In Your Busy Schedule Include This!

1 Kings 5:13
King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men.
1 Kings 5:14
He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

King Solomon focused greatly on the economy of Israel. During Solomon’s time, economic prosperity was so great that gold that was rare elsewhere was easily available in Israel. That means it wasn’t just the country that was rich, but its people too were rich enough to afford gold. Any economic growth that doesn’t affect the local person positively is not growth at all.

2 Chronicles 1:15
The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

Economic growth should be measured by individual comfort and growth. A nation is only wealthy if the individual has experienced that wealth. A nation is only wealthy if the individual is wealthy. Wealth should be made accessible to the local person. Wealthy nations with a few wealthy individuals have much to learn from king Solomon. If the country has made money, is that money easily available to the common person in the streets? Solomon succeeded in making Israel wealthy.

Unfortunately, Solomon used forced labor for his building projects across Israel. Solomon appointed Adoniram to be in charge of forced labor. Solomon was not only wealthy but also wise. You can be wealthy but foolish like Nabal in the Old Testament and the Rich Fool in Christ’s parable in the New Testament.

In his wisdom, Solomon advised that those who were forced to go and work in Lebanon in preparation of materials for construction should only work for a month away from home. Solomon had thirty thousand workers on forced labor. Solomon required that they work for one month in Lebanon and two months at home. The lesson we learn here is that your busy schedule includes being at home!

These were people who were not working voluntarily, yet even they were required to have some time at home. One month away from home and two months back at home. If a person under forced labor was given time to be at home, we too should plan to spend time at home. In your busy schedule plan to be at home!

The building projects were huge and took a long. They were under pressure to see the projects progress, yet that did not cause them to sacrifice home time. The workers were very busy but they were given two months to work at home. In your busy schedule include the time at home as part of your business!

When you have workers under you, ensure they have time to go and be at home with their families. Pressurizing workers for productivity without time at home will yield a negative response. Being at home is refreshing and comforting and such a worker who has been at home is highly productive. In your busy schedule include the time you spend at home as part of your business.

When circumstances change, your colleagues, neighbors, and friends may change. However, when circumstances change your family does not. You can retire from business but not from family. You can be too old or too sick to be at your place of business, but you can never be too old or too ill for your family. God forbid, but the dying bed is surrounded by family most times and only token time by friends and colleagues. Therefore, create time for your family and be at home with them even in your busy schedule!

May the busiest person amongst us set an example of scheduling family time as part of his or her business, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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