In this chapter, king Solomon began to gather the materials required for the building of the temple of God. He spoke to Hiram, king of Tyre, who had the crucial resources needed for building the temple, such as the cedar and cypress logs, and the men who were great at cutting timber.
Understanding our mission as God’s chosen ones
We know from chapter 4 that Solomon had great wisdom. A wisdom that excelled the wisdom of all men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt (1 Kings 4:30). Not only was this wisdom used to teach others, it was for a greater purpose. His wisdom was granted by God and also for the building of the temple because God had chosen him to be the one to lead this huge project (1 Kings 5:5,12). Solomon understood his mission. He was clear of what was required of him by God and was diligent in working out the plan to see to the completion of the temple (1 Kings 5:13-18).
As we journey in this faith, let us understand this: every vessel in the house of God has a purpose for their Master.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. - 2 Timothy 2:20-21
No matter our capabilities, talents, skills or abilities, as long as we are willing, the Lord will use us. Cleansing ourselves from dishonour and pursuing the One who can clean us from our sins can help us become better workers of God in His house today. This is because His power is the one that’s truly completing this work, not any of our human abilities. This takes time, but God is walking with us and teaching us as we learn and grow in every circumstance we find ourselves in.
Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. Psalms 106:23
Moses, a prime example of a great worker of God. Within the psalmist’s praises to God, we find a verse that describes one of Moses’ main attitudes when it comes to service.
He stood in the breach. Where there is a spiritual hole in the house of Israel.
For so many times, Moses pleaded on behalf of the people for God to extend His everlasting mercy to the children whom He loves. Was Moses not tired of seeing these people sin against God? Oh, how he was emotionally invested in the work of God! Surely, it angered him (Ex 32:19). Yet, Moses’ sacrificial love and perseverance made him pray like this, “these people have committed a great sin, and have made themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” (Ex 32:31-32). Moses was willing to trade his life for God to pardon the people. The essence of this lesson is to let mercy fill our hearts and to plead humbly before our Almighty God.
Today, the Bible tells us to pray unceasingly (1 Thess 5:17, Luke 18:1). Prayer is a form of service to God as we often intercede and supplicate for others. It is also part of our mission as Christians as we prepare for any churchwork, to never skip prayers and to rely on God in this manner for the work we do for Him. Are we able to develop the heart of Moses, one that is willing to stand at the gaps we observe in church today and to pray for wisdom to serve God better, just like Solomon?
No matter what you do
As we read through this passage, we can also learn from Solomon’s father, David. He desired to build this temple for the name of the LORD his God but God didn’t allow him because he had led a life as a fugitive and in those times, shed the blood of many (1 Kings 5:3, 1 Chron 28:3).
Once David knew what the will of God was, he submitted. Displaying humility, David involved himself in the preparations of the necessary materials and pumped in a significant portion of what he had for this precious temple (1 Chron 28:11-19).
Being a servant of God means that we don’t pick and choose what we like or don’t like to do.
Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” - Luke 17:9-10
Jesus reminds us that it is our basic duty to perform what we are expected to and to never think that we must receive recognition in the process. Sometimes, it is easy for us to become weary when we don’t see others appreciating our work. Be wary because that is exactly the trap that the devil wants us to fall into. The Lord said that we should keep the mindset of an unprofitable servant because He wants us to learn to seek His acceptance instead of human recognition. The trap is, when our eyes start to wander away from Him, we lose our meaning of working for God. That's one of the reasons why we grow weary.
Jesus didn’t just stop at this. He also said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:20-21) Jesus is not a God who condemns and despises, as it might have sounded when He said that the unprofitable servants do not need thanks. Rather, one thing we should understand is this: when your heart is set on the things in heaven, we know for sure that He keeps an account of what we have done, and hence there is no need for any thanks.
As we continue walking along this journey of faith, let us draw closer to God in prayer, Bible reading and fellowships. Slowly but surely, our hope will not turn to nothing and we will be able to inherit the wonderful everlasting kingdom that Jesus prepared for us!
Reflection questions:
List down some of your qualities that you’re not satisfied with – humbly bring them in prayer to ask God to guide you to overcome them
Am I resolved to increase my daily prayers by 5 minutes? If yes, stick to it!
How much am I looking at people vs looking at God when I work for Him?
