Day 129: February 14, 2026 – II Chronicles 1-5 and Psalm 72

Happy Valentine’s Day, although you aren’t going to find anything in the Bible about this particular day, it is a fun day nevertheless. But here we see in the beginning of this new book of the Bible for us, II Chronicles, that Solomon takes over for his father David as King of Israel. In this reading we see a peaceful transition, one that takes place between father and son as it should be, at least as far as kings go. The first thing that we read that this king does is go to God to give thanks for the current position in which he finds himself. God then asks him: name one thing that you want. It is kinda like a genie in a bottle scene, but we can’t avoid that. Solomon asks for wisdom in order to rule Israel correctly.

God is so impressed with his answer that he gives him wisdom, but then gives him all those other things that he didn’t ask for, that someone who was selfish and didn’t have the people first on their mind might ask for: wealth, riches, peace, long life. We see Solomon begin to build the temple and those nations around him immediately recognize his wisdom. Psalm 72 is a perfect psalm which is a prayer and a psalm for a king who takes power. All those things that the psalm asks for, God promises to Solomon. One might thing that it was written for king Solomon.