Sisters Keep Rising: Faith Like the Queen of Sheba

Jesus declares in Matthew 12:42 that “the queen of the South shall rise,” and that rising becomes a word of strength for sisters who have walked through “the valley of vitriol,” the wilderness of wickedness, and the labyrinth of lies without letting hatred have the final word. God has breathed something into Black women that oppression cannot obliterate, racism cannot redact, and hell cannot suffocate. The call to keep rising does not rest on an easy road, equal pay, or a kind world. The call rests on the God who knows the value of those He created, even when the world tries to call them less than what they are.

The Queen of Sheba comes from a place of knowledge, learning, mathematics, architecture, and royalty. Her journey to Solomon is not the journey of somebody easily impressed. Her journey shows that “real recognize real.” The queen hears about a wisdom that is different, a wisdom that must have come from the Lord, and she goes across the desert to see it for herself. Her questions test Solomon’s wisdom, but her encounter finally brings her to confess that what she heard was not even half of what she found.

The images of the Queen of Sheba also expose a lie. The erasure of Black royalty from art attempts to erase memory, dignity, and greatness so that false stories of inferiority can stand. The lie calls greatness “ghetto” because it fears being swallowed up in the shadow of that greatness. God, however, does not need the world’s false pictures to establish the worth of His children.

Jesus sets the queen beside the scribes and Pharisees, people who should have recognized Him first but still demanded another sign. Christ had healed, performed miracles, and shown His power, yet religious people clung to their need for control and refused to believe. The Queen of Sheba believed after encountering Solomon, but “a greater than Solomon is here.” Her faith under lesser circumstances becomes a judgment against those standing in the very presence of Christ who still will not believe.

Belief becomes the power to keep standing when life has been hard. God has proved Himself when there seemed to be no way out, no answer, and no strength left to continue. The people who believed under lesser circumstances, through slavery, lies, violence, legal barriers, and attempted erasure, shall rise up. Christ calls sisters to reject foolishness, refuse the labels of those who do not know God, and keep on rising because the God who brought them over still has all power in His hands.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God-breathed dignity cannot be erased. God’s creative breath establishes a worth that racism, hatred, and public insult cannot cancel. Human systems can distort images, suppress history, and withhold recognition, but they cannot rewrite what God has spoken into a life. Rising begins with refusing to let hostile voices name what God has already declared valuable. [32:25]
• 2. Real recognize real in God. The Queen of Sheba recognizes that Solomon’s wisdom is no ordinary wisdom because she knows what true wisdom looks like. Spiritual discernment grows through experience with God, enabling believers to recognize His hand even when others cannot see it. Foolishness loses much of its power when it is measured against what is real. [35:40]
• 3. God must be experienced personally. The queen travels a great distance because hearing reports is not enough for her. Testimony can awaken hunger, but personal encounter turns borrowed language into settled faith. God proves Himself in places where no human explanation can account for the way made. [41:37]
• 4. Faith rises under lesser circumstances. The Queen of Sheba believed with less revelation than those who stood before Christ, and her faith becomes a witness against unbelief. Belief forged through struggle is not weak belief; it carries the memory of God’s faithfulness through impossible conditions. God honors those who keep trusting when circumstances give them every reason to quit. [57:15]
• 5. Belief gives strength to keep rising. Belief is not passive agreement; it is the strength that keeps people standing, fighting, moving, and rising. God’s power levels what human pride tries to keep uneven, and God defines His children by His own knowledge of them. The generation of foolishness does not get the last word over those who know whom they have believed.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [27:29] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 12:42
• [29:10] - Sisters, Keep on Rising
• [30:43] - Rising Through Hatred and Opposition
• [32:56] - The Queen of Sheba and Solomon
• [35:40] - Real Recognize Real
• [36:58] - The Erasure of Black Royalty
• [39:53] - Testing Solomon’s Wisdom
• [40:47] - Trying God for Yourself
• [46:10] - God Keeps Proving Himself
• [49:38] - A Greater Than Solomon Is Here
• [54:27] - The Queen Shall Rise in Judgment
• [57:15] - Believing Under Lesser Circumstances
• [59:26] - Keep on Rising
• [63:16] - Invitation to Salvation

Bible Reading

Matthew 12:42
“The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” [28:19]

1 Kings 10:1-13
“Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her. And she said to the king, ‘The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.’” [40:47]

Matthew 12:38-41
Verse 38: “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’” [50:10]

Verse 39: “But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.’” [52:11]

Verse 40: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” [52:25]

Verse 41: “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” [52:59]

Observation questions

1. What does the Queen of Sheba do after hearing reports about Solomon, and what does she say after seeing his wisdom for herself? [40:16]
2. What details in 1 Kings 10 show that the queen’s visit was serious and intentional rather than casual?
3. What had Jesus already done before the scribes and Pharisees asked Him for another sign? [51:00]
4. In Matthew 12:41-42, which two groups from outside Israel does Jesus say will rise in judgment, and what did each group do in response to the light they received? [54:18]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Jesus place the Queen of Sheba beside the scribes and Pharisees? What does her willingness to travel, listen, test, and believe reveal about their refusal to believe while standing before Christ? [55:01]
2. The queen recognized that Solomon’s wisdom came from the Lord. What helps a believer tell the difference between human noise, empty boasting, and the true work of God? [45:24]
3. Jesus calls Himself “greater than Solomon.” How does this change the way a person should respond to Jesus compared with the queen’s response to Solomon?
4. The people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba responded under “lesser circumstances,” with less revelation than those who encountered Jesus directly. What responsibility comes with having heard the gospel and seen God’s faithfulness? [57:02]

Application questions

1. What labels, insults, or false stories have tried to speak over your identity? How can you answer those voices with the truth that God created you, knows your value, and calls you His own? [01:01:56]
2. The Queen of Sheba did not settle for a secondhand report; she went to see for herself. Where might God be inviting you to move beyond borrowed faith and seek Him more personally through prayer, Scripture, worship, or obedience? [41:37]
3. Think of a time when God made a way when you could not see a way out. How can remembering that moment strengthen you in a present struggle? [46:53]
4. When foolishness, criticism, or hatred comes your way, what usually happens inside you? What might it look like to keep rising without allowing bitterness or the need to prove yourself to take control? [36:01]
5. Is there an area of life where you keep asking God for one more sign, even though He has already shown His faithfulness? What would trusting Him in that area look like this week? [51:14]
6. Belief is strength to keep standing, moving, and rising. What is one specific situation in which you need to keep believing instead of giving up? [01:02:34]
7. Who around you may be discouraged by false labels, opposition, or exhaustion? How can you speak God-given dignity and encouragement over that person in a real and practical way this week? [59:36]