Scripture Reading: Rev. 3:12; 1 Kings 7:13-14; 2 Chron. 2:13-14; Eph. 4:8, 11-12, 16
Ⅰ
The "main street" in the Bible is God's building; God is doing only one thing in the universe—He is building His eternal habitation—Matt. 16:18.
Ⅱ
We need to pray that the Lord would make us pillars in God so that we may become pillar builders for God's building—Rev. 3:12; 21:22:
A
We need to shine brighter and brighter until we reach the zenith of our shining, loving Him and His appearing—Prov. 4:18; 2 Tim. 4:8; Judg. 5:31.
B
We need to consecrate ourselves for and live in the corporate church life for our transformation in God, loving all the brothers and laying down our lives on behalf of the brothers—Gen. 35:7; Rev. 3:8, 12; 1 John 3:16.
C
We need to depend on His mercy and be merciful to others—Matt. 5:7; 18:33.
D
We need to enjoy Him as the All-sufficient God to supply others—Phil. 1:19-25.
E
We need to enjoy His shepherding to shepherd others—John 21:15-17.
F
We need to behold His face to reflect Him into others—2 Cor. 3:18; 4:1.
G
We need to be under His measuring and judging to minister Him as the sin-dealing life to others—Ezek. 40:3; 47:1-6; Psa. 139:23-24; Lev. 10:17, note 1.
H
We need to live a simple, pure life of trusting in God in the midst of an intermixed and complicated situation to express the beauty of His life for the overflow of the grace of life into others—2 Cor. 1:12; Phil. 1:20; John 7:37-39.
Ⅲ
Hiram, the builder of the pillars, is a type of the gifted persons in the New Testament, who perfect the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ—1 Kings 7:13-14; 2 Chron. 2:13-14; Eph. 4:8, 11-12, 16:
A
Hiram's mother was a woman of the daughters of Dan—2 Chron. 2:14:
１
The tribe of Dan is the tribe of idolatry that caused God's people to stumble and fall from God's way—Gen. 49:17; Judg. 18:30-31.
２
The fact that Hiram's mother was of Dan indicates that Hiram's origin, like that of all men, was of sin—Psa. 51:5; cf. John 8:44a; Rom. 7:18.
B
Hiram's father was a Tyrian—1 Kings 7:14:
１
Tyre was a Gentile city noted for its commerce; hence, it was one with Satan—Ezek. 28:12, 16.
２
Hiram's father was the source of Hiram's skill in working with bronze— 1 Kings 7:14.
C
Hiram became one of the tribe of Naphtali—v. 14:
１
Naphtali is the tribe of resurrection, the tribe of transformation— "Naphtali is a hind let loose; / He gives beautiful words"—Gen. 49:21:
ａ
A hind signifies a person who lives in the resurrected Christ, trusting in God and rejoicing in God in the midst of a desperate situation—Hab. 3:17-18; 2 Cor. 1:8-9; Psa. 22—title; ch. 142.
ｂ
Those who trust in God are one with the mountain-leaping and hill-skipping Christ in the power of His resurrection to overcome all difficulties and barriers—Hab. 3:19; S. S. 2:8-9; 8:14.
２
Naphtali gives beautiful words, signifying the word of life (Acts 5:20), the word of grace (14:3), the word of salvation (13:26), the word of wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8), and the word of building (Acts 20:32).
３
In order to be a part of God's building and participate in its building work, we need to be transferred from "the tribe of Dan" and cut off from "the city of Tyre" into "the tribe of Naphtali" by being regenerated and transformed in Christ's resurrection—1 Pet. 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:18.
D
Hiram's father died and his Danite mother became widowed—1 Kings 7:14:
１
This signifies that in order to be useful to God for the building up of the church, God's dwelling place, we need to acquire the secular learning and skills but must allow our "Tyrian" father, the source of these things, to die.
２
Furthermore, our "Danite" mother, signifying the source of our existence, must be "widowed," separated from the worldly source; we must be of "the tribe of Naphtali," the tribe of transformation—Gal. 2:20.
３
Thus, we continue to possess the learning and the skills without the source, which has been cut off; our human existence (mother) is no longer linked to our worldly origin; and we are in resurrection—cf. Matt. 18:3; 2 Chron. 1:10; 1 Cor. 3:10; Acts 7:22-25; 22:3, 25-28; cf. John 19:20.
４
That the "Tyrian" father must die and that "the mother" must keep on living means that we should ask the Lord to give us a long life of usefulness for God's building—Psa. 91:14-16; 92:14; 1 Cor. 6:18-20; 9:27; 10:31; Phil. 1:20; Rom. 12:1-2.
５
If our "Tyrian" father still lives, we will remain in Satan's world, remain in our natural life, and the "Tyrian" skill will be of no avail to the building up of God's temple; we must exercise ourselves to be in resurrection in every part of our being, our living, and our serving—cf. 1 Cor. 3:12.
E
Hiram's transfer to the tribe of Naphtali was mysterious, revealing that a portion of the history of every Christian should be mysterious—John 3:8.
F
Hiram was brought from Tyre to King Solomon in Jerusalem (1 Kings 7:13-14), the place where the temple, typifying the church, was to be built:
１
Both today's Solomon, typifying Christ (Matt. 12:42), and God's present building are in the church.
２
Thus, in order to be useful to God for His building, we must gain secular skills, live in resurrection, and come to the proper ground, the ground of the church.
G
In order to meet the Lord's need, we all must pray to the Lord, saying, "Lord, for the sake of Your building, make me a pillar and a pillar builder."