And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
– 1 Kings 7:13–14
I love this description in 1 Kings 7:13–14 of Hiram. This worker in bronze, who is full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze.
Work is a gift from God and we should use it to glorify Him.
What a description of a craftsman who God had given particular grace to know how to work with bronze, whom God appointed to play a pivotal part in the construction of the temple for the glory of God. And when I read this verse, I just think about the church. I think about the church I pastor and I think about the church more broadly. I think about all the different unique grace gifts that God has given to so many different people. And I think about the creativity of God. He’s given people the ability to teach.
God Gives His People Gifts to Use For His Glory
He gives people skills in business. He gives people skills in construction, like this worker of bronze Hiram. Additionally, He gives people skills in medicine. And He gives people skills in so many different areas. And he’s given us all different jobs, vocations in which we carry out, in which we use different skills to bring glory to God and good to others. I obviously don’t know all the different types of work that people who are listening to this right now do, but I want to encourage you, God knows the type of work you do and it is important.
It’s significant for you to do that work, for me to do the work God’s called me to do, and for us to do it with skill, with wisdom, and with understanding for his glory in every different domain, and none more important than the other. My work as a pastor is not more important than your work as a teacher, as an engineer. God’s wired us, called us, and gifted us in different ways. He gives us different assignments and even some who might think, yeah, but my work is just this or that.
Don’t think that way. Assuming that your work is not sinful or evil, so that would be the only exception to this. But all work is a good gift from God that echoes to his glory. The beauty is when all of God’s people realize this and we work, we use our skills, we carry out our responsibilities in our workplaces in ways that resound to his glory, to other’s good as we do that work with wisdom and understanding.
1 Kings 7:13–14: A Prayer For God to Use Our Gifts
God, I praise you for all the different skills and gifts. The different expertise and education and vocations that you give to all kinds of people, including non-Christians for your common grace in so many different people. And then specifically for brothers and sisters in Christ who are listening to this right now. You’ve given us so many different domains and avenues to glorify you in our work. God, we pray that in our work today, you would help us to do that work with wisdom and understanding and skill that resounds to your glory.
God, in all the different places where we’re working. We pray that you’d help us to work in a way that reflects your goodness and your glory. And that, yes, you would give us opportunities to proclaim the gospel to those around us in all these different domains that they might know you, that people might know you in every sphere of society. God, even as we pray continually on this podcast for unreached people around the world.
Lord, we pray that you would use all of our gifts. And all of our skills and all that flows from that. Whether it’s money, salary, or resources, that we’re able to have. Or, opportunities that are open worldwide for the spread of the gospel through our different vocations. God, we pray that by your creativity, you would use all of our work for the spread of your glory in all of the world, right around us and the places where we work today in places far from us, among the Darwazi of Afghanistan.
Prayer For the Darwazi People of Afghanistan
God, we pray for the spread of your grace and your glory to the Darwazi of Afghanistan. And we pray that you might use some of the skills of people listening to this prayer podcast episode right now. And we pray you would use our skills and creative ways for the spread of your glory. In places in the world where people don’t know your gospel. Oh God, we praise you for your grace toward us and the skills you entrust to us.
Finally, we pray that you’d help us to steward those skills with the wisdom and understanding for your glory. Just like we see here in Hiram in 1 Kings 7:13–14. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
