King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country. – 1 Kings 10:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 23, 2016): 1 Kings 10

His name was Menelik I, the legendary king of Ethiopia. According to tradition, Menelik was the son of Queen Makeda. And when Menelik took the throne after his mother’s death, he began a dynasty that would rule over Ethiopia almost uninterrupted for close to the next three millennia. The dynasty of Menelik finally ended in 1974 with the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie. Selassie died (or was assassinated depending on you are listening to) a year later in prison.

For most, the names are probably unknown - except that you do know them. Queen Makeda might be better known to most of us by another title – she was the biblical Queen of Sheba. Menelik I, if he did exist, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel. And the dynasty of Menelik started was known as Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia.

Credible records from this period are scarce. History has become shrouded, but the possibility of the legend actually being true is admittedly tantalizing. If there was a union between Solomon and Makeda, the Bible says that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, so such a relationship is not out of the question, then many questions would be answered – like why the Queen showered Solomon with so many expensive gifts with little traded in return. These were love gifts for her husband, or maybe, more importantly, these were gifts given to the father of her child. But the only named wife of Solomon in the Bible was Naamah the Ammonite, the mother of Rehoboam, who would eventually succeed Solomon as King over Israel. So the actual status of the Queen of Sheba remains a mystery.

There are even rumors that Solomon built a replica of the Ark of the Covenant and sent it to his son in Ethiopia, along with some the crown princes to help with the rule. It is a romantic idea – but maybe?

If Makeda is numbered among the wives of Solomon, eventually the time came for her to return home and take her son with her. There was another kingdom to rule, and her hope was that the Son that she shared with Solomon would possess the same wisdom as the King who was his father. Her Kingdom needed that kind of wisdom if it was going to survive.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 9