1 Kings 10: Be a Lighthouse (The Queen of Sheba)

"[And the Queen of Sheba said to the king,] 'Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.'” 1 Kings 10:9

As we discussed in one of our most recent devotionals, we are all blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others. God has not saved us so that we can live in our basement watching Netflix; he has saved us so that we can proclaim his name to all the nations. This morning in 1 Kings 10, we see a great picture of what that looks like.

1 Kings 10 is all about the character of the Queen of Sheba. Although she comes from a far country to test Solomon, she ends up becoming "out of breath" when she realizes how much Solomon is blessed by his God. Because of this, she stands amazed, and finds no other option but to bless Yahweh, the God of Israel. From this short yet profound story we can see what it means to be a lighthouse for Christ, and how we can truly live our lives as a blessing to others because of all that God has blessed us with.

Jesus most famously referred to this lighthouse analogy in Matthew 5:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Although we don't have time to go into the depth of the concept, we must realize that this "lighthouse pattern" was something that was supposed to be true of Israel from the very beginning. They were supposed to be a light to other nations and cause them to turn to Yahweh, even in the Old Testament. Here in Matthew 5, Jesus picks up the idea and applies it once again to the people of God. Thus we clearly find that all throughout scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New, that we ought to be a lighthouse for all others, that they may see our light and turn to Christ.

So, have you been a lighthouse lately? Let me ask you this: where can you be shining brighter? At work? At school? In the community? To your neighbors? Surely there is at least one place where your life where you could be shining brighter. I certainly know that there is for me. Yet, let us strive today to have our light shine before men, that the Queens of Sheba might discover Yahweh, and turn to his holy name and be saved from their sin. Amen!