, famine and the sword when they strayed and disobeyed.  The point is this: When God's people are walking rightly, the nations will notice, and come and see.  They'll even join us in worship, if we invite them to the Outer Court. 

The state of Israel today is not walking rightly with God.  I can say this with Biblical confidence, because of the evidence.  Israel has enemies on every side, the nations are against her, no one is coming to see, there is a water famine, there is no peace.  The church today is likewise missing the mark.  The majority of evangelicals have put their allegiance behind a political state disobedient to God, and have neglected their duty to draw the nations of Ishmael into worship. 

The church is more of a 'go and tell' organization... but we have to keep the Outer Court open for those that want to come and see.  Jon Piper in his great book 'Let the Nations be Glad!' points out that our role in the world as Christians (and in missions) is to invite others into worship.  Missions exists because (and where) worship doesn't.  Our goal is to demonstrate to the nations what relationship with God looks like, with such accuracy and the sweet aroma of grace that they want to worship too. Somehow the tune 'Muslims go home' ringing from Christian literature and pulpits recently smells more like the rotting sewage of fear and exclusion.

The call to action from 1Kings 9 and 10 rings down through the ages to us today... Solomon gives us an example to live in such a way as to call the nations to worship by:

1. Demonstration - Be the hands and feet of Jesus, live out grace filled authentic faith.
2. Invitation - open the doors of our hearts and homes and places of worship, invite the nations into our 'Outer Courts'
3. Dedication - Allegiance and loyalty to the God of Abraham.  Doing away with all that hinders this goal