The National tribune., 1896-11-19
SUNDAY \ MEDITATION.

sTo
A Study of the International Sunday |
School Lesson !! Appointed for Nov.
20, 1896. afid ai.d
subject: The FamSfof Solomon. 1 Kings
IO:1o1O.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
.,ndy the paragraph from The Holy Scriptures as
indicated above!
INTRODUCTION.
An anonymous writer says referring TO the
Holy. Scriptures:
"The literature of Greece. which goes mp
like incense from that land OF temples ana
heroic deeds has not half the influence OF TINS
Book from nation alike despised In ancient
and modern times. 1t is read on a Sunday I'D
all the pu lpits of our land. In all the temples
of Christendom is its voice lifted up week ny
week. The sun never sets on its giea".hs
mage. It goes equally to the cottage OF the
plain man and the palace Of the king. IL IS
woven into the literature of the scholar ana
colors the talk of the street. The boat OF the
merchant cannot sail the sea without u; no
ship of war goes to the conflict but the Eiole
is there 1t enters mems closets mingles III All
the grief and cheerfulness OF llfe Inc anu
anced maiden prays God in Scripture ior
strength in her new duties. Men are married
in Scripture The Bible attends them in their
sick ness, wheL the fever Of the world IS OH
them the aching head finds softer pillow II
such leaves lie underneath. The mariner, es-
Gaping from shipwreck, clutches this hrst OF MS
treasures, and keeps it sacred to God. III goes
with the peddler in his crowded pack; cheers
pbap hoc Re dusty
faiigued, and brightens the freshness OF Ills
morning face. 1t blesses us when we are born
gives names to half Christendom; re]oices Win
us; has sympathy for oar mourning, ana te"'
pcrs our grief to finer issues. 1t is the better
part of our sermons. 1t lifts man above MIN
self our best of uttered prayers are IN It's storiea
speech, wherewith our fathers and the patrl-
archs prayed"
SUBJECT: The VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF
SHEBA TO SOLOMON.
Data.
Besides studying XII. 10: 1-13, one shonid
read critically Chr, o: LIZ; st. Matt, ~:
42. and st. Luke, IL 81. There is remarkab
similarity in the accounts Of l HI. and l Chr.
Evidently the books of the Chronicles are
mainly compilations. The account found IN
Kings was probably written by some leading
propbet of the times. while Ezra was the com
piler of the two books of the Chronicles we
notice how familiar Christ was with the historic
books of the Old Testament, quoting freely
from them or alluding to them rs authoritative
documents. The accounts of SITS. Matthew ana
Luke are harmonious. The visit OF the queen
of Sheha to Jerusalem was grand event.
referred to by the Israelites for centuries aites
ward.
The visit of the Queen took place A. NJ 3O14,
or B. c. $50. Solomon Was about 43 years old.
lie had been King foq2S years. 1t was about
500 years after the Exodus. and 2l4 years be-
fore the first olympiad. Homer was Ia years
old. IL was 2.879 years ago.
Place!
The temrle and palace and all the grand
treasures of Solomon We're at Jerusalem.
There is much di feftnee of opinion as to tho
location of Sheba. Christ, speaking of the
Queen, says she was from the South st. Matt,
12: AZ. Sheba is also spelled saDa, oapaIl'a'
1t is in the southwestern part of Arabia Felix.
So the Queen has been called SabHan. The
region was noted for Spices. So Virgil fGeorg.
Lib. !. /. 57) says that the Sab9ans furnish
frankincense Again, he declares (Idem. Lib.
II. !. 1I7) frankinceiisc trees belong to the
sabnans alone. We have, the following coup
| let:
where to her fame = bnndred alars rise
And pour Sal sesn odofs'to the skies.
PIiny wrote: The Sabaans use odorous
/ wood only; and even use the incense tree and
myrrh to cook their victuals." That country
| also abounded in gold and silver mines and
precious stones The Sasaans had for ruieri
only Queens. Tho SabBan Kingdom was
called Teman, which means the south 1t II
also written Aljemin. The following think
| the Queen was from Teman: Stackhouse, kitto
Barnes Forster, Bengel, Lange. Whedon, and
4 Smith lin his History of the Hebrew People)
| Mapy however among them Bruce, insist W.
are to understand Abyssinia The Abyssinian
to this day insist their Queen went TO Jerusa
lem to call on Solomon.
We are not As certain as to the location 0
Ophir as We are as to Sheba. For long TIM
| it was held, without much dissent, that WI
must find Ophir in India. Ophir in Arabic j
| Hind or India. Josephus thought Ophir wa
Malacca. Arias MontaDus identified it as al
American island, Hispaniola; to wit. HAITI
Calmet thought it was in Armenia. near TIL
sources of the Euphrates and tho Tigris
Samuel Bochart thought it was Taprobanes. o
Serindib. or CeyloD. Huetius puts IT on tn
eastern coast of Africa. Herr Carl Mauch, tn
eminent German explorer, is fixed in Opinion
that Ophir is in 90 degrees Is minutes sout
latitude and 26 degrees 30 minutes east longl
tude. 1t is between the Zambezi and Linepop
Rivers. southwestern Africa. The prevailin
opinion locates Ophir in India. The argumen
of Prof Max Muller is so interesting, in cor
| DectlOu With our ieSSOu, GuhG We 4uoto IA
says: "A great deal has been written to fin
/, out where this Ophir was; but there can be q
doubt that it was in India. The names for ape
peacocks. ivory and almug trees drought b
Solomon's feet from Ophir) are foreign word
in Hebrew. as much as gutta-percha or tobacc
are in English. Now, If we wished to kno
, from what part of the world gutta-percha VIZ
6rst imported into England. We might safel
conclude that it came from that country whei
the name gutta-percha formed part of I'll
spoken language. If, therefore. We can find
language in which the name for peacOcks, ape
ivory and almug- trees. which are foreign to I'll
. Hebrew. are indigenous, we may be certain th'
the country in which that language was spoke
;, must have been the Ophir of the Bible. Th'
b language is no other but Sanscrit."
II is said the Queen was from the uttermo
parts of the EARTH" st. Matt. H. AZ. II 81
Q set out from Arabia Felix, her home was {
d the borders of the Arabian Sea, which was
It the extreme end of Asiatic land. Or, the mea
ing may be she was from the region out of Il
way of the travel and familiar reference Of Il
Israelites. Or she was from the terminus
;. land as then known. Or. the expression mi
. simply mean that she was from great distant
d Deu, %: 49.
Y. The Queen.
There was great rational pI.dc felt in t
fact that the Queen Went to Solomon and v
SO we'll received by Him. Her aspirations
l. knowledge were commendable and matter
e congratulatiou to her subjects. Hence, Ara
d ians and Abyssinians and others quarrel for t