Intrigued, he decides to reach out to the Queen of Sheba. But how do you send a royal invitation across vast distances in those days? You use avian mail, of course!
The text tells us that Solomon, pleased with the hoopoe's report, summoned his scribes. They carefully penned a letter, bound it securely to the hoopoe's wing, and off it flew, soaring skyward with its distinctive cry, followed by a whole flock of other birds. Can you imagine the sight?
Their destination? Kitor, in the land of Sheba. Now, picture this: it’s morning, and the queen is outside, engaged in her daily worship of the sun. Suddenly, the sky darkens as a massive flock of birds blots out the sunlight. The queen, understandably startled, tears her garment in astonishment.
Then, the hoopoe, the messenger, alights nearby. Seeing the letter attached to its wing, the queen takes it and reads the message. What did it say? Well, it was quite the royal decree!
The letter, straight from King Solomon himself, begins with a greeting: "From me, King Solomon! Peace be with thee, peace with the nobles of thy realm!" Then it gets down to business. Solomon declares that God has appointed him king over all creatures – beasts, birds, demons, spirits, you name it! He boasts that kings from across the East and West come to greet him.
But here’s the real kicker: Solomon offers the Queen of Sheba an invitation, and a warning. "If thou wilt come and salute me," he writes, "I shall show thee great honor, more than to any of the kings that attend me." But, he continues, "if thou wilt not pay homage to me, I shall send out kings, legions, and riders against thee!"
And who are these kings, legions, and riders? According to Solomon, "The beasts of the field are my kings, the birds my riders, the demons, spirit, and shades of the night my legions." A pretty formidable force, right? The letter concludes with a rather chilling threat: "The demons will throttle you in your beds at night, while the beasts will slay you in the field, and the birds will consume your flesh." Yikes!
So, what do you think the Queen of Sheba did? Did she accept Solomon's invitation? Did she risk the wrath of his wild army? That, my friends, is a story for another time. But it does make you wonder about the power of words, the audacity of kings, and the important role even the smallest creatures can play in the grand scheme of things.