2 Chronicles 9:21-23

“For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.”

Ah, the beauty and majesty of a peacock, painted the brightest and boldest of colors. Colors, purple, blue and green, only reserved for the wealthy and powerful, ones like King Solomon. Of course, he would have them in his kingdom. One surprising thing I learned about peacocks when in college during tours of ancient castles in Eastern Europe, as they sauntered now mostly empty grounds, was not only were they valued for their beauty but also, they were pretty reliable guards. It turns out that peacocks are very territorial and curious, and they would alert people to strangers in the area. Their calls, loud and piercing, carry up to seven miles. Enough time to be alerted to danger. So, they were beautiful as decorative features around a king’s house as well as functional to life in precarious times. Not to mention that more than one peacock is called a party…

Prayer

Ingenious Creator, who but you could paint such vibrant colors upon gossamer feathers as peacocks. We are breathless as we see their beauty on full display and hear of King Solomon’s wealth as your anointed king. May we, in seeing such beauty in creation, cherish it and be continually reminded of your love for us. Amen.