The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-12-06
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
DECEMBER 8.
Lesson Text: = solomon and the Queen
Of Sheba.' TKings, n, ,I13.-Golden
Il. xG Matt. xii., ,42-Commcn-
tary on the Lesson.

| which eScelled tho wisdom of all the children
| of the East and ell the wisdom Of Egypt SO
that people came from all Kings of the earth
| to hear his wisdom. Il Kings iv.. 30,4.) His
great wealth and some of the uses he made of
! 1T Is described in the portion of this chapter
| which follows our lesson and in Eccles Il.
l. And when the Queen of Sheba heard
Of the fame of Solomon concerning the name
of tho Lord, she Canlc TO provo him with
| hard questions" The fact that this visit is
| fully recorded both here aud i'm III Chron tx
and that our Lord Jesus Himself referred to
| it Matt. xii. Az marks il rs an event of more
than ordinary Importance; and our Saviour's
! reference to it points TO time and signf-
cameo yet future. Sbcba was evidently
! of the then krown world, country
/ lying around tho extreme south of tho
Red Sea. To this remote land the fame
of Solomon concerning the name of Jehovah
| throughout tho lesson that it was not Solo
! mon, but Jehovah, whose name and glory
! had thus spread abroad; Solomon being only
/ the human and visible channel of this great
! glory.
/ .. SHE c1nlmuncd with him of all that was
/ IN her heart She came with great train
of camcls bearing spices, very much gold ard
precious stones; somewhat as the wise men
! from the East came long afterward to the
/ King of the Jews, bearing gold and frank
! incense, and myrrh Matt. H., /, 2, III; and
as I'll nations will yet do when once the glory
! of the Lord is risen upon Israel lisa k, I-6l.
3. And Solomon told her all her ques-
tions.' the first verse says that she came to
prove him with hard questions, but now
, that she sees aud hears him, every question
J is answered Seeing Jesus is the way out of
! every difficulty; and the many things which
p, now "e"rn to US SO hard, dark and mysterious
will all be cleared up when we see Him as
He i.
4. ,. "Aul when the Queen of Sheba had
seen " d" there was no moro spirit in
her" Sin" had seen the Wisdom of Jehovah
! through him IA he answered all her hard
! questions, and now She beholds with her eyes
his house, his table, his servants, their stand
! ing, their apparel, his CupbearCrS aud his
ascent to the house of jehovah; and us she
looks upon this seven hued rainbow of glory,
all sense of her own Importance is gone with
| out AN effort. sight of the glory of God
! in the face of Jesus will effeCtually blind us
to the Importance of self and to the attrac-
tivcnc>s OF this present world.
u. 1T was true report that heard" So
must all those have said who, having heard
| every question was fully and wisely an
swercd, every case of disease completely
cured.
:. "Howbcit believed not the words" She
! must have believed something, or she would
not have come on this long Journey; but she
lid not believe all she heard, for it seemed
too grand to b" true. ISraers oppression by
the cr"hIy was always because they believed
not III God aud trusted not in His salvation"
ha"harias was deaf and dumb for a season,
because he did not believe God; and we are
warned to take heed lest there be in any of us
mn evil heart nj unbelief, aud lest we thus
"one short of rest. FPS xviii ~:
Luke i. 20. G2: Heb Ill. IL: iv 1-3l No
tic", on the other hand, the blessings OF faith
IS seen in Ahrani. Daniel. Mary and others.
icn. Nv., q; Dan. vi, %; Luke l., IS; Acts
! xvii. !5i.
Behold, the half was not told me: tiy wis
iCni and prosperity eXcecdeth the fame which
| heard" Ii is impossible to tell the half of
the hun,lrcdth part of the goodness of God.
either of that which has been manifested in
the gift of His dear Son or of that which is
laid up tpT those who fear Him Il John iv,
D. Is. Xxi. l9N Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man the things which God hath prepared
Tor :hcnl th2t lnEe IAiifi,-but tod hath re-
- v'aTPI Them unto us Ivy His Spirit" U Cor
ii, ., la, and yet how few believed tho things
which are revealed
= "iannv thy men, happy these thy SER
| wants whirh stand continually before thee
that hear thy WISDOM Tnis was her esti
mat" OF the privileges which they enjoyed
and "" do not thnl: she said too much: but
whcth'" those who enjoyed these privileges
thou"h; a. much of them q. she did is sanother
matter.
.. Bic, ed he the Lord thy God. who de-
NGht"i III thee, To set thee on the throne OF
Israel" In II Chror. iS., s the throne is
called the throne Of the Lord, and solomon
is sad be King for Him. Such is the state
ncni alSo concerning this most wonderful Of
all the thrones "f earth, in Chron. xviii,
>; xxiN., ~, pointing us forward to Jer. ill.,,
IL; Zeph. iii. "a, Is; Lake j. 81 33.
'Becaus" the Lord loved Israel forever"
oT. as in VI Chron. tx. $, ITO establish them
forever Thu unSearchable and uuchange-
able love Of God is the reason of all His deal
ing; with Israel, or with the church, or with
| natioaS
10 "rhara came no more such abund-
! an" OF SnicrS aS these which the Queen of
! Shrha gave to King Solomon" Gold worth
three million of dollars, precious stones and
nl specs very great store; Sucn was her Of
fcring to tho King because OF the name Of Jc-
! nrvah What life from the dead it shall be
when the Kingdom, is restored 20 Israel, and
the wta'ih"i 'hcnations is poured in upon
Ihem because of the name OF Jehovah.
from Xi., IL: 'sn. TX, H. II. W
IL, IL. "No such almug Tor al9uuO trees
. were seen unto this day The navy of Hi
ram brought not only goii and precious
stones, bat great plenty Of these trees
, which Solomon seems to have used chiefly
t0r musical Instruments III Chron. ix., III.
Thus We have tn" GenuleS supplying the ma
t"rials for prayer and praise, inasmuch as
incense was a symbol of prayer FPS cxli., 2,,
and I'll" musical instruments were to praise
God with.
13. "And King Solomon gave unto the
Queen of Sh"ba all her desire whatsoever
She asked Besides that which he gave her
Of his royal bounty he gratificd her every
drsirr: He gave ms King, royalty and
chc"rfully Do we in any measure realize
that we are Joint heirs with Christ, that He
will fufll the desire Of them that fear Him,
that HeiS saying: IF yc shall ask anything
IN Ny Nam. will do it." ard that we are
! "vcn now blessed with all spiritual blessings
! ~ tim. while He eagerly longs to show u:.
. all His glory? rs. CSlv., 10; John xiv, II:
xvii n; E.ph. i, ~. A full surrender to
Tim Will CGus" uo to enjoy all thcs" things
aud Himself rs including them all; but there
l. no other way.
so s't' turned and went to her own coun-
tIN She and h"r sCrvantS.' She came think
ing Il good deaf of herself. and laden with
presents for IL" far famed King; she returned
"npticd oi self and laden with his faNors.
Jesus win ch"criuIly receive whatever We
willingly bring Him. but If come with
any sense Of our own Importance. and set
anything iik" glimpse OF Hun we shall
wonderfully fall in our own estimation and
he glad To receive GraCiouSly from Him, in
S''Hd Of thinking that we can give Him any
tnIn-.--f f"SSOu U"'pcr