1 Kings 10:1-13
THERE'S NOBODY LIKE HIM!
Intro: Have you ever met someone who just left you in awe? I mean, they
were so great and so wonderful that you were left shaking your head and
saying, "There's nobody else like that!". Well, those kinds of meetings are
rare, but they do happen occasionally. The Bible records for us the account
of one such meeting. In this passage, the Queen of Sheba was left in
amazement when she met King Solomon. She went away saying, "There's
nobody like him!".
Many years later, when Jesus was ministering here on earth, He
mentioned this very event. She spoke of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
and He reminded His listeners that He was even greater than Solomon, Matt. 12:42. If an earthly king left that queen astounded at his glory and
greatness, how much more will King Jesus amaze those who meet Him?
This morning, I would like to preach for a while on this thought, There's
Nobody Like Him! I want to show you that as great as Solomon was in his
day, a greater than Solomon is here! I want to tell you today that There's
Nobody Like Him! There are a few thoughts in this passage that I would like
to draw out for you today.
I. THE REPUTATION OF THIS KING
(Ill. The land of Sheba was located some 1,200 miles south of Israel. It
corresponds to modern day Yemen. As she served in that country, the
sailors and merchants that passed through shared the word of the
greatness of King Solomon. What their testimony said about him was
this: There's Nobody Like Him!)
A. She Had Heard Of His Wealth - v. 7 - She heard of the great riches
that flowed into the kingdom of Solomon - 1 Kings 9:28 (Ill. 31,500
lbs. worth $2,419,200,000), 1 Kings 10:14-15 (Ill. 50,000 lbs. worth
$38,361,600,000). Solomon's wealth was greater than the
imagination can comprehend!
B. She Had Heard Of His Works - v. 6 - She heard of the great
kingdom he had built, 1 Kings 5-9. She heard of the Temple he had
constructed for his God. She heard of the great palace he had built
for himself. She had heard that he was a powerful king and she
wanted to know more!
C. She Had Heard Of His Wisdom - v. 1-3, 6-7 - 1 Kings 4:29-34 -
She had heard of his intellect and that he could answer deep
questions. This queen came to Solomon because she had problems
that her power and wealth could not solve. She came because there
were questions for which her gods did not have the answers. She
came because she needed help that only Solomon could give her!
D. She Had Heard Of His Worship - v. 1 - Notice where the fame of
Solomon was in the mind of this woman; "concerning the name of
the Lord." what impressed her more than his position, more than his
power, more than his prosperity and more than his prestige, was his
relationship with his God. When she learned that Solomon's God
was the One responsible for his glory, she wanted to know more!
She wanted to know about this connection he had with God. She
was interested in meeting the God of Solomon!
E. We are not here to exalt Solomon today, but we are here to lift up
One Who is greater than Solomon! Can I just remind you before we
move deeper in the text that There's Nobody Like Him anywhere?
He is all that Solomon was reputed to be, but 10,000 times more!
I'm going to say more about these things in just a minute, but let
me say right now that There's Nobody Like Him in His Wealth: He
can meet every need, whether it be physical, material or spiritual!
There's Nobody Like Him in His Works: He has all power and He
can move your mountains, quench your thirst and save your soul! There's Nobody Like Him in His Wisdom: He holds all the
answers to all your questions. In fact, He is the Answer to all the
riddles, problems and questions of life! They all rest and reside in
Him. There's Nobody Like Him in His Worship: He can bring you
into the presence of the God of eternity! He alone can give you the
vital connection you need to God. He alone bridges the gap
between God and man!
(Note: There's Nobody Like Him in His reputation! When lost
men hear about Him, it piques their curiosity. It whets their
appetites. It makes them want to come to know Him! Just like the
Queen of Sheba, I got interested in Him because some of those who
knew Him were talking about Him! By the way, everyone who knows
Him should be talking about him, Acts 1:8.)
II. THE RICHES OF THIS KING
(Ill. When the Queen of Sheba arrived at Jerusalem, she was astounded
at the greatness of this king's wealth. What she saw blew her mind, v.
5.)
A. She Saw His Possessions - v. 4, 13 - She saw his house and his
wealth. He gave her tremendous wealth before she returned to her
own country.
B. She Saw His Provisions - v. 5 - She meat of his table refers to the
massive amount of food required to feed those who ate from his
table on a daily basis, 1 Kings 4:22-23.
C. She Saw His People - v. 5 - She watched his servants as they
ministered to him. She noticed how they sat in his presence
listening to his voice. She noticed how others hastily carried out his
wishes. She was amazed because they were actually happy to be
his servants! Who had happy servants?
