The renowned economist Adam Smith who popularized the concept of
'Division of Labour' never knew it would be applicable to all aspects of life.
In a lay man's language, division of labour is a process of allowing several
people to accomplish a goal by sharing the work into various parts. Please note
that the major objective of division of labour is to enable all the parts
achieve a single unique goal.
Today, I will be extracting few out of the many examples we can find in
the bible on division of labour.
Starting from the old testament, Moses' example is one that we should
not overlook in a jiffy. Moses was a leader that could be otherwise called an
exemplary one. Even though he had his flaws; his humility was incomparable.
Moses never whined concerning his function as the leader of the
multitudes of Isrealites. When Jethro ( his father-in-law) visited him he
observed the undue stress Moses was going through. The elderly man perceived
that if Moses continued it could affect his health negatively. Thus, he quickly
enlightened him on the need for a division of labour(Read Exodus
18:19-21).Jethro even went a further step ahead by specifying the categories of
men that Moses should ordain.
According to Jethro, the men must possess the following qualities:
■They must fear God
■They must be men of truth
■They must be men that hate covetousness.
Interestingly, Moses heeded to his father-in-law's instructions and
indeed, the burden was lifted off his shoulder. In all, he became relieved.
Let's take another cue from our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus never waited
for anyone's advice before he chose his disciples. He had the discerning spirit
concerning the huge task ahead of him; hence, he appointed his beloved
disciples and announced their roles accordingly(Mark 3:14-19; Matt4:18-22). For
example, Judas was the treasurer.
Significantly,there was also a time when Jesus ordained another seventy
people(Luke 10:1-2) knowing fully well that the harvest was truly great
but the labourers were few.
At so many points in the bible, there were series of instances of
division of labour. For example John also had his own disciples (see
John3:25).
Apostle Paul also wrote about the need for various units in the
church(Rom12:4-5; 1Cor12:14-27; Eph4:11-16).
It is important to note that God is in full support of division of
labour in as much as it is geared towards a similar goal. Jesus Christ who is
God in human flesh exemplified this to us while he was living. Hence, we should
support the existence of various units and departments in our places of
worship.
If you are reading this article and you are yet to belong to any group
in your church, the time is now. Remember that if we fail to do the work of
God, He can raise stones to replace us(read Matt3:9; Luke 19:40).
Originally posted on Saturday, March 28th, 2015.
