Topic: WORKERS’ WELFARE
Text: 1 Kings 5:13-18
5:13 King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men.
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.
5:15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills,
5:16 as well as thirty-three hundred[a] foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers.
5:17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple.
5:18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.
STUDY:
In today’s text, we read about the work strategies employed by Solomon in building the temple. A task force of thirty thousand Israelite labourers went in shifts to work for one month, out of three, in Lebanon (vv. 13-14). They spent one month working in Lebanon and two months at home. Another group was simultaneously working in the hills cutting and collecting the stone for the foundation (vv. 15-17). Notice too that other than the craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram, the Gebalites or men of Byblos (v. 18), were also employed for this project. They were Phoenicians probably skilled as shipbuilders.
Planning is critical for success. This is the reason for the saying: ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Solomon’s work strategies for the temple project involved good planning to ensure that the labourers’ were not away from home for long periods of time. This was perfected through having the 30,000 workers come “from all Israel” (v. 13). Also, most other workers, including the labourers and quarry workers, were non-Israelites (vv. 15-17). This wise planning demonstrates Solomon’s special concern for the welfare of his Israelite workers and their families. Let’s learn to treat those who work under us well so that the work they do should not be a burden but a blessing to them.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to take seriously the welfare of my workers. Amen.
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