D. She Saw His Piety - v. 5 - She watched Solomon as he entered the
Temple of God. History notes that Solomon had a covered walkway
connecting his palace with the House of God. She watched him
worship and saw the sacrifices he made to His God and she was
amazed, 1 Kings 8:63; 1 Kings 9:25.
E. When the Queen of Sheba saw the riches of King Solomon, she was
totally flabbergasted! She said, "There's Nobody Like You!" But,
I want to remind you that there is a great than Solomon among us
today! Let me just remind you that There's Nobody Like Him in
His Possessions - Psa. 24:1; Psa. 50:12; Job 41:11. He owns it
all and He can take care of His people! There are no shortages with
Him! There's Nobody Like Him In His Provisions - Not only does
He have it all, but He is willing to share it all with those who feed
from His table, Phil. 4:19; Psa. 37:25! Solomon had enough at his
table to feed those who ate there, maybe as many a several
hundred. The Lord Jesus has enough to give all of His children their
"daily bread"! Not just the physical necessity of food, but also the
spiritual food that we need so desperately as well. There's Nobody
Like Him In His People, Titus 2:14; Eph. 2:10. His people love
Him and want to be around Him to hear His Word and to do His
bidding. Those who know Him and love Him want to serve Him! There's Nobody Like Him In His Piety, Heb. 7:26; Heb. 4:15; 1
Pet. 2:22. Solomon was a man of faith, but the Lord Jesus is the
focus of faith! He is infinitely holy and righteous! Solomon was a
man who offered sacrifices to God, what makes Jesus so wonderful
is that He offered Himself as a sacrifice to God for humanity! He
gave His life on the cross to redeemed all those who will place their
faith in Him, 1 Pet. 1:18-19. He promises to share His
righteousness with those who come to Him for salvation, Rom. 4:24.
He will take away the debt of sin from your account and replace it
with His Own righteous, which is the only way to enter the presence
of God, Phil 3:9.
III. THE REALITY OF THIS KING
(Ill. The Queen of Sheba had heard about Solomon, but she didn't
believe it until she had seen it for herself, v. 7. What she saw when she
came to Solomon left her dumbfounded! She just had to step back and
say, "There's Nobody Like Him!")
A. Her Personal Discovery - Her trip to Jerusalem led her to some
personal conclusions.
1. He Was More Wealthy Than She Had Heard - She got more
from him than she gave him.
2. He Was More Wise Than She Had Heard - He was able to
answer every one of her riddles, v. 1, 3.
3. He Was More Wonderful Than She Had Heard - She
concluded that she hadn't even heard the half of his glory and
greatness!
(Note: Every person who has ever heard about Jesus Christ and has
responded by coming to Him for salvation can echo everything the
Queen of Sheba discovered. He will always give you back far more than
you give up! He will reveal to you that answers to the riddles and
problems of life. He will always prove to be far more glorious than
anyone could ever articulate! He will leave you flabbergasted,
astounded and amazed! You will have to say "There's Nobody Like
Him!" Everybody who told me about Jesus lied to me! He was far
better than they said! The half has never been told!)
B. Her Profound Declaration - She had some things to say to
Solomon about what she saw.
1. Regarding His Servants - She commented on the happy nature
of his servants! (Note: It's a good thing Solomon wasn't a
Baptist! It's hard to find a happy Baptist!) Servants are never
happy! Solomon's were!
2. Regarding His Savior - She commented on the greatness of
Solomon's Lord! She bragged on His goodness and she
bragged on His love. She was convinced that there was nobody
like Solomon and nobody like His God!
(Note: One of the reasons I can say "There's Nobody Like Him" is
because those who know Him are a happy people! There may be
worries and there may be problems, but they possess a "joy
unspeakable and full of glory" in the depths of their soul! He does that
through His grace! Those who know Him Who is greater than Solomon
are those who like to brag on Him and His Father! Praise God, There's
Nobody Like Him and His people ought to be the first to say so!)
Conc: The Queen of Sheba came to God because of what she saw in
Solomon's kingdom. She went back to her country saying, "There's
Nobody Like Him!" I wonder if you have ever met the one Who is greater
than Solomon? Oh, we have far more evidence than she had! We have the
Word of God. We have the testimony of changed lives. We have the
ministry of God all around us! Do you know Him? If not, you can! If you do,
are you still caught up in the glory of Who He is? Or, has He become old
news in your life? Let Him remind you that "There's Nobody Like Him!"
