I know a man in Missouri who works with wood. He builds mantels for fireplaces, pieces of furniture, and puts finishes touches in nice houses. If you want him to do a job for you, you need to get on his list and wait because he’s in high demand. His work is fantastic—that of a true craftsman.

When I can afford it, I want the best people I can get for a job. That’s how Solomon did business. He worked with his ally Hiram, King of Tyre, to access materials for his temple project and to line up craftsmen for the work.

The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Workers from Byblos grew famous for working with timber. The cedars of Lebanon, prized for construction throughout the ancient, shipped from Byblos. Shipwrights there also constructed vessels used by Phoenician sailers. If you needed work done with wood, the best people for the job hailed from Byblos.

So Solomon went and got him some. Solomon’s temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world, rose from the work of such skilled builders.

It’s worth honing my skills in life, striving to get better at what I do. Because I don’t know how the Lord might use my growing expertise to benefit those around me.

I Kings 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo