I Kings 7:13 And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
Isn’t it fascinating how what you tend to see says something about you? I am a backpacker. I like to hike. If I see someone who is sporting a Helly Hansen jacket, I know they are probably into skiing, backpacking, or outdoor pursuits. If I see someone with some piece of Mountain Hardwear equipment, I notice that because I am looking for it. I love backpacking, the outdoors, and skiing, so when I see someone who is using such brands or equipment, I think, “Ah, I know what that person does.” It is something for which I am looking.
When I listen to the radio when I am at home in Tennessee and I hear someone from Nashville, I can hear that accent. It is not just southern or just Tennessee, it is also Nashville. I hear it because I am listening for it. Someone has said that it is the pride in us that is irritated by the pride in others. I don’t think that is always the case, but sometimes we notice arrogant people because it irritates our own pride. All that to say, in things sublime and mundane, what you see says something about you.
In I Kings 7, you have a very wise king, Solomon, who was skilled in discerning truth from falsehood and in judging God’s people. That is the way in which he was wise. Verse 13 says that as Solomon was building God’s temple, he “sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.” Verse 14 explains who Hiram was. He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass who was “filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass.” The verse continues, “And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.”
So, here is Solomon, the wisest king who has ever lived, but as wise as he was, he could not build the temple alone. Here is Hiram, a man who few people know or remember, and he wasn’t skilled in leading or governing at all. He was skilled in all works of brass. He had a different kind of wisdom.
It is God’s wisdom in you that recognizes God’s wisdom in others. Solomon was wise enough to recognize that he wasn’t wise enough. He may have been a great king, but that didn’t make him a great tradesman. He needed other people who had wisdom and skill in areas where he himself did not. He was wise to seek that help.
Notice two things. First, the bigger the task, the more wisdom you need. If you are just serving yourself, then all you need is the wisdom you have, but the moment you try to do something bigger than yourself that exceeds you, like Solomon and this magnificent temple, you need wisdom that is greater than your own. You need God’s wisdom. Oftentimes God provides that wisdom through other people. So, the bigger the task, the more wisdom you need.
Second, do not judge every gift by your own. Solomon very easily could have said about Hiram, “Hey, he’s not a king. He doesn’t have discernment in judging.” Of course not! That is not the kind of wisdom God gave Hiram. God gave him a different set of skills. Sometimes two people are talking about a third person and one friend may say, “Well, he’s a great guy, but he is not a preacher.” Well, does God gift everyone to be a preacher? No! Here are two people talking and one says, “Well, she’s a great lady, but she is just not organized.” I think being organized is great, but it is not the only gift.
So, all of us need other people, certainly in the body of Christ, to do things that matter and make a difference. Today, realize that it is God’s wisdom in you that recognizes God’s wisdom in others.