Inside the Houses

Now we pass from the various structures themselves, beautiful in their variety, to their internal fittings and arrangements. First in order come the two pillars of brass, each eighteen cubits high with their two capitals of molten brass, nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work. All these were adorned with pomegranates and lily work. These were erected in the porch of the temple, or house of the Lord, and when erected duly entitled "He will establish" and "In Him is strength.”
How eloquently these, standing as they do at the entrance to the dwelling of the "Most High, possessor of heaven and earth," tell of the power and stability of the throne of Him who governs man righteously, yet graciously. This also is consistent with the purity of His nature. The brass, the pomegranates, and lily work are blended together in perfect unison.
If the pillars bear witness to the power and stability of the throne, the sea, which comes next in order, testifies to the holiness of Him who sits upon it. Though the oxen with their faces every way may tell us of the patience that bears with evil throughout the universe (Matt. 5:45), yet the brim of it wrought like the brim of a cup with flowers of lilies and bases of brass with borders of lions, oxen, cherubim, and wheels, and ledges engraved with cherubim, lions, and palm trees, most assuredly remind us of the purity found to perfection in Him.
His righteousness demands righteousness from those who approach Him; His power deals with those who disregard it. His government is in favor of the righteous and against the wicked, and this is shown by the rapidity with which He carries out His purposes, and the victory that must follow when He has taken the case in hand. The lavers, shovels and basins conclude the work of this widow's son of Naphtali whose father was a man of Tire, a simple figure of Jew and Gentile.