1 Kings 7:13

1 Kings 7:13 says, And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.  Solomon sent for Hiram who was in Tyre.  God is likewise always going to call everyone to Himself from wherever they might be.  Verse fourteen adds, He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.  Hiram was skilled in working in brass, and Solomon needed his expertise.  As followers of Christ, we are all skilled or gifted by God in different areas, and He calls each off us to utilize our skill or gifts to advance His kingdom.   Some have more than one gift and must be willing to use them all for God.  Verse fifteen continues, For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.  Hiram made two large pillars of brass and twelve smaller ones that went around them.  Verse sixteen states, And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:  Hiram also made two chapiters, or ornamental upper parts, for the columns.  These would have been for show and not of actual value in supporting anything.  I am not going to say that we should never do anything just to make a church building look more beautiful, but I will say that we should never allow the beauty of that building to become more important than its function.  Verse seventeen adds, And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.  Hiram also made seven nets and wreaths of chain work for each chapiter.  This was also ornamental.  Verse eighteen continues, And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.  He also made pillars and two rows to go around the network to cover the chapiters, and these had pomegranates on them.  Verse nineteen states, And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits. Verse twenty adds, And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.  This is just a continuation of telling us of some of the ornamentation that Hiram was making of brass.  Verse twenty-one continues, And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.  Hiram made pillars of brass for the porch and even named them.  Verse twenty-two concludes, And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.  He made lily work for the tops of these pillars, and that completed the brass work for the pillars.   Much of what Hiram did was done to make the Temple more beautiful, but today the church building is not the Temple of God, but the life of each Christian is the temple is, so we need to do our best to make our lives beautiful to God.