Chapter 41
THE MESSAGE OF NINEVEH AND SHEBA
(Matthew 12:38-42)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father we pray and ask that You would please open our eyes, our ears and our hearts so we can truly see, hear and receive Your instruction. Almighty God please grant each one of us a true spirit of repentance to forsake our own sinful and thoughtless ways. Help us, oh God, to truly follow and listen to Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin this study by reading about the time when the Pharisees and scribes (who were the teachers of the Law) asked Jesus to perform a sign to verify that He was sent by God the Father. Their request and Jesus' response are recorded in,
Matthew 12:38-42
"[38] Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." [39] He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. [42] The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here."
To more fully appreciate and understand how Jesus’ instruction relates to us, we will explore each of its key elements. Specifically, we will,
1. Discover the type of sign that the Pharisees and scribes were asking Jesus to perform.
2. Expand upon the sign of Jonah and how it relates to Jesus and to us.
3. Expand upon Jesus' example of the Queen of Sheba and how it relates to Jesus and to us.
With this introduction in mind we begin with,
THE REQUEST FOR A SIGN
To refresh our memories of what the Pharisees and scribes asked of Jesus, let us read again from,
Matthew 12:38
"[38] Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.""
As one reflects upon this request, one might ask, “What kind of sign did the Pharisees and scribes ask for?”
First of all, they saw and heard how Jesus miraculously healed the sick. To see this let us read how widespread and openly Jesus healed and taught the people. It is recorded in,
Matthew 4:23-25
"[23] Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. [24] News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. [25] Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."
Secondly, they must have seen and heard how Jesus raised the dead to life. To see this, let us read an excerpt from the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:43-46
"[43] … Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" [44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." [45] Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. [46] But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done."
Third, they saw and heard how Jesus cast out the demons from those who were possessed. In fact, as we found in our previous study (chapter 40), they even claimed that Jesus performed these acts by the power of the evil one.
To refresh our memories let us read from,
Matthew 9: 32-34
"[32] While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. [33] And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." [34] But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.""
In addition to the above they (the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law) surely saw and heard how Jesus fed the 5,000 and how He walked upon the water. What, in addition, were they specifically looking for? What did they want Jesus to do?
We find the answer to these questions by reading,
Luke 11:16
"[16] Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven."
And again, let us reread from,
Mark 8:11
"[11] The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven."
Notice, to be sure Jesus was sent by God, they wanted, “a sign from Heaven.” In reflecting upon this a bit, one might be left with the question of, “What was a sign from Heaven that they wanted Jesus to perform?” To find out, let us go to the Old Testament and read about,
TWO EXAMPLES OF SIGNS FROM HEAVEN
For our first example of a sign from Heaven let us read about the time when God sent fire from Heaven. This occurred during the reign of King Ahab. King Ahab was a very wicked king and promoted throughout all Israel the worship of Baal (a Canaanite idol representing a god). To bring His people to repentance and gather them to Himself, God sent Elijah to King Ahab and the people of Israel. Let us now read about the sign from Heaven that God gave to demonstrate that He is God. To do this we go to,
1 Kings 18:30-39
"[30] Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. [31] Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." [32] With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. [33] He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." [34] "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. [35] The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. [36] At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. [37] Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." [38] Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. [39] When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!""
For our second example of a sign from Heaven, let us read how God reversed the direction of the earth's rotation. This event took place after King Hezekiah asked God to heal him from a deadly infection and deliver the nation from the eminent attack of the Assyrians. So that Hezekiah would believe that God decided to grant him his requests, God sent Isaiah to speak to King Hezekiah. Isaiah's conversation with King Hezekiah is recorded in,
Isaiah 38:4-8
"[4] Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: [5] "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. [6] And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. [7] "'This is the Lord's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: [8] I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down."
With the above in mind let us now reread Jesus' response to the request for Him to perform a sign from Heaven as recorded in,
Matthew 12:39
"[39] He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
This now brings us to the second portion of our study which is,
THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH
When our Lord told the scribes and Pharisees that the only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah; “What was He telling them?” More specifically; “What was Jesus asking them and now us to recall or remember about the prophet Jonah?” To find out let us read what else Jesus had to say about the sign of Prophet Jonah as recorded in,
Matthew 12:40-41
"[40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here."
To gain further insight into Jesus' teaching we will,
1. Review a short background concerning the city of Nineveh.
2. Read from the Old Testament to see what happened to the prophet Jonah.
3. See that what happened to Jonah was a foreshadowing for Jesus.
4. See how the message from Nineveh relates to us.
BACKGROUND
Before we begin it would be helpful for us to note that Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. The country of Assyria was a constant threat to the security of Israel. In fact, in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 we discover in approximately 701 BC King Sennacherib, one of the kings of Assyria invaded Judah. One of Sennacherib's goals was to make Nineveh the most lavish and glorious city in the Assyrian kingdom. As with most of the pagan world, the citizens of Nineveh were wicked, sinful and immersed in idolatry. At the time of Jonah there were more than 120,000 people living in Nineveh1.
