Women

---

Based on I Kings 10:1-13

     Emma Hart Willard founded the first permanent institution of higher learning for women in America.  None of the usual courses for women were even offered.  There were no cooking or needle work classes.  Instead, she offered zoology, geometry, trigonometry, and other subjects thought to be beyond the grasp of the female mind.  She was convinced that the female mind, if given a chance,  could be equal to the male mind.

     She was number 16 of a family of 17 children.  She was born on a sheep farm in Conn. in 1787.  Girls were not allowed to get the same education as boys, but she studied her brother's books at home and became self educated.  She became a teacher, and opened her own school.  She gained quite a reputation.  After her marriage to Dr. John Willard she opened a female seminary in her home.  She went to the New York legislature, and she became the first woman to lobby in America.  She pleaded for a state supported female academy.  President James Monroe and former presidents Adams and Jefferson endorsed her proposal.  It was approved as the first state charter for women's education.  She went on to become the first woman to be admitted to the association for the advancement of science.  In the last 20 years of her life she helped launch nearly 1000 schools for women.  Women have reached enormous heights in the world of the intellect.

     We want to focus our attention on a woman of the Bible who is probably the most brilliant of them all.  We do not know if the Queen of Sheba was beautiful or plain, but the record is clear, she was a brain.  No other woman is so involved with the issues of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, as is this Queen.  The only other woman in the Bible who is portrayed as having such an eager mind to learn would be Mary of Bethany who sat at the feet of Jesus soaking in wisdom even greater than of Solomon.  Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the day of Jesus, you can count on it, she would have been there at His feet as well.   Jesus said as much when he selected this Queen as a powerful example of a wise light seeker.  Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matt. 12:42, "The Queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here."   When Jesus is that impressed with a woman, she deserves our careful attention, for such a life as hers has an impact on time and eternity.  Let's look first at-

I. HER POSITION.

     She was a Queen, and not one who is merely a figurehead, but one who was actually the ruler of a people.  In this sense, a Queen is simply a female king, and history has been full of women who have had the gifts to rule nations with wisdom and power.  The Queen of Sheba is one of the most honored women of the Bible, for nothing negative is revealed about her.  All is positive, and even Jesus holds her up as a great example.

     You will find no basis in the Bible for denying women the right to occupy any place of leadership they are capable of handling.  Someday there will, no doubt, be great debate as to whether or not a woman should be President of the United States.  The record of the Bible and history would be on the side of electing a woman if, in God's providence, a uniquely qualified woman would seek the position.  There is nothing I am aware of in Scripture that would prohibit a woman from any position of power. 

     Israel was ruled by Deborah very well in ancient times, and by Golda Mier in modern times.  Many Christian nations have had superb female rulers who have demonstrated that women can be superior in the wielding of great power.  From the lowliest to the loftiest there is no station in life that is not sometimes held by a woman.  This is a fact recognized by men, even in ancient times.  Nine hundred years before Christ, Sabean women were given high positions. The International Bible Encyclopedia states, "In almost all respects women appeared to have been considered the equal of men and to have discharged the same civil, religious and even military functions."

     Some feel it is possible that the Queen of Sheba was motivated by this issue of equality to go and see Solomon for herself. She was a very wise and wealthy monarch herself, and she wondered if any king could be superior to her.  We cannot lay this kind of motive on her, but there is no doubt that she brought with her very elaborate and extravagant gifts as an exhibition of her own power and glory.  Solomon was greatly impressed with her, for he gave her a truly royal tour of his kingdom, and he shared with her all of his wisdom.  There is not a hint of a prejudice bone in Solomon as if he was in any way offended by a female ruler.  She was graciously accepted, and hosted on a level of equality. 

