So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
Solomon is building the temple in Jerusalem, and he writes to Hiram, king of Tyre, for help. Verse 7 is his ask: send one man skilled in metal, in dyed cloth and in engraving, to work beside the craftsmen David had already provided.
One Man, Many Skills
Solomon does not ask for a labourer. He asks for many rare skills in one person. Israel had seen such a man before, and one commentator makes the link:
Leslie M. GrantTo find an expert in all these skills would certainly be amazing, but in Exodus 31:1-5 we read that God had given such ability to a man of Judah, Bezalel, to supervise the building of the tabernacle. Each of these men is a picture of the Holy Spirit of God, who is in control of all the activities of the house of God. The tabernacle was temporary, so the man chosen for that work came from Judah. But the temple speaks of the display of God's glory in the millennial age, when Gentiles will share with Israel in great blessing. So the working of the Spirit of God will include Gentiles.
The tabernacle was the tent of worship Israel carried before the temple was built. The millennial age is the coming age of blessing on earth.
What the Metals Picture
Hiram's reply names the same skills. The same writer gives each metal a meaning:
Leslie M. GrantThis master craftsman is certainly a picture of the working of the Spirit of God in Jewish and Gentile believers. He was skilled to work in gold, which speaks of the glory of God. He worked in silver, which pictures the great truth of redemption through the sufferings of Christ. He worked in bronze, or copper, which signifies the holiness of God. And he worked in iron, which symbolizes the power of God.
The Colours
The dyed fabrics carry meaning as well. One writer gives each colour its own sense:
Edward DennettBlue is always a symbol of what is heavenly — the colour itself points to this meaning. The purple is a picture of Gentile royalty. John's gospel records that soldiers mocked the claims of Jesus to be the King. With rough cruelty they put a purple robe on Him. (John 19:2.) The scarlet stands for human glory, and it may stand at the same time for Jewish royalty… Applying all this to Christ, the meaning is striking. It gives us Christ in His heavenly character, Christ as King of Israel, given all human glory, and, last of all, Christ reigning also over the Gentiles.
Crimson, Not Scarlet
One detail is easy to miss. Chronicles asks for crimson where the tabernacle accounts say scarlet — and one writer treats the change as deliberate:
VariousThere is a remarkable change of colour found in 2 Chron. 2:7, 14, and 3:14, where Solomon uses not scarlet, but crimson on the veil of the temple. The account of the temple in Chronicles seems to look on to the millennial age, and this changed colour fits that exactly — it may even point to it. In earlier days Israel had no link with the Gentile nations, and purple and scarlet did not properly mix… So it seems that Israel will no longer be marked by scarlet, but by scarlet tinged with purple, which is crimson, while the purple of the Gentiles stays unchanged.
The colour comes from a dye made from an insect that lives on a kind of oak, giving crimson or deep scarlet (Morrish Bible Dictionary).
Foreign Hands Beside David's
Solomon's ask ends by placing the man from Tyre beside the workers David had provided. One writer sees in Hiram's help the picture of a day dawning:
The Bible TreasuryAgain we may say, "Watchman, what of the night?" — for Hiram, king of Tyre, is a willing servant. He lays the forests of Lebanon at the feet of Solomon, with cedar trees, fir trees and algum trees in plenty. He also sends a skilled man of understanding, able to work in gold, in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone and in timber. He works in purple too, and in blue, in fine linen and in crimson. For the Lord was coming out into this kingdom and its costly temple.
That partnership has a meaning for today:
Leslie M. GrantToday, both Jewish and Gentile believers are joined together as the Church of God, one building growing into a holy temple in the Lord, for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22). So the Spirit of God produces a unity of Jewish and Gentile believers in the Church, far deeper than any unity that will be seen between Jews and Gentiles in the millennium.
Summary
- Skill is given. The craftsman Solomon wants matches Bezalel, the man God equipped for the tabernacle. God supplies the skill for His own house.
- Skill pictures the Spirit. Both craftsmen picture the Holy Spirit, who controls all that happens in God's house.
- The materials preach. Gold speaks of God's glory, silver of redemption, bronze of His holiness, iron of His power. Blue speaks of heaven, purple of Gentile royalty, scarlet of human glory.
- The colour shifts. Crimson is scarlet tinged with purple: Israel and the nations no longer held apart.
- The workforce widens. A man from Tyre works beside David's men. Jew and Gentile stand together — already true in the church, one temple where God lives.