The Queen of Sheba: seeking and testing wisdom

 Imagine the wildest stories you have heard about someone. Did you listen in disbelief and proclaim “no way!”? Or would you be intrigued at the fanciful details? The Queen of Sheba is a pagan queen from a wealthy southern country. She has been described as intelligent and wise as well. When she heard the stories of King Solomon of Israel, she wondered if the stories were real. Could a man so wise really exist? So the queen packs up, loaded with gifts, and heads north to Israel. What does she encounter there? How does she determine if the stories were true? What is the significance to gift giving? How do we gain wisdom as we seek God? 

The land of Sheba is said to have been a fragrant land, famous for its perfumes and spices. Modern day historians believe that Sheba was the South Arabian kingdom of Saba (present day Yemen). As part of the trade route, passing caravans would bring items from lands afar as while as stories. The Queen of Sheba heard the stories of King Solomon, the Israelite king who was the wisest man alive. She also heard about the magnificent temple and place the king had built in Jerusalem. The queen was determined to see for herself if the stories were true. She assembled a caravan of camels loaded with spices, gems and gold and made the trip fifteen hundred miles north. There, day after day, the Queen of Sheba was relentless with her questions, each one harder than the next. But nothing was too difficult for King Solomon. She concluded that the stories about his wisdom were true and presented him with the gifts she brought with her. The Queen of Sheba has risen to folkloric Jewish, Islamic and Christian traditions which suggest a sexually relationship between the queen and Solomon that produced a son: Menelik (Ethiopian Christian), Rehoboam (Islam) or Nebuchadnezzar (Jewish) (Fontaine, 1999). 

Many people think that gift giving is a modern phenomenon fueled by our society’s consumerism with societal pressures to give expensive and extravagant gifts. In reality it is not. Gift giving is as old as civilization. For the Purim feast, Jews are told to give a food gift, to ensure that everyone has a meal for the Purim feast (Esther 9:19). The mishloach manot is meant to unite and bring peace and harmony to an often divisive and fractured community (Herzfeld, no date). Even the Magi brought gifts to the child Jesus in Matthew 2:11. Psychologists have shown that the giver, not the recipient, reaps the psychological gains adding truth to the adage that “it is better to give than receive.” There are many psychological benefits such as a decrease in stress, anxiety and depression as well as physiological ones i.e. decrease in pain and blood pressure (Adams, 2021). And gift giving doesn’t have to be a grand gesture or expensive. It could be as simple as slipping your spouse’s favorite snack in their lunch as a surprise or bringing a co-worker their favorite coffee. It is the thought behind the gift, not the cost, that is important. A small gesture to say, “I was thinking of you,” can have a lasting impact. 

Despite her own wealth, prestige and intelligence, the Queen of Sheba sought the man rumored to have more. She came to test him and he did not disappoint. While scriptures do not give us the questions asked or the answers given, we are told that the queen was overwhelmed by Solomon’s wisdom. Even though she was a pagan queen, she knew that Solomon’s wisdom came from God and praises God for the wisdom he had bestowed on Solomon and made him king (1 Kings 10:9). Life often gives us questions that don’t have easy answers or even satisfying answers. When we seek God and his wisdom, he may provide answers to our questions or he may not. Some questions may be answered when we are with him in heaven and not for us to know now while on earth. However, what he will provide is peace and comfort that he is in control and all we need to do is lean on him. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

In conclusion, the Queen of Sheba set out to visit the wisest man in the world in order to test him. What she discovered was overwhelming and she proclaimed that God had blessed Solomon with wisdom and it was no wonder he was on the throne of Israel. She gave King Solomon extravagant gifts. Gift giving is an old custom which allows us to honor another as well as provide needs for those who are without. Even the smallest gesture can do so much to boost morale and spirits of the recipient as well as the gift giver themselves. Wisdom isn’t always the grand lessons but the smallest pearl of knowledge that directs us through our days. God is a source of knowledge and wisdom. 

