Can You Draw the Epiphany Connections?

Epiphany Sunday, 1/5/25 1 Kings 10:1-9 Can You Draw the Epiphany Connections? I. The search for wisdom II. The response to wisdom History. We all studied history as part of our education. Did you enjoy it? I’m sure a few of you did and perhaps still do. It fascinates you. You’re good at remembering dates and series of events. You enjoy learning about the past because it helps you understand the present. It leads you to see this is how we got where we are today. But even if you didn’t enjoy the study of history, you’re still a student of it. What do I mean? Well, on a daily basis you recall what has happened and you strive to learn from it so that you proceed with your life at this moment in the best possible way. You take note of the mistakes of others and try to avoid them. You take note of the positive outcomes others have experienced by their wise choices and try to implement them in your life. Bottom line: you draw connections from the past to the present. This morning we’re celebrating an historical event—the Epiphany of Our Lord. It occurred very early in the life of Jesus. Magi—Wisemen—traveled from far away at the guidance of a star and came to worship Jesus. Contrary to our decorative manger scenes, the wisemen did not appear at the manger on the night Jesus was born. The star appeared in the east to them on the night Jesus was born, and then they made a journey of perhaps hundreds of miles to come and see and worship the Savior. By this time, Jesus was already months old, perhaps more than a year old. And we draw the line of connection. These men were not Jews. They were Gentiles, just as we are. They came to worship Jesus as their Savior, the Savior of Jews and Gentiles alike. We have come to worship that same Savior. We draw the Epiphany connections. But this morning’s sermon text is not from Matthew 2—the account of the wisemen coming to worship Jesus. It’s from 1 Kings 10. As such, it states nothing about wisemen coming to worship Jesus. It speaks about someone else—the Queen of Sheba. And she’s not coming to meet Jesus; she’s coming to meet King Solomon. So, why are we paying any attention to this account this morning? Because it’s a biblical, historical account. As such, it’s God’s word, and it tells us something important about our Savior and our lives as modern wise men and women who have come to worship the Savior this morning. In other words, there are connections to be made—connections for you to make. Can you do it? Can you draw the Epiphany connections? Would you like some help doing so? Then you’re in the right place at the right time. Let’s do just that. I. Perhaps you have heard of the Queen of Sheba prior to this morning. Then again, maybe many of you have not. Either way, how much do you know about her? Not much? You’re not alone. No one knows much about her. She’s one of those mysterious biblical characters. She appears and then disappears. And biblical historians don’t know much about her at all, but would you like to hear some good guesses? I’m going to assume you do. One guess is that she was the queen of an area known as present-day Yemen in southern Arabia. That guess would align nicely with all the expensive goods she brought with her, since that area was a world-renowned trading center at this time. But I think a better guess is that she was the queen of the area known today as Egypt and Ethiopia. In fact, some historians have linked her directly to the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut. It’s also even possible that Solomon was married to her sister. In other words, Solomon might have been her brother-in-law. Regardless of who she was, we know this about her: she was highly interested in hearing about Solomon’s wisdom. Solomon. Wisdom. Do you recall that historical connection? Early in Solomon’s reign, the Lord appeared to him and gave him a blank check. He offered to give Solomon whatever he asked for. He could have asked for tremendous wealth or protection from his enemies. But he didn’t. He famously asked for wisdom, and God granted his request. Solomon was known all over the known world for his outstanding wisdom. Enter the Queen of Sheba. Our text states, “When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 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. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her.” Solomon blew her away with how smart he was. But that’s not all. Our text states that she had heard about his “relationship to the Lord.” The Jewish faith was no secret. The nations around the Jews made it their business to know which God the Jews worshipped. That was a common point of interest and conversation among ancient people. Who is your god and how do you worship him? Ancient people were all too willing to worship any god as long as it might benefit them. But it seems that the Queen of Sheba’s interest in Solomon’s wisdom was connected to his faith in his God. Why do I say that? Because later in this text we hear her proclaim, “Praise be to the LORD 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.” That’s some high praise! She refers to the Lord and praises him. But how meaningful are her words? Are they just conventional royal politeness? Perhaps. But I also want you to consider this: The Bible tells us that she experienced the temple Solomon had bult for the Lord, took copious notes on its construction, and returned to Sheba and built a replica of it. Again, you might not be convinced that she did so out of devotion to the only true God, and I’ll give you that. But how about this? When Jesus was on this earth, this is what he said about the Queen of Sheba, “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 something greater than Solomon is here” (Mt. 12:42). Jesus praises her for her spiritual wisdom. She will condemn those who reject saving wisdom. So, here’s your opportunity to draw the Epiphany connection. The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon searching for wisdom, and she found it. So have you. It’s right here on the pages of the Bible. God in his grace has already revealed to you everything you need to know—your Savior Jesus Christ. Don’t let go of that wisdom! Keep searching it! Mine the depths of the saving wisdom of Jesus! That’s what the wise men did. That’s what the Queen of Sheba did. Draw the Epiphany connection! II. I have one more Epiphany connection I’d like you to draw. It’s one that’s rather hidden in our text from 1 Kings. Here it is. “Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon.” She brought with her some REALLY expensive gifts. The verse right after our text tells us that she gave Solomon 120 talents of gold. Let me help you do the math. That’s 4.5 tons of gold. I did a little calculating. A ton of gold is roughly worth $55 million. She gave Solomon $250 million! Imagine that! Why did she do so? Some might say it was part of a treaty between them. After all, the text does say she gave it to Solomon. Others state it was a gift to Solomon for sharing with her his wisdom. And recall that she expressed her praise to the Lord for Solomon’s wisdom. She also built a replica of the temple in her own country. Finally, recall that Jesus commended her. I’m not sure enough about her motivation to state with certainty why she gave away $250 million. But at the very least, I think we can draw this connection: She was moved by everything she had seen and heard, and that included what she heard about Solomon’s God. Draw a line from her to the wisemen, who appeared and worshipped Jesus nearly 1,000 years later. We know from what Matthew tells us that they came and worshipped Jesus as their Savior. And part of their worship was to present him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Now draw the Epiphany connection to you. You have saving wisdom. It was given to you by God’s grace through the working of the Holy Spirit. In a world of confusion and changing truths, you know and believe the eternal truth that Jesus is your Savior. God’s Christmas Gift is yours. He presented him to you to live for you, die for you, and rise again. He is yours and you are his. How will you respond? We call that “worship.” Our response to the tremendous grace of our God is our worship. And worship isn’t limited to what we do here in church for an hour on Sunday mornings. Your worship is your Christian life. Draw the Epiphany connection. How will your life be your worship in 2025? First and foremost, recall what the wisemen did. They knew how desperately they needed a Savior because of sin. Draw the Epiphany connection. You and I deserve nothing good from our God because we are poor, miserable sinners. But we have Jesus as our Savior from sin. That Savior is yours by faith in him. That truth stands no matter how wonderful or how awful your life happens to be at the moment. Now draw the Epiphany connection. How will you thank him? How will you serve him? What opportunities do you have to show your Epiphany connection to Jesus? Can you draw the Epiphany connection? You sure can! By God’s grace you can! With God’s power you do! Amen.