1 Kings 9:1-10:13 | 2 Chronicles 7:11-9:12

After the dedication of the temple, the Lord speaks to Solomon a 2nd time, and confirms His promises to David and the nation, with the proviso that when the king and the people forsake the Lord, He will judge them, and even allow the temple to be completely destroyed.  The temple was indeed destroyed when Nebuchadnezzar to the people of Judah captive into Babylon, and then rebuilt after more than 70 years of that captivity.  The temple was again completely destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans, and it has yet to be rebuilt since then, although it will be built again in the last days.

The Queen of Sheba comes to see Solomon with great gifts, and she is blown away by all of his wisdom and knowledge.  Tradition has it that Solomon allowed her to take a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, which is reportedly in existence today in Ethiopia, and guarded by priests with their lives.  Ethiopian tradition also holds that she bore a son to Solomon, named Menilek, who became king, with a line of kings all the way down to Haile Selassie in the early 1970’s.