It was a US$18 million penalty. All he had needed to do was keep an eye on a prisoner. But while he was preoccupied, the prisoner had escaped. This story comes from 1 Kings 20, where a prophet dramatizes this episode to sober up the wicked King Ahab. The prophet has his schoolmate punch him, and then he disguises himself with bandages over his eyes, like a soldier returning from the battlefield. When the king passes by on his presidential motorcade, the disguised prophet tells a story.
“Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone” (1 Kings 20:39, 40).
Some scholars estimate a talent of silver to be 3,000 shekels. If one earned 10 shekels a year (Judges 17:10) and assuming an annual income of about US$60,000, a talent of silver was equivalent to US$18 million.
In short, a senior officer told a junior officer to be responsible for a prisoner. While the junior officer was “busy,” the prisoner escaped, leading to millions of dollars in penalties. What does this passage mean? The answer is found in the context of chapter 20.
Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, was attacking Israel. After a long battle, God delivered this enemy king into Ahab’s hands. But instead of faithfully holding his prisoner, Ahab was beguiled by Ben-Hadad’s promises of cities and streets (verse 34). God (the senior officer) gave Ben-Hadad (the prisoner) into Ahab’s (the junior officer) care. But Ahab, seduced by Ben-Hadad’s temptation, trickery, and trade—being “busy here and there”—breached his duty. How many of us have let our spiritual responsibilities go because of being busy here and there with the world’s temptations, tricks, and trades?
We are busy accumulating goods, amassing wealth, and driving luxury chariots. We are building properties to store items to impress people we don’t like. We are tempted with the cities and streets of Ben-Hadad, full of shopping malls, pashmina shawls, marble walls, and personal Taj Mahals. We are busy with binging on Netflix, getting social media clicks, and going on extravagant trips. We are busy here and there.
We are busy spending our health to get wealth. Then we spend our wealth to get back our health.
While busy, one day we will lose our parents, through neglect. While busy, one day we will lose our spouses, through divorce. While busy, one day we will lose our children, through growing up. While busy, one day we will lose our salvation, apathetic to the presence of Jesus in our lives. We are busy here and there.
We are not called to busy-ness here and there. We are not called to be busy at church, in the home, or within society. Rather, we are called to faithfulness. We are to guard ourselves against those things that war against the soul. We are called to be responsible for the souls nearest to us. We are called to stand where Jesus wants us to stand and sit where Jesus wants us to sit.
Just as Christ was never busy but always faithful, we are to follow His faithful feet. If not, something worse than a $18 million penalty will happen. Ben-Hadad will return (1 Kings 22:35), and we will die inside the very chariot that we made our deal in. Let us not be busy here and there, but faithful to Jesus anywhere and everywhere.