With this in mind, let us now go to the Old Testament and read about,
THE PROPHET JONAH
As we begin to read about the prophet Jonah we discover that,
The Lord told Jonah to preach against the city of Nineveh
This is recorded in,
Jonah 1:1-2
"[1] The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: [2] "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.""
However, Jonah was not happy about God's call for him to preach against the city of Nineveh. Consequently, he decided to run away from the Lord. To see this let us read from,
Jonah 1:3
"[3] But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD."
It is interesting to note that Jonah did not run away from God's call because he was afraid of the people of Nineveh or what they might do to him. No! Jonah ran away because he knew that upon his preaching the people of Nineveh, who were enemies of Israel, would repent. As a consequence, Jonah knew God would extend His mercy to them and refrain from inflicting upon them His wrath. To see this let us jump to the end of the book of Jonah and read what Jonah said to God after the people of Nineveh repented from their sinful and evil ways. Jonah's prayer is recorded in,
Jonah 4:1-2
"[1] But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. [2] He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."
Let us now return to the beginning of the book of Jonah and read what happened when Jonah ran away from God's call. Specifically, let us now read the circumstances leading up to and including the time when,
Jonah was swallowed up by a large fish
To read what happened we go to,
Jonah 1:4-17
"[4] Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. [5] All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. [6] The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." [7] Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. [8] So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" [9] He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." [10] This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) [11] The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" [12] "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." [13] Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. [14] Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." [15] Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. [16] At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. [17] But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights."
After spending three days and nights in the belly of the fish, Jonah came to his senses and repented from running away from God. Hence, the Lord commanded the fish and,
The fish vomited Jonah up on dry land
This event is recorded in,
Jonah 2:10
"[10] And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."
After Jonah recovered from his ordeal, God again told Jonah to preach against the city of Nineveh. This time Jonah obeyed God and,
Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh
This is recorded in,
Jonah 3:1-4
"[1] then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: [2] "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." [3] Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. [4] On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.""
Upon hearing the preaching from the prophet Jonah,
The people believed God and repented of their sins
This is recorded in,
Jonah 3:5-9
"[5] The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. [6] When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. [7] Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. [8] But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. [9] Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.""
After seeing the repentance by the people of Nineveh,
God withheld His wrath
This is recorded in,
Jonah 3:10
"[10] When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened."
THE FORESHADOWING
First of all, as God the Father sent Jonah to save the people of Nineveh, it is the same for today. To refresh our memories of this truth, let us read the following passage from the Gospel according to John.
John 3:16-17
""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Secondly, as Jonah was thrown into the sea to die and as a large fish swallowed him up (a figurative representation of death and burial).
Jesus died and was buried
To refresh our memories of these facts, let us read what Joseph of Arimathea did after he realized Jesus had died on the cross of crucifixion. To do this let us go to the Gospel according to Mark and read from,
Mark 15:42-46
"[42] It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. [44] Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. [45] When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. [46] So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb."
Third, as Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of a large fish before the fish spewed him up on dry land (a figurative representation of death, burial and resurrection to life),
Jesus died, was buried and then three days later was raised to life
To refresh our memories of these facts let us read the following passage from the Gospel according to Luke,
Luke 24:1-9
"[1] On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. [5] In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? [6] He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: [7] 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" [8] Then they remembered his words. [9] When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others."
Lastly, as Jonah was sent again to preach to the people of Nineveh,
Jesus has sent His disciples to go forth and preach to all the nations of the world
To see this let us read the commission Jesus gave to His disciples as it is recorded in,
Matthew 28:18-20
"[18] Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""
Let us recall that after Jonah went to Nineveh and preached to them about the consequences they were about to receive for committing idolatry and trampling upon God's commands, they believed God and repented from their sins. Hence, they were saved from God's wrath.
Unfortunately for some of the scribes and Pharisees this was not the case. Instead of believing God and repenting from their sins they continued to challenge Jesus' authority. This is why Jesus said what He said after they asked Him for a miraculous sign. To refresh our memories let us reread from,
Matthew 12:38-41
"[38] Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." [39] He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here."
THE APPLICATION TO US
Have we recognized the sign of Jonah that Jesus performed to demonstrate that He is the Son of God who came to save us from eternal destruction? Do we, as the people of Nineveh, truly believe God and have repented from our sins? Have we truly come to Jesus and whole heartily asked Him for forgiveness and asked Him to save us from the penalty of our sins? Do we truly desire to have God the Holy Spirit live within us and bring forth His fruits from within in the very depths of our being?
If the truthful answer to these questions is yes, good news for you have been forgiven and have eternal life. However, if the truthful answer to these questions is no, please take to heart what Jesus said in,
Matthew 12:41
"[41] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here."
Let us now move on to the third portion of our study and explore,
THE EXAMPLE OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
To refresh our memories of what Jesus said about the Queen of Sheba with respect to the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees let us read from,
Matthew 12:42
"[42] The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here."
