SOLOMON and the QUEEN OF SHEBA

Solomon had a reputation for being a very wise man with many resources. His reputation was well-known throughout the world since he gathered materials from all over for the construction of both the temple and his palace. The riches he held was greater than any king in the nation of Israel. And there was never a king afterwards who would be able to boast of the great wealth of Solomon.

I Kings 10 announces the arrival of the Queen of Sheba to the palace. She arrived in great splendor with a large group of attendants. The Queen had heard of Solomon's wealth and wanted to see for herself if what she had heard was true. As part of her gift to Solomon she brought many precious stones along with gold and silver. No one knows exactly what stones were brought but the image of stones on a surface in a glistening array of colors comes to my mind.

One other important part of this story is the Queen's reaction to Solomon and his prosperity. It is interesting to note that when she saw the magnificence of Solomon's court, she gave praise to the Lord who had provided all the blessings to Solomon. She stated “Blessed be the Lord your God”.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Although the 10 Commandments do not have 12 different stones, there are two possibilities on the material used for the tablets.

The overall weight of the stones carried up the mountain was probably no more than 10 pounds meaning that the normal image presented in paintings is simply too heavy to be carried up the mountain. The abundance of clay and shale in the region and the uncovering of artifacts with engravings gives one possibility for the actual stone that carried the handwriting of the Lord down from the mountain to the people of Israel.

On one site the author believes that the 10 Commandments were carved on a blue stone similar to sapphire. The stone is actually a lapis which is a dark color and is somewhat delicate. It could be easily engraved without breaking and is a softer mineral than the some of the other gems mentioned in the Bible.

Another source believes that the 10 Commandments were carved on an emerald stone. Rather than the green color we associate with the stone today, the more common form of the stone was a deep red color. http://rockhoundingar.com/miscellaneous/bible.html

Just think, the 10 Commandments were a directive from God that would help his people shine like a brilliant jewel in a land where others lived in darkness.

OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES--Malachi

Malachi 3:16-17 Throughout the book the challenge is to make the people aware of the Lord's return so that they will be motivated to live a more Godly life (chapter 1-2). Part of the book of Malachi (chapter 3) deals with the coming of Christ. The very last chapter of the book mentions the actual events that will occur near the time of the Lord's coming.

In chapter 3 the reference to the last days forewarns the people that God is surely going to return to earth. Numerous items that need to be addressed by the people are discussed extensively in the first part of this chapter. The last part reminds the people that there will be a final recounting of the life they had lived when the book of life is opened. In that book there are the names of all saints but it is in verse 17 that God indeed describes his the people who have remained faithful. His followers are called jewels. How wonderful to know that I can be a jewel to the Lord and that his light will shine on me through his beauty. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I will make them my jewels.” [NKJV].

Precious gems. Gems that are beautiful to God in spite of the problems and temptations where we have failed him. It is only in the heart that God truly sees who we are. And as a believer it is wonderful to think that I am a jewel, something glowing and lovely to the Lord.

OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES--Exodus

Great time is spent in the Old Testament discussing the beauty of Aaron's priestly garment. Two onyx stones (dark black in color) were engraved with the names of the sons (tribes) of Israel. Six names were engraved on the onyx stone and one stone went on the shoulder area of the garment. The other onyx stone was placed on the opposite shoulder. Each stone was set in gold giving a more royal appearance to the garment.

The breastplate of the garment had four distinct rows of stones, three stones in each row. The first row of stones included a sardius, topaz and emerald; the second row of stones were turquoise, sapphire, and diamond. The third row of stones were jacinth, agate, and amethyst while the last row was made of beryl, onxy, and jasper. Again each stone was set in gold. Each stone was engraved with the name of one tribe of Israel and the combined stones listed the twelve tribes of Israel. The stones on the breastplate were worn close the Aaron's heart as a memorial to each original tribe of Israel.

GREAT RESOURCE

I discovered the following website while searching for information. It has an excellent chart for gems, scripture verses and descriptions. There is absolutely no way I could improve on this. It has a wealth of information and gives references and descriptions of the stones located in the Bible.

Check out The Emerald Empire, click on "Bible Gems" on left side of blog.

AMETHYST

This stone is a lovely hue of violet or purple and is the 12th stone in the Holy City wall. It was highly treasured by princes for his beauty since the color purple is often associated with royalty.

In early times the stone was considered to help with drunkenness and to help intoxication. It also is claimed to help with healing such as insomnia, headaches, and other types of pain. It is quite abundant in the world with Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Africa, and the US being just a few areas where it is located.

JACINTH

The eleventh jewel in the wall of the Holy City. The color of the stone comes in a variety of colors from amber to deep purple or a brilliant orange. The orange color of jacinth is called zircon. Technically the jacinth is the flower part of the deep purple hyacinth. It was normally worn as an amulet or talisman.

CHRYSOPRASE

This a form of chalcedony which has tiny grains of nickel in the stone and is formed from weathering. High heat or exposure to sunlight will cause the color to fade. Two areas for chrysoprase are Australia and California. Arizona also has some chrysoprase.

The green color may resemble the color of an emerald but it is usually an apple-green color. Some shades of green may resemble jade but chrysoprase and jade are not the same. Many amulets had chrysoprase which was said to promote healing.

TOPAZ

Topaz is normally found in Topasas Island located in the Red Sea. It is listed as the ninth layer of the foundation of the Holy City. It is usually transparent or translucent meaning that light can partially shine through the stone. The blue topaz is the state gemstone for the state of Texas.

Topaz can come in a variety of colors but the most common color is the bluish color associated with the birthstone for the month of December. The most typical color of topaz is a shade of yellow but the most desired stone is called Imperial topaz which is a combination of yellow and brown. Some jewelers may class topaz as citrine but the “false” description leads buyers to think they are buying the more expensive topaz.

BERYL

Beryl is a transparent stone with prisms that catch light and comes in a variety of colors---green, blue-green, pink and yellow. The pure form of the stone is colorless (clear) but it does have impurities in the stone. It is the eighth foundation stone in New Jerusalem. Its name comes from Tarshish mentioned in Genesis 10.

CHRYSOLITE

This stone makes up the seventh foundation stone in the New Jerusalem. Also called peridot this gem is a light green color. In the US it there is a white chrysolite that is embedded in asbestos. This term today is called the oriental topaz. It may also be called olivine and crystallized from magma. It has been discovered on the surface of Mars, on the earth's moon and in meteorites.

CARNELIAN

This gem is a type of chalcedony which may be called sardius, It is a red or reddish-brown color. When the stone is placed in the sun it will change color and some light will shine through because it is transparent. It was mainly associated with the upper class or nobles. The gem was often used in rings and signets which indicated that the letter or document had been sealed when it was sent to someone.

SARDONYX

Today this gem is called agate. It is a stone that is usually some shade of red or orange with small stripes. No two stones have the same banding (stripes) It has been used for carving cameos. The “onyx” term refers to a black stone that when mixed with striping is called sardonyx. One reference claims that sardonyx was one of the stones that Moses carried up the mountain when he was given the 10 Commandments. This makes up the fifth foundation layer of New Jerusalem.