     A woman in a powerful position can be a blessing to all. As God raised up Deborah to ruler Israel, so every once in a while he raises up a woman so wise and effective as a ruler that all men submit to her superior gifts.  Believe it or not, it even happened to the Vikings.  Norwegian law forbid the wife of the king to be called queen in 1363.  But then came Margaret who in her sons name took over the throne of Denmark.  She was a genius of a ruler, and so wise in her use of power of wealth that all of Scandinavia profited by her reign.  Norway asked her to take over control of their foreign affairs.  She managed to get her son on the throne of Sweden, and when she did she had become so indispensable that the Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, in 1388 made her the ruler of their kingdoms.  One nobleman of Sweden challenged this act, and went to war, but Margaret conquered him, and became the Queen of all three lands.  For 434 years the union she established bore witness to the power and wisdom of an able Queen.

     There are many such records of history where gifted women have done everything that gifted men have done.  The lesson of the Bible and history is clear.  When God endows a woman with gifts, she should be free to use those gifts for the benefit of man.  Back in 1918 the king of Tonga, an Island in the South Pacific, died, and he had no sons.  His 17 year old daughter was made Queen.  She had become a Christian through the Free Methodist missionaries who had gone to the island.  The result was a Christian Queen who established a kingdom where Christian morality became the law of the land.  By her order alcohol was prohibited from the island. She won the love of the people for her wisdom.  This is another example of how God has used women rulers for the power of good when they are in positions of authority like the Queen of Sheba.  Next let's consider-

II. HER PERSISTENCE.

     Jesus said that she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon.  Scholars tell us that Sheba was about the size of Texas in far off Arabia, which at that time may also have included part of Ethiopia.  The journey was between a thousand and 15 hundred miles.  That may not sound like much to us, but try it on a camel sometime, and you will know why this woman should be known as the Queen of persistence. It was a daily grind for about 2 months. 

     The legend is that she tested Solomon before she made the trip to see him.  She sent him a diamond with a crooked hole through it asking him to thread it.  No needle could penetrate it, but Solomon put a small worm in one end, and let the worm crawl through the hole pulling the thread.  She also sent a goblet that she desired him to fill with water taken from neither the earth nor the sky.  Solomon was up to the challenge, and he had a horse gallop around until it was exhausted and perspiring, and from this dripping horse he filled the cup.  When the Queen heard of how he met her challenge, she just had to see the man for herself. 

     It was an enormous undertaking to prepare the large caravan, and no one can know the obstacles she had to overcome to reach her goal, but she did it.  She never turned back even though she had everything life could offer.  She had wealth, power, prestige, and position, yet she pressed on, for the truly wise are those who know there is always more.  Jesus says that she will condemn the Pharisees, for she will willing to pay the price to find that something more, but they were not.  The Queen of Sheba was a genuine optimist.  An optimist is one who says, "I must press on, for the best is always yet to be."  That was Paul's attitude, and that is the attitude of all who, like Paul keep pressing on. 

     The optimist is always persistent because they know there is always a  goal out ahead worth seeking. Jesus said, "seek and you shall find," confirming the wisdom of those who are persistent. The Queen of Sheba could have sat in her kingdom and waited for the truth to come to her, but she was too wise and too hungry for the truth to not be a seeker.

     In 1883 a distinguished group of scientists traveled to a small coral reef in the Pacific with all kinds of photographic equipment in order to get pictures of the total eclipse. Men and women have paid a high price to get scientific knowledge, and we can be grateful for their dedication and persistence. The tragedy is that people will not maintain ;that same persistence in seeking to know the Creator of the Sun, and the Source of all light. The Queen of Sheba is honored by Christ because she was persistent in her search for spiritual light as well as the physical.

