Daily Devotional

“Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came Y to test him with hard questions” (1 Kings 10:1). 

You may have heard that Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the initials “SDG” on hundreds of his musical compositions for church, but did you know he wrote them on many of his secular pieces as well? The letters stand for the Latin phrase Soli Deo Gloria, which can be translated “to God alone be glory.” 

When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, he presented her with a similar phrase. The queen came with many questions for the renowned king. She was very curious about whether this leader was as wise as he was portrayed in the stories she had heard. So, she enjoyed grilling him with hard questions, and she marvelled at his answers. 

Then she began to ask him why he was so wise and how he came to possess such great wealth. Instead of taking the credit himself, Solomon acknowledged that it all came from God. He gave all the glory to the Lord, and he taught his visitor about the Creator. 

The queen was powerfully impressed. Solomon’s wisdom and riches were even greater than she had heard. And he had made the reason for his success so clear to her that before she left, she praised God, saying, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9). 

The Queen of Sheba had brought with her a train of camels loaded down with many fabulous treasures from her realm and had presented them as gifts to King Solomon. Upon her departure, the gracious king gave her even greater gifts to take home with her. But by far the greatest gift he had given her was the treasure that remained in her heart—the knowledge of the true God. 

Heavenly Father, may I always give You the glory for everything good in my life—my talents, my health, my possessions, and—most of all—my Saviour!