“And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God.” — 2 Chronicles 4:11

Today’s focus verse refers to Huram, a skilled and able artisan from Tyre, who made many of the implements for use in the Temple worship. That verse reminded me of Roy Allen, a veteran of the Apostolic Faith work, also a skilled craftsman, whose handiwork is still being used in our churches today. 

As a young boy of twelve or thirteen, Brother Allen came from Minnesota with his family to eastern Oregon, where they settled in the small farming community of Cove. He grew up to be a strong-willed young man with a taste for liquor and a terrible temper, often taking out his frustrations on the farm animals. However, after his sister moved to Portland and was saved at an Apostolic Faith camp meeting, she sent her family literature that told of victory over sin. God began to deal with Brother Allen’s heart. 

The little church in Cove where the family attended was having special services, and he went to one of them. There, such a terrible darkness came over him that he knew he was lost. “God cornered me up,” he recounted. “I am so thankful that I went to the altar that night, got on my two knees, and prayed to God with all my heart. As I knelt there, I heard the minister holding out one of God’s promises to me: ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon’ (Isaiah 55:7). I was ready for that pardon, and thank God, I surrendered. 

“You talk about a surprise! I didn’t have any idea that God could be so real to a person on this earth, but I felt the burden of sin roll off and God filled my heart with joy and peace. He broke the habits and appetites that had me bound—the chewing tobacco, cigarettes, and booze. I had cursed, got mad and threw things around, and frequented the dance halls on Saturday nights. But in a moment of time, God took all that out, slick and clean. He made me as free as if I had never had those habits. What a miracle!” 

That was in 1916, and from that day forward, Brother Allen was a changed man. He made restitution, confessing to violating the Oregon Game Laws and sending money back to a storekeeper he had cheated. In 1917, he and his wife and two small boys moved to Portland. He received his sanctification while on the job in 1917, and in 1918, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. His heart’s desire became to offer his talents and time to the Lord. He played a horn in the first Apostolic Faith orchestra and sang in a male quartet for many years. A faithful participant in the street work and jail services, he even learned to sing one song and give his testimony in Chinese. 

Brother Allen was a master carpenter. In those early years of the Apostolic Faith work, there was much construction work to be done: the tabernacle to be built, benches and altars to be constructed for the tabernacle, and tent frames put up for the congregation who came to stay on the campground during the annual camp meetings. Through the years, Brother Allen was always on hand to do his part. 

Among his accomplishments were the beautiful wooden pulpits he designed and built for use in our Apostolic Faith churches. They were engineered with a counterweight mechanism that allows them to be raised or lowered as the minister needs. For many decades now, those pulpits—including one in the Portland church and another in the campground tabernacle—have been used by our ministers in many locations as they preach God’s Word. Like Huram of old, Brother Allen invested his efforts for the house of God. One day, he too “finished the work” God had assigned him, and stepped into eternity to receive his reward. 

What can you do for the work of the Lord? Has the Lord blessed you with time, resources, or skills that could be offered back to Him? Whether or not we have the talents of gifted artisans, we can all pray for lost souls to respond to God’s call. Who knows, your prayers might have a part in bringing a Huram or a Roy Allen into the family of God!

BACKGROUND

Chapter 4 of 2 Chronicles describes the furnishings prepared for Solomon’s Temple. Verses 1-8 indicate that these included the altar for burnt offerings, the molten sea for the priests’ ceremonial washing, the ten lavers for washing the sacrifices, the candlesticks, and the tables. Verses 11-18 describe the implements Huram made from brass, while verses 19-22 cover the items fashioned by Solomon’s workers. 

The bronze altar in verse 1 was patterned after the altar made by Bezaleel for the Tabernacle (see Exodus 27:1-8) but was much larger, measuring approximately thirty feet square and fifteen feet high. Its height would have necessitated a means of ascent, which probably was steps or an incline ramp. It was located in the courtyard in front of the Temple (see 1 Kings 8:64). 

The “molten sea” mentioned in verse 2 was a large basin for water set upon twelve sculptured oxen. Made of cast bronze, it was more than fifteen feet across. According to Exodus 30:20-21, if priests did not wash their hands and feet to make themselves ceremonially clean before ministering, they would die. Five lavers, or basins for washing the sacrifices, stood on each side of the molten sea (verse 6). 

The candlesticks referred to in verse 7 were large lampstands, with five of them positioned on each side of the Holy Place. The ten tables mentioned (verse 8) held the shewbread—bread that represented the continual fellowship of Israel with God. The one hundred basins in verse 8 held the blood of sacrificed animals that was sprinkled about the altar when making sacrifices of atonement. 

The “court of the priests” in verse 9 was a reference to the inner court, which was open only to the priests. The “great court” was the outer court, which was open to the assembly of Israel as a whole. 

Huram, who made the brass instruments of worship described in verses 11-18, was a master craftsman of Tyre who was born of a Jewish mother and Gentile father (see 1 Kings 7:14). He is not to be confused with Huram the King of Tyre, though both men are referred to as Hiram in 1 Kings. 

The list of golden implements in verses 18-22, which included tongs, snuffers, basins, spoons, and censers, is also given in 1 Kings 7:48-51.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

I. The reign of Solomon
    B. The construction of Solomon’s Temple
          2. The construction
               b. The Temple furnishings (4:1-22)
                   (1) The bronze altar (4:1)
                   (2) The cast-metal sea (4:2-5)
                   (3) The ten basins (4:6)
                   (4) The ten candlesticks (4:7)
                   (5) The ten tables (4:8)
                   (6) The court (4:9-10)
                   (7) The work of Hiram (4:11-18)
                   (8) The work of Solomon (4:19-22)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to verse 5, what flower was engraved around the brim of the molten sea?
2. Why do you think the author of Chronicles gave such detailed information about the implements to be used in the Temple worship?
3. Every service performed by willing hearts for the work of the Lord is important to Him. What are steps we can take to equip ourselves?

CONCLUSION

Each of us has something to do in the work of the Lord. What contributions are you making? While we may not have the skills of a Huram or a Roy Allen, we can all participate through prayer.