“And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father’s, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.” — 2 Chronicles 2:13-14
God equips individuals for tasks in His Kingdom, and the craftsman in today’s focus verses is an example. The man sent to King Solomon by King Huram of Tyre to assist with construction of the Temple clearly was an individual of extraordinary talent! Reading of his artistic skills brings to mind a woman named Lilias Trotter, who also used her artistic talents for God—though in an entirely different way.
Isabella Lilias Trotter was born on July 14, 1853, into a wealthy family, and grew up in the privileged surroundings of London’s West End. Her artistic talent became noticeable when she was just five years old. When Lilias’ parents had to be away from the home for a time, her mother would leave a sketchbook in which she was to draw important events during her parents’ absence. The first drawings were of the docks, and the people and ships were drawn with a skill and perspective uncommon for such a young child.
Lilias’ spiritual sensitivity was also evident in her childhood. However, it grew deeper in her early twenties as she learned from notable Bible teachers like Hannah Whitall Smith and D. L. Moody that closeness with God prepares individuals to show God’s love through service to others. Lilias became active in the London Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). She became known for fearlessly canvassing the streets alone at night, looking for prostitutes who needed to hear about the love of God, and who might be persuaded to learn an employable skill.
About the same time, Lilias’ artistic talent came to the attention of John Ruskin, a renowned art critic, when her mother showed him her daughter’s work. Ruskin immediately began informally teaching Lilias. In time, Ruskin became convinced she could be one of the best artists of the nineteenth century. He told Lilias that if she would devote herself to art, “she would be the greatest living painter and do things that would be immortal.”1 However, there was a condition: she must dedicate herself wholly to her painting.
While Lilias was attracted to the idea of a life devoted to art, she went to prayer, asking God what He wanted her to do. God helped her see, clear as daylight, that she could not give herself to painting in the way Ruskin meant and still seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Lilias threw herself into her London mission work with renewed passion and joy, but before long, God pointed her in another direction. In May of 1887, when a missionary to North Africa asked at a religious meeting if God was calling anyone to service in that part of the world, Lilias stood to her feet and said, “He is calling me.” When the mission board turned her down for health reasons, she and two acquaintances prayed about it and felt led to go to North Africa on their own. In March of 1888, Lilias and her friends set off for Algeria. Even though they knew no one in the country and could not speak a word of Arabic, they found lodgings in the poorest Arab section in the city of Algiers and set about learning the language.
For the next forty years, Lilias and her team established mission outposts all along the coast of North Africa and south into the Sahara Desert, sharing God’s love through words and deeds. She often went door to door, gaining access to the normally secluded women by first befriending their children. Over the years she won many Algerian Muslims to Christ through her love.
While Lilias had given up her opportunity for fame in the art world, God still had a plan to use her artistic talent. During her life in Algeria, Lilias kept journals — a page for each day, illustrated with watercolors to record the messages she received as she meditated on Scripture and observed nature. She also published a collection of beautifully handcrafted Gospel materials in Arabic, illustrated by her own paintings. In the years since her death, those paintings and illustrated devotional thoughts have been published and have touched thousands of lives.
God calls people to serve Him in different ways. We may not have the skill to work “in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson” or to illustrate our devotional thoughts with beautiful paintings. However, we can all have a willingness to use our talents for God. Let’s follow the example of the craftsman of Solomon’s day and Lilias Trotter of the 1800s and use whatever talents God has given us in the building up of His Kingdom!
1. Miriam Huffman Rockness, A Passion for the Impossible: The life of Lilias Trotter (Grand Rapids: Discovery House Publishers, 2003), 83.
Chapters 2-4 of 2 Chronicles describe the construction and furnishing of Solomon’s Temple. The task was made easier by the extensive preparations already made by David, who had purchased the land, acquired much of the material needed for construction, and delivered the plan for the Temple to Solomon. Chapter 2 records Solomon’s request to Huram, the king of Tyre, (called Hiram in the Books of Samuel and Kings) for skilled laborers and supplies (verses 1-10). The chapter continues with Huram’s answer and promised help (verses 11-16), and Solomon’s numbering and organization of his laborers (verses 17-18).
Verse 1 of this chapter offers a heading for the verses that follow, as it relates Solomon’s purpose to fulfill the assignment given to him by God. Two requirements were necessary for carrying out the building project: personnel and materials. Solomon’s negotiations with Huram and his request for Huram to help with these needs are found in verses 3-10. Solomon’s humble attitude before God and careful approach to Huram is evident in verse 6.
The phrases “cunning to work in gold” and “skill to grave” (or engrave) in verse 7 indicate that Solomon was requesting the help of a superior craftsman who was accomplished in working with fine metals. The cedar trees grown in Lebanon (verse 8) were renowned for their excellent quality. The fact that Solomon wanted to incorporate superior materials and the work of professional artisans is an indicator of the care he intended to take in accomplishing his Godgiven task.
The Jewish historian Josephus records that Huram reigned in Tyre for thirty-four years. During his reign, he greatly enhanced and expanded the city of Tyre. He had maintained a friendly relationship with David, supplying him with cedar from Lebanon and laborers to assist with the building of David’s palace, so it is not surprising that Solomon turned to him for laborers and supplies for the Temple building project.
King Huram responded in writing, granting Solomon’s request for material and skilled laborers. Verse 15 indicates that the two negotiated a form of payment. This makes it clear that the goods Huram supplied and the service of his people were not a gift or a sacrifice, though he showed respect to the God of Israel (see verse 12).
Verses 17-18 record that the labor force mentioned in verse 2 of this chapter was comprised of “strangers [citizens of other countries] that were in the land of Israel.” These were descendants of the heathen nations that the Israelites of Joshua’s day had not fully driven from the land (see 1 Kings 9:20-21).
I. The reign of Solomon
B. The construction of Solomon’s Temple
1. The preparations (2:1-18)
a. Solomon’s message to Hiram (2:1-10)
b. Hiram’s aid to Solomon (2:11-16)
c. Solomon’s division of the labor force (2:17-18)
God has a role for each one of us to fill in the work of His Kingdom. Have you consecrated to Him the abilities and talents He has given you?
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