In other words, Jesus reminded the people that during the days of King Solomon (approximately 965-936 BC2) the Queen of Sheba came to Israel to listen to the wisdom God gave King Solomon. Speaking of Himself, Jesus also pointed out that now someone greater than King Solomon had arrived in Israel. Thus, He was imploring them to listen and follow what He was telling them.
To expand upon this facet of our study we will,
1. Review a short background about the country of Sheba.
2. Briefly review the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon.
3. See how the example of the Queen of Sheba relates to Jesus.
4. See how the example of the Queen of Sheba relates to us.
BACKGROUND
Sheba was a country in south west Arabia, which is now called Yemen. Sheba gained its wealth through the control of the trade in perfumes and incense. The first capital of Sheba was Sirah and then Marib. At Marib, archaeological remains can be found of a great dam and of a temple of the moon god, Ilumguh3. Hence, as was Nineveh, Sheba was a non Jewish nation steeped in idolatry.
With this background let us now go to the Old Testament and read about,
QUEEN OF SHEBA'S VISIT TO KING SOLOMON
As we read the Old Testament, we find that upon hearing about King Solomon's wisdom the Queen of Sheba decided to visit him. This is recorded in,
1 Kings 10:1-2
"[1] When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. [2] Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan--with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones--she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind."
After how King Solomon answered all her questions,
The Queen of Sheba recognized Solomon's wisdom
This is recorded in,
1 Kings 10:3-8
"[3] Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. [4] When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, [5] the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cup bearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. [6] She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. [7] But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. [8] How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!"
Consequently,
The Queen of Sheba recognized and gave glory to the Lord our God
This is recorded in,
1 Kings 10:9-10
"[9] Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness." [10] And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon."
Reading further in the Old Testament we also discover that,
The whole earth heard about the wisdom God gave to King Solomon
To see this let us read from,
1 Kings 10:24-25
"[24] The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. [25] Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift--articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules."
Now some might ask, "How does all this relate to Jesus?" To find out let us now review,
THE APPLICATION TO JESUS
To discover how the example of the Queen of Sheba relates to Jesus let us first read two examples concerning Jesus' wisdom.
We begin with,
Jesus' childhood
Jesus' wisdom became apparent at an early age of His human development. For example, at the close of one of His family's visits to Jerusalem, Jesus spent some time in the Temple talking with the scribes or teachers of the Law. To read what happened let us go to,
Luke 2:41-47
"[41] Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. [42] When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. [43] After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. [44] Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. [45] When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers."
As one reads the Gospels, one cannot help but notice that,
Those who listened to Jesus were amazed at His wisdom
As an example, let us read the following excerpt of what happened when He visited His hometown of Nazareth. To do this we will read from,
Mark 6:1-2
"[1] Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. [2] When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!"
And so the question becomes: "Who is this Jesus who claimed to be greater than King Solomon?" As one reads the New Testament one finds that,
Jesus is the Son of God
To see this, let us read what God the Father said to Peter, James and John while they were on the Mount of Transfiguration. To do this we go to,
Mark 9:2-8
"[2] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. [3] His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. [4] And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [5] Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [6] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) [7] Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" [8] Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus."
Let us notice the following verse,
7 … God the Father identified Jesus Christ as His Son whom He loves. Also notice that God the Father told us to listen to His Son, Jesus. It is noted that to listen to Jesus not only means to hear Him but to also do what He says.
This raises the question of; “How can we listen to the teaching of Jesus?” The answer to this question is given to us in,
1 John 1:1-4
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life [2] the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us [3] that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … What they saw and heard they have declared it to us.
4 … They also recorded these thing in the Bible.
Thus, as we read the Bible says we are listening to what Jesus said.
Now some might ask: "What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?" The answer to this question is simply that,
Jesus Christ is our Lord and God
Even thought, there are many passages in the New Testament that proclaims this truth, for this study let us read the following passages from the Gospel according to John. The first passage we will read provides us with a clear description of Jesus' divinity and is recorded in,
John 1:1-4
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
This second passage provides us a clear description of Jesus' humanity and is recorded in,
John 1:14
"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
This now brings us to the point for this portion of our study. Specifically, let us now read,
THE APPLICATION TO US
When the Queen of Sheba heard about the wisdom of King Solomon, she traveled a great distance to hear and receive the God given wisdom of King Solomon.
With this in mind, let us recall what Jesus said to some of the scribes and Pharisees concerning the example of the Queen of Sheba. To refresh our memories let us read again from,
Matthew 12:42
"[42] The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here."
Thus, as the Queen of Sheba did with Solomon, we, through prayer and the reading of the Bible, should diligently seek out and follow the wisdom and teaching of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
CLOSING
Let us now close our study by reading the following Psalm,
Psalm 1:1-6
"[1] Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. [4] Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.[5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. [6] For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen