Day 145: solomon builds the temple

1 Kings 3:1-15 Amid deep prayer, Solomon asked God for the gift of wisdom. God was pleased with this kind of request since it did not include a petition for riches and fame. God, therefore, granted him wisdom as well as unimaginable wealth and blessing. Wisdom is a gift from God, one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and it is among the virtues necessary for a ruler to guide the people fairly in a spirit of moral integrity. (CCC 1706, 1845, 1917, 1954)


Ch 3:16-28 This classic story of two women in dispute over a baby exemplifies King Solomon’s wisdom. St. Augustine saw in this passage a type of two kinds of Christians: those who are concerned more about appearances and those who are motivated by true interior love (Sermo 10: De Iudicio Salomonis, 4-5). The juxtaposition of these two types of persons in Christ’s preaching is manifested in his criticism of the Pharisees’ concern with external appearances rather than sincere love for God and neighbor. (CCC 579, 595, 2054,  2505)


2 Chronicles 5-7 These chapters describe the procession of the Ark of the Covenant to the Temple and the Temple’s dedication. The spectacular ceremony that accompanied this act attests to the great importance of the Temple to the history and faith of the people of Israel. (CCC 1156-1158)


Psalm 64 The author of this psalm portrays his enemies as evil and treacherous These evildoers are also described as fools since they plan to do evil with impunity and, therefore, are oblivious to divine justice and retribution. Their own evil designs will destroy them.  (CCC 672, 716, 2213, 2236)


God will shoot his arrow at them: As the evildoers “aim bitter words like arrows” in ambush of the innocent, God’s punishment will correspond to the crime since each person is rewarded or punished according to his or her works.


Wag their heads: This gesture of mockery was used against the righteous, who are often mocked as fools for their beliefs, but it is the doubters and the evildoers who are the true fools.




Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven we thank you for your word. We thank you for revealing your heart to us. We thank you for continually turning our hearts to you because our hearts can be so easily turned away from you. And so, Lord, in this moment right now, God, I just want to speak to you about this psalm that we just prayed and how clearly the righteous find a place in your temple, how the righteous find a place in your heart, how the righteous find a place in you. And Lord, so often we are not righteous. So often we are the opposite of that. We are unrighteous. We are false. We are fickle. We are sinners. And yet, you still take us back even then. Even when we are not righteous. Even when we are disasters. You still love us. And you never give up on us. Help us to never give up on you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

Dustin's Insights 

2 Chron. 4:


2 Chron. 5:


My Study Color Code

Suffering, Martyrdom Places The Church, Sacraments, Divinity Horticultural Imagery People Messianic Kingship Sin, Death, Decay