160
Selected Messages Book 2
had given special wisdom for the construction of the tabernacle. Thus
at the head of Solomon’s company of workmen there was placed an
unsanctified man, who demanded large wages because of his unusual
skill.
Huram’s efforts were not prompted by a desire to render his highest
service to God. He served the god of this world—Mammon. The very
fibers of his being had been inwrought with principles of selfishness,
which were revealed in his grasping for the highest wages. And grad-
ually these wrong principles came to be cherished by his associates.
As they labored with him day after day, and yielded to the inclination
to compare his wages with their own, they began to lose sight of the
holy character of their work, and to dwell upon the difference between
their wages and his. Gradually they lost their spirit of self-denial, and
fostered a spirit of covetousness. The result was a demand for higher
[176]
wages, which was granted them.
The baleful influences set in operation by the employment of this
man of a grasping spirit, permeated all branches of the Lord’s service,
and extended throughout Solomon’s kingdom. The high wages de-
manded and received gave many an opportunity to indulge in luxury
and extravagance. In the far-reaching effects of these influences, may
be traced one of the principal causes of the terrible apostasy of him
who once was the wisest of mortals. The king was not alone in his
apostasy. Extravagance and corruption were to be seen on every hand.
The poor were oppressed by the rich; the spirit of self-sacrifice in
God’s service was well-nigh lost.
Herein lies a most important lesson for God’s people today—a
lesson that many are slow to learn. The spirit of covetousness, of
seeking for the highest position and the highest wage, is rife in the
world. The old-time spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice is too seldom
met with. But this is the only spirit that can actuate a true follower of
Jesus. Our divine Master has given us an example of how we are to
work. And to those whom He bade, “Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men” (
Matthew 4:19
), He offered no stated sum as a reward
for their services. They were to share with Him His self-denial and
sacrifice.
Those who claim to be followers of the Master Worker, and who
engage in His service as colaborers with God, are to bring into their
work the exactitude and skill, the tact and wisdom, that the God of