The Queen of Sheba

Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines. But there was only one woman at whose feet he lay, the Queen of Sheba. And she was neither one nor the other, for she was the King’s match. And so, fittingly, he gave her everything she asked of him and much, much more. She in turn, gave herself to him. And their rapture knew no bounds and their love for each other never betrayed them.

With the coming heat of summer passion it's a time to share my favorite version of the love story of King Solomon, whom the ancients considered the wisest person in the world, and the Queen of Sheba, who knew better.
Before Helen of Troy, before Cleopatra, before Catherine the Great, there was Sheba~history’s first recorded woman with a past. Not too much is known about her~biblical reports are sketchy~except that she was so alluring, so beguiling, and stunning that she inspired Solomon to pen the most passionate love poem ever created, the Song of Songs.
That says it all to me. Actually, all we really need to know about the Queen of Sheba is that she was such a savvy babe she managed to accomplish what a thousand other women couldn’t. She brought the most powerful biblical King to his knees, and he was smiling all the way down.
Exactly how did the Queen of Sheba accomplish this? By being her gutsy, glorious, authentic Self. Solomon’s equal. The King’s match. She knew it, he knew it, and she never let him forget it in subtle but unmistakable ways. She was the first woman not to bow down to him. She knew who should be receiving the adoration. She looked him straight in the eye, probably flashed him a sly and knowing smile, then turned and slowly sashayed away into her tent to wait for him to bring her love offerings. She let Solomon give her everything she wanted and much, much more BEFORE..she even turned in his direction. Why?
Sheba knew the happiness she could bring into Solomon’s life. She wanted to see if he deserved her love. She wanted to see how he’d enhance the quality of her life before she let him in.
Sheba longed for a soul mate; she wanted a companion who could meet her as an equal on every level~intellectually, emotionally, and passionately. She had been lonely far too long, but she was still the Queen of Sheba and would not settle for less than her equal. She knew that for a woman there was something worse than being alone: being with a man who doesn’t deserve you and doesn’t know it.

Was Solomon her match? King or not, she would have to test him.
Material objects were not what Sheba wanted from Solomon; she already had everything. She wanted to see if the wisest man in the world knew what a woman truly wanted: gifts tied with heartstrings~ passion, unconditional love, selflessness, support, loyalty, enthusiasm, attention, thoughtfulness, devotion, romance, constancy, caring, emotional primacy-and adoration. These were the love gifts fit for a Queen.
From the moment Solomon laid eyes on the Queen of Sheba, he knew this was a woman unlike any other in the world. And, as a man, not just as the greatest King in the world, he wanted her to be his and his alone. Because she was his equal, he knew what he had to do, and he had never done it before. He would have to open his heart to her and place her happiness and well-being before anyone’s, even his own.

He would have to discover what delighted her and then plot and plan her pleasure. Solomon knew he was Sheba’s passionate, generous match; he would prove it. And he did: from sharing his deep heart to offering to her, her favorite wine and fruit to personally selecting flowers and fragrant incenses, from putting the affairs of state on hold in order to spend time with her to providing for her entertainment when the kingdom couldn’t wait. There was no one else he wanted in his life but her.
Sheba knew then, the most important thing about a great love. That when a new man comes into your life-whether he’s a king or a carpenter (the two are not mutually exclusive), if he doesn’t match your generosity of spirit and meet your emotional needs, you’ll never be happy together.
One thing’s for sure: the Queen of Sheba would never pretend that the second-rate is first rate. Or, pretend that you don’t need love when you do. There is only one real sin, and that is “to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but the second best.”
If you want to be admired, adored, and loved as you've never been before, you’re going to have to be the Queen of Sheba and hold out for King Solomon to arrive.