Clearly, God’s love for Israel is behind this, making you king to keep a just order and nurture a God-pleasing people. 1 Kings 10:9 (MSG)
The Queen of Sheba had gone to visit Solomon. She was blown away by the extravagance of his kingdom. His palace, the food served, the servants, the organization of his kingdom, the sacrifices to God, the wealth...everywhere. She was also taken by his wisdom and knowledge.
She said to the king, “It’s all true! Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that reached all the way to my country is confirmed. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself; they didn’t exaggerate! Such wisdom and elegance—far more than I could ever have imagined. Lucky the men and women who work for you, getting to be around you every day and hear your wise words firsthand! And blessed be God, your God, who took such a liking to you and made you king." 1 Kings 10:6-9a (MSG)
But that is not what I love about this story. I love the next line. It says "Clearly, God’s love for Israel is behind this, making you king to keep a just order and nurture a God-pleasing people." (10:9b) I love that because God blesses us with so much. We are given talents and material possessions. We are given successes and achievements. We are given family and co-workers and friends. Sometimes we get tripped up into thinking we get these things because we've done something good. We pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for this life we have.
In reality, we are given these things for God's glory. 1 Kings 10:9 could be paraphrased to read "Clearly, God's love for all his people is behind this." God wants his children to be a God-pleasing people. All we have, all we are given is so we can become more like him and represent him well.