References

Adams, Renee (Mary 28, 2021). 5 Reasons Why Gift Giving is Important. Hoppy Poppie. 

https://hoppypoppie.com/5-reasons-why-gift-giving-is-important/. Retrieved February 15, 2022. 

Fontaine, Carol R (December 31, 1999). Queen of Sheba: Bible. Jewish Women’s Archives. 

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/queen-of-sheba-bible. Retrieved February 14, 2022. 

Herzfeld, Rabbi Samuel (no date). Why Do Jews Send Mishloach Manot on Purim? My Jewish Learning. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/purim-gifts/. Retrieved February 15, 2022. 

Purim: a Jewish holiday of celebration

Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins at sundown as do most Jewish holidays/ Purim is the Jewish holiday commemorating the saving of the Jewish people from genocide during the ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire and told in the Book of Esther. It is also known as the Feast of Lots. It is a day of deliverance and became a day of feasting and rejoicing. The story is one of courage in the face of death. Modern historians view the story behind the holiday differently than did the traditional historians. As well many holiday, certain foods are enjoyed during the day of feasting.

In the Book of Esther, Esther becomes queen when King Athasuerus gets rid of his wife and queen, Vashti, for refusing his order. Esther hides her Jewish heritage from the king. Shortly afterward, Mordecai, her uncle and adopted father, discovers a plot to kill the king by two of the palace guards. He reveals the plot. The two guards are hanged, and Mordecai’s service is recorded. A man named Haman becomes the king’s viceroy and is outraged when Mordecai refuses to bow down to him. When he discovers Mordecai is Jewish, he plots to kill not only Mordecai but all the Jews. Mordecai learns of the plots and goes into mourning. He would also plead Esther to intercede with the king on their people’s behalf. Esther agrees to do so despite the great risk to her life as it was upon penalty of death to approach the king. At a feast, Esther reveals she is Jewish and exposes Haman’s plot to kill the Jews. The king becomes enraged and orders Haman to be executed instead.

Traditional historians have written about the events of the Book of Esther. Berossus from the early third century BCE, wrote the context for the account in the introduction of idols of Anahita under Artaxerxes II Mnemom throughout the Persian Empire. Josephus from the first century CE recounts the origins of Purim in the 11^th book of his Antiquities of the Jews which follows the original biblical account as well as information in the Greek version, the Septuagint. The Islamic historian from 915 CE, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, gives a brief Persian account similarly to Jewish and Christian sources as well as additional details. However, modern historian argue that Purim has no historical basis. Amnon Netzer argues that “Mordecai” and “Esther” are names derived from the Babylonian gods, Marduk and Ishtar (Netzer, 1999). Shaul Shaked argues that the Book of Esther is historical fiction despite its accurate account of the Achaemenid court (Shaked, 1998).

Purim is more a national rather than religious holiday, on a different level than days ordained as holy by the Torah. There are four main mitzvot (obligations). First, listening to a public reading, usually a synagogue, of the Book of Esther in the morning and in the morning. Second, sending food gifts to friends. Third, giving charity to the poor. Lastly, eating a festive meal. The customs of Purim including a greeting “Chag Purim Sameach” which in Hebrew which loosely translate to “Happy Purim Holiday.” Another custom is masquerading in costumes and masks, believed to originate with Italian Jews in the end of the 15^th century. One explanation for this custom is given as to emulating God who was “disguised” during the events of the Book of Esther and remained concealed yet present in Jewish history. Hamantaschen (Haman’s pockets), a traditional food made among Ashkenazi Jews, is a sweet pastry dough filled with a poppy seed filling and folded into a triangle. More recently, prunes, dates, apricots, apples, and chocolate fillings have been used. Fazuelos, a traditional food among the Sephardi Jews, is a fried thin pastry.