     She was rich beyond the imagination of most people in history, yet she knew that life did not consist in the abundance of her possessions. She never stopped her search when she found gold, but persisted on until she found God. Centuries before the three wise men, or kings, journeyed far to see the Christ child, this wise Queen journeyed far to the promised land to know the God who sent the Christ child, and when Jesus grew up and read of her, she became one of the women who most impressed him as a courageous adventurer for God. Persistence in the search for God is the greatest of wisdom, and she had it. Next look at-

III. HER PERSUASION

     She found even more than what she was seeking. She said the half was not told her, and she could not believe the half she had heard. This passage makes it clear that she came to learn about the God of Israel, and not just about nature and wealth. In 10:1 we see that she heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord. She came asking questions about God, and v.3 tells us Solomon answered all her questions. We can only conclude that she responded to this light with faith in God, or otherwise Jesus would not have used her as a great example. What good is seeking if one does not accept what is found? She did accept, and became a child of God's kingdom. She will be one of the fascinating personalities to know in heaven.  Next look at-

IV. HER POSSESSIONS.

     That she was wealthy there is no doubt.  Many picture her caravan winding its way across the Arabian Desert as possibly the most spectacular in history.  Bible scholars estimate the value of her gifts to Solomon to be nearly 4 million dollars. The wealth of this Queen, and that of Solomon was so great that their exchange of gifts opened up a whole new world of commerce, and the century following their visit was one of commercial expansion.  We are talking General Motors, and AT&T here.  This is no mere social call and friendly gift exchange.  It is a meeting of two world powers that can change the course of history, and one of these powers is a woman.  She is a master of diplomacy, and one of the most successful in history in international relations.

      She possesses one of the most charming personalities of the Bible.  Jesus could not help but admire her, and the same goes for people watchers.  Artists depict her as an elegant dignified woman.  In Raphael's fresco in the Vatican she is depicted in a girlish figure.  In 1891 Sir Poynter portrayed her as splendidly attired, and loaded with gorgeous jewels.  The Koran dwells on the legends that surround her. 

     She possessed a marvelous mind of her own.  She had to be very intelligent, for she came loaded with questions which indicates she was a student of life, and a philosopher.  She also had to have considerable wisdom to be able to evaluate the answers she received.  One suspects that Solomon seldom met with a female so able to converse on all subjects like this noble lady.  We do not know if she had inherent wisdom, or if she was trained in order to possess such knowledge.  All we know is that when women get the same chance as men to learn their minds can function on the same level.   Dr. Harold Ockenga, father of modern evangelicals said that she deserves to rank with Socrates as a searcher for truth. 

      Show me a man with more degrees than a thermometer, and I can show you a woman with the same list.  Show me a man who can speak many languages, and I can show you a woman who can do the same.  I have only scratched the surface in reading the biographies of the women of history, but I know enough to say with confidence, the female mind is equal to that of the male.  Jesus says the mind of this Queen will set a standard for the final judgment of mankind.  Jesus picks out this woman and holds her up as an example of one who responded in faith to the light that God gave her.  She followed that light and, therefore,  she will be justified in the resurrection, and her example will condemn the leaders of Israel who had the light of Christ in their midst, and yet refused to believe.  This pagan woman will be saved, and these Jewish men will be lost.  

     No wonder the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus.  These men thank God everyday that they were not Gentiles or women. But Jesus holds up a Gentile woman as their judge, and says, she is superior to all of you.  You can count on it that sexual and racial prejudice were powerful causes of the cross.  Jesus exalts a woman to a level of spiritual dignity and authority that was blasphemous to the Jews.  Jesus knew that too, yet He did it, making it clear beyond a shallow of a doubt that Jesus is the liberator of women.  Jesus died in part because of his exaltation of womanhood.  Any woman who feels inferior does not take her feelings from the mind of Christ, but from her culture, training, or her own poor self-esteem.  She will not find it in Christ, for it is not there.

     Jesus says that a woman will be the example by which men will be judged.  Her example is exalted to the highest level, and so Jesus puts a woman's life and faith on the level of equality with the greatest of men.  Jesus is saying that the lives of worthy people, and their response to God's light become part of the standard by which the world is to be judged.  This pagan woman's persistent search for truth will put to shame those who have the truth at their fingertips, but who will not lift a finger to grasp it.  She wanted life's best, and never ceased to search until she found the living God of Israel.  She illustrates the very essence of wisdom that says, the search is never over until we discover the best that God has given to man, and that best for us in the New Testament age is Jesus.  Those who are truly wise will follow this Queen until they come to know the King of Kings.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR