THE WEALTHIEST MAN IN ISRAEL

Who is the wealthiest man in Israel? I do not mean the richest of which Solomon is the answer. You can be very rich in money but not wealthy. One can be wealthy financially, socially, academically, career wise and even relationship wise. Wealth, in this, context is all about stability, freedom and efficient management.

“…speak and act as those that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty”

The wealthiest man in Israel became wealthy by applying the principles from the Holy Bible, simply making analogy of that which is written to his everyday life. Being a wealthy man encompasses becoming a wealthy spouse, wealthy parent, wealthy child, businessman/career person, wealthy friend/partner, etc. One essence of being wealthy is all about stopping to live a life of whatever the day brings and to take whatever we see in life. There is a law guiding everything we do here on earth and as James 2:12 said, we should always live our lives (speak and act) like those guided by such laws. This article gives an overall method of being wealthy, subsequent articles will deal on being different aspects of wealth: family, business, career, etc.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish…”

The first way of being wealthy is having a vision for yourself. Proverbs 29:18 said that where there is no vision, the people perish. You must see visions as Joel 2:28/Acts 2:17 said that in this last days old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions. Of course we are in the last days! The vision, in reference here, is not the one you sit down and start seeing strange spirits and things or you go to sleep to see. You do not need a rare gift to see the vision! The vision is your end, your goal. Just as the heavenly father sees and declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), it is necessary as his child to envision/ foresee the end of your career, marriage (till death do part), relationships, business, etc. from the beginning of any or at any point you are in presently. Moreover the principal thing in creating a vision is the reason for such, thus let every vision you create be based on the word of God.

“The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer”

The second method of becoming wealthy is by planning. It is important to take a look at Proverbs 30:24-28. The four kinds of animal are steps to becoming wealthy and here is the interpretation: the wealthiest man in Israel plans ahead (the ants) and he is always patiently and steadily following the plan (the conies/badger). With his plan, the wealthiest man is organized, knows what to do and when to do it (the locusts). No matter how feeble or weak or poor he is, his great plans, when followed steadily, always end him up in great places (the spider). It is essential to create a vision and develop plans for yourself because Proverbs 3:5-6 said: trust in Yah with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. Your ways/paths are your plans and they should always lead you to your goal/vision. Create your vision, set your plans and hand them over to God for direction. Thus you must have a business plan, a career plan, marriage/family plan, academic plan, etc. Get a plan today as advised by Luke 14:28-32, make plans before you jump out of the house for the day and before you venture into anything.

The third method of being wealthy is about the ways you thread the path to being wealthy.

“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven”

Understand the times and seasons of life. This was one of the secrets of David’s successful military campaigns as 1 Chronicles 12:32 stated about the children of Issachar. Every business has the times when or places where the products or services are well needed, this should be determined and leveraged upon. In relationships, it is necessary for each participant to understand the fellow’s mood and characters and know the times as when to successfully express a particular feeling or raise issues. This is all about knowing the right times to do the right things just as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 stated that there is a season and time for all things.

“And you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…”

To live a wealthy life, you need to have a new different special life which no other person has. In business, deal on something no other is dealing on (monopoly). The Bible stated that there is nothing new under the sun, therefore, do the normal things others do, live the normal life others live in a special different way. Jacob, in Genesis 30:35-43, reared sheep but did it in a special way in other to be wealthy. Such special ways as how to package your life and business, how to handle your customers and relationships and to carry out your duties. Find those special ways that would distinguish you from others.

“…and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; …”

 In the quest to become the wealthiest man, keeping records (complete and truthful) is very important. Having records saved the life of Mordecai in Esther 6:1-3. This is what the wealthiest man in Israel knows and it has saved his business, relationships, etc. The issue of records goes beyond just writing them down, it extends to studying them and allowing the good ones to influence your decisions and not repeating the bad ones just as King Ahasuerus did. As it applies to the other sectors apart the business, a knowledge and record of our past will help us avoid the bad choices we made and aid us to improve but we should not dwell in the past.

“…this is what I will do, I will pull down my barns and build greater…”

              

  What do you do when you make your first gain in business? Go and celebrate? You are actually spending the gain! The wealthiest man in Israel actually save and invest his profits. God commanded us to bring in the first fruits of our dealings before we utilize the other harvests. The wealthiest man (I know he gives back part of his outputs to his maker) makes his savings first BEFORE spending and not saving AFTER expenses. He sets his budgets around the remaining after savings. Saving after expenses might result to having nothing to save.

In the case of investment, the first major point to invest in is the source of the gain. Do you only withdraw from your business/career/relationships/family/friends? Does your business/career/relationship/academics remain at the same level year after year in spite of the gains? The wealthiest man in Israel knows about Luke 12:16-21 even though the rich man’s soul was required that night. For those in career line (not entrepreneurs), investing back into your career can be done by going for trainings and acquiring more skills. As we gain comfort, love and companionship from our relationships with our spouse, family, friends, colleagues, we should also aim towards giving back to them.

While making expenses or budgeting for our expenditures, let more or even most go to that which you need rather than that which you want. That which is needed are the things which are urgent and very primary especially for survival opposite of the wanted. An example is that when you need a dress, it means you have no other to put on, the old ones are worn out or torn but if you want the dress, it can be because it is the fashion in vogue, your friends are getting it or you just feel like owning it. Taking a look at Proverbs 30:7-9 and putting it into our lives, we will discover and save a lot. In relationships, this article LIVING CONSIDERATELY recounts of a man who buys his wife the most expensive cars and jewelries, gives her as much money as ever but still the marriage remained a sad one. It showed that the man was giving the wife the things she want (of course who does not want beautiful car and jewelries) but the man missed giving her the things she needed (companionship, comfort, listening ear, etc.). Moreover, let your expenses be from your profits and not your capital.

“Study to show yourself approved, a workman that needs not to be ashamed…”

               

  Learning from 2 Timothy 2:15, in everything you find yourself doing (running a business/career, being married, or in a relationship, etc.) study the excellent ways on how to do such. In all things, learn how to read, write and listen. As part of study, do well to understudy people higher than you in your career/business, understudy people who are running successful marriages/relationships. I discovered that people who are not thriving quite well especially the poor people are always criticizing the rich. This is often out of envy and jealousy. You do not have to be like the poor because this is more of a poor mentality. Understudy the wealthy, learn the good lessons from them and discard the bad ones.

“Give a portion to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil shall be upon the earth”

The wealthy do not always have a single source of income and do not use only one method of running relationships. The wealthiest man uses varieties of ways to spice up his marriage and relationships as he follows Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 (vs 6 do support that you should moonlight in spite of your day job).

“Here is The Conclusion of All Things”

Finally, the most important aspect of being wealthy, according to a 75 year old research, is the relationship with people especially family and friends. These tips, when applied to your relationships, will see yourself following the injunction by Romans 12:18: “as much as it lies within your power, be at peace with all men”.