- We’ve read this story before, how the queen of Sheba visits with great gifts and has her breath taken away by all the riches of Solomon.
- Leaders come to hear his wisdom and all bring lavish gifts.
- Solomon is receiving gifts from all over.
- He has imports come in of metals and animals. Apes and peacocks are introduced into the land.
- The queen of Sheba brings in spices that were not known to Israel before.
- Solomon is introducing a mixture.
- They are embracing the things of other nations.
- Solomon will be the king who introduces the idea of a queen mother, giving Bathsheba a throne. It was not from God. It was something the surrounding nations did.
- Solomon’s eyes grow large. He’s desiring for more and more and new and newer.
- He’s never satisfied by any of it and continues to just multiply more and more for himself, which wasn’t the answer to his incompleteness.
- In today’s day and age we make it a point to celebrate other cultures.
- Our family certainly sees good in other cultures, but not everything in other cultures is something to celebrate.
- Culture is mixed up with religion and apart from true Christianity, it’s all false religion and not something to celebrate nor embrace.
- Participating in foreign rituals because they are the local custom or to honor their ways is foolish. If they aren’t honorable, they don’t deserve honor.
- The Christian missionary Winfrid cut down a sacred Thor tree.
- He didn’t honor their ways and customs. It gets him killed in time, but it also introduces Christianity to the Germanic peoples.
- Be careful in celebrating and embracing other cultures. There are certainly great things about other cultures that we can embrace, like hospitality, since it’s a Biblical principle, but many others are tied to false beliefs and false gods and should be shunned.
