"Come and See" vs. "Go and Tell"

As I have been journeying through the Old Testament (check out this post to learn about my Bible reading plan) I happened upon the story of King Solomon.  He rose to the throne after his father, David, and led the nation of Israel during the pinnacle of their nation's wealth and power.  His was a time of peace, a time of building the first Temple in Jerusalem, and a period of unprecedented affluence.  Solomon was a very wise king--a gift he asked from God when the Lord appeared to him in a dream (1 Kings 3:5-13)--and this request pleased the Lord so much that not only did God grant Solomon's request, but He also gave him riches and honor that had never before been seen or duplicated since!  Solomon was spiritually wise, but many do not realize how knowledgeable he was about the natural world, too.  The Scriptures tell us that he spoke about trees, beasts, birds, reptiles, and fish.  He was also a very prolific author and songwriter, writing over 3,000 proverbs and over 1,000 songs (I Kings 4:32-34)!

Solomon was blessed with wisdom, knowledge, honor, and wealth and all of these things made him and the nation of Israel renown throughout the world.  In fact, leaders of other nations would journey to Israel to see Solomon's palace, the Temple, and all the wealth and riches this nation had amassed. 

Photo courtesy of mamaabdulla.blogspot.com

One such leader was the Queen of Sheba.  1 Kings 10 tells us of her visit to the palace.  She had come bearing many gifts to see King Solomon in order to "test him with hard questions" (all of which he answered) and to see with her own eyes his great wealth and wisdom. And what was her reaction to it all? 

Scripture states in 1 Kings 10:4-5, "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."

She was astonished!  Breathless!  But not speechless..."And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, ⁷ 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. ⁸ Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! ⁹ Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”  (1 Kings 3:6-9)

It is interesting to me that upon seeing wisdom and wealth of this magnitude,  the Queen of Sheba did not give King Solomon the praise and honor and seek to worship and revere HIM.  Instead, she saw this wealth and blessed the LORD!

However, a great shift occurred when Christ came to Earth and the New Testament was penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The Apostle Paul tells us that WE are the temple in 2 Corinthians 6:16: "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God."  Peter states that WE are the spiritual house and the holy priesthood in 1 Peter 2:5, "you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Instead of encouraging believers to bring their friends along to see the wealth of the nation of Israel, or the splendor of the Temple, Christ commissioned them to GO and TELL: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-19

So, we see a shift occurring in the Scriptures between the Old and New Testaments.  The "come and see" mentality of the Jewish nation becomes a "go and tell" commissioning of the new Christian believers.  The goal of both were the same: to bring glory to God and reveal Himself to the nations.  But with Christ's coming, the means to that end changed.

So my question for contemporary believers is simple.  Have we shifted our mentality, too?  Do we recognize that WE are the Temple...WE are the holy priesthood with the mission to GO out into the community and TELL others about Christ?  Or are we content to adhere to the "come and see" mentality of the Old Testament as we focus our resources on church building programs and try to bring the lost to us?  While it might seem more comfortable to do the latter, are we not commissioned by Christ to do the former?  Where do your heart, money, time, and gifts go to support--what mission are they meant to accomplish?  It is an important question we ALL must ask ourselves...because like the Queen of Sheba, a waiting, watching, and inquisitive world is seeking answers to the deepest need for their souls!