In conclusion, Purim is the Festival of Lots which commemorates the Jewish people being saved from execution and the courage of one woman to stand up and say something despite cultural rules dictating she remain silent. The Book of Esther details the story behind Haman’s plot to kill the Jews and Esther’s plan to expose his evil intentions. Throughout history, the views of the story range as historical to fiction. The day is filled with customs and food. The foods made during the holiday symbolize the events and people involved. To the Jewish community, Chag Purim Sameach!

References

Netzer, Amnon. Festivals vii, Jewish. In Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. 9, 1999, pp. 555-60.

Shaked, Shaul. Esther, Book of. In Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. 8, 1998, pp. 655-57.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther: when God seems silent

Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther are known as the post-captivity books. Ezra, the faithful scribe, records the Jews returning to their homeland after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. His records show God’s faithfulness to keep His promise to restore his people to their land. Nehemiah demonstrates leaders as he guides the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Finally, Esther is the story of courage to stand up to certain death for the livelihood of others and the celebration created as a reminder of that courage. Many people will point out that God is silent in these books. Although God doesn’t speak in these books, He isn’t inactive as the events unfold and His guidance is seen in the faithfulness and devotion of these three people.

Ezra, the true and faithful scribe, records the events which return the Jews to Jerusalem. The Lord moved in the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia as he proclaimed that the temple was to be rebuilt in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-2). Despite opposition from some Persian officials, the rebuilding begins with the king’s increasing support. Ezra was a committed student of the Law. He was determined to follow and teach the God’s word. Once the Jews were back in Jerusalem, he was determined to get the Jews back on track with God as he taught the Law to the returning families. Ezra showed the people that God kept His promise to return them to their land and they must show their gratitude by returning to God and the practice of His Word. “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). Ezra is an example of how devotion and commitment to knowing and practicing God’s Word has a direct effect on how God works in our lives.

Nehemiah, the rebuilder of walls, was the cupbearer to the king (Nehemiah 1:11). A cupbearer was an important position. He was to ensure the safety and quality of the king’s drink. It also gave him unique opportunities to speak with the king. As Nehemiah waited for the right moment to approach the king with his requests, King Artaxerxes notices Nehemiah’s distress and opens the door for Nehemiah ask to be sent to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city (Nehemiah 2:1-6). In Jerusalem, Nehemiah was the type of leader which gets the work done. He carefully planned and encourage teamwork as he solved problems which often arise when people work together. He also have courage and tremendous faith to get the work done even if it meant getting dirty with the workers himself. He was a leader that people will follow. “I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what they king had said to me. They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began the good work” (Nehemiah 2:18).

Esther, the Jewish orphan who become queen and she was placed in a position to risk for her life for others. Her cousin, Mordecai, had overheard a plot to kill the Jews by the government official Haman and he became distress as it was a king’s decree. Word got back to Esther about the plot and Mordecai pleads with her to tell the king (Esther 4:13-14). She agrees, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Esther devises a clever plan to expose the plot to the king by throwing a feast for Haman. At the banquet, she makes one more request. She asks the king to spare her people and the king is outraged that such a thing was plotted (Esther 7:3-5). She exposes Haman as the plotter and he is hanged. The king then decrees that the Jews had the right to protect themselves from whoever tried to do them harm (Esther 7:11). In response to these events, the Jews began a new celebration, Purim. Purim is celebrated as a day of joy and feasting. It is a day of giving presents to one another in remembrance of Esther’s bravery and courage.

In conclusion, while God is silent in these three books, He certainly isn’t inactive. He sent in motion the Jews return to their lands. He can be seen in the story of Ezra, a man who never forgot where he was from. He worked within the law of the land he lived with respect but he never let God’s law become second. He can be seen in the story of Nehemiah, a godly leader, one who isn’t afraid to work alongside the men to complete the work as well as caring for his men when the practice wasn’t so generous. And He can be seen in the story of Esther, a woman who hid her true heritage, only to reveal it when a greater threat loomed. From these examples, we need to remember that when God seems to be silent, He is working. He is working in your life and when you least expect it, that work will be reveal. Follow the examples of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, keep the faith and trust in God.