2 Chronicles 2:13-18: a reflection

13Now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram-abi, 14the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre. He is skillful to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, in timber, in purple, in blue, in fine linen, and in crimson, also to engrave any kind of engraving and to devise any device, that there may be a place appointed to him with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father. 15“Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants; 16and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you need. We will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa; then you shall carry it up to Jerusalem.” 17Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census with which David his father had counted them; and they found one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18He set seventy thousand of them to bear burdens, eighty thousand who were stone cutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred overseers to assign the people their work.

As Solomon builds the temple, the king of Tyre sends him a master craftsman named Huram-abi, described as skilled in every kind of work, gold, silver, bronze, stone, wood, fabric, and engraving. And the passage notes his background: his mother was an Israelite of the tribe of Dan, his father a man of Tyre. He was of mixed heritage, part Israelite, part foreigner, and yet this man, an outsider by ordinary reckoning, became the master craftsman of God's temple, his skill used for the holiest work.

Notice who God used for the building of his temple: a man of mixed and partly foreign heritage. God's central building project was not carried out only by pure-blooded Israelites; a craftsman of mixed background, part outsider, was central to it. God drew on the gifts of one who, by ordinary reckoning, might have been seen as an outsider, and used his skill for the holiest of purposes. His background did not disqualify him; his gift was welcomed and used.

That reflects how God works: drawing on the gifts of people of every background, including outsiders, for his work. We can imagine that God's work should be carried out only by a certain kind of person, those of the right background, the insiders. But God used a craftsman of mixed heritage for his temple, and throughout Scripture he draws on the gifts of all kinds of people, including outsiders and the unexpected. Do not despise the gifts of those from other backgrounds, or assume God's work belongs only to insiders like you. God uses people of every background and heritage for his purposes. And do not think your own background disqualifies you; whatever it is, your gifts can be used by God. He drew on an outsider's skill for his temple; he can use anyone's gifts for his work.

Lord, for the building of your temple, Solomon used Huram-abi, a master craftsman of mixed heritage, part Israelite, part foreigner, an outsider by ordinary reckoning, whose skill was central to the holiest work. Thank you that you draw on the gifts of people of every background for your work. Keep me from imagining that your work belongs only to a certain kind of person, the insiders, those of the right background. You used a craftsman of mixed heritage for your temple, and throughout Scripture you draw on the gifts of all kinds of people, including outsiders and the unexpected. Help me not to despise the gifts of those from other backgrounds, and not to think my own background disqualifies me. Use my gifts, whatever my background, for your purposes, and help me welcome the gifts of others, however different, for your work.