Firm and Flexible

Stiff and nimble. Rigid and agile. Firm and flexible. At first glance, you might think that one of these things is not like the other. How can something or somebody be both steel strong but supple at the same time? I’m so glad you asked. When God gives a great leader a crystal clear vision of what must be done, they will have a laser lock on what must be done but are willing to constantly readjust their methods to accomplish the mission. Take our man Nehemiah for example. In Nehemiah 4:15-20, he demonstrates that he’s both single-minded on his mission but constantly creative with his methods. God has given him a clear vision for what must be done. But he is always looking for new ways to get there. Knowing that God has your back gives you that confidence to be both firm and flexible. 

Just a few months ago, Nehemiah was pulling his regular shift as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. He was just another exiled Jewish slave serving on the staff of a pagan king. That all changed when his brother dropped by the palace in Susa with an update on the crisis in Jerusalem. “It’s bad, bro. VERY bad.” (Okay, that’s not exactly the word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew, but it drives home the idea.) The city walls are in ruins. The people are in danger. Once the proud city of God, Jerusalem has become a joke. This breaking news about the broken walls breaks Nehemiah’s heart. Let’s be clear. Nehemiah’s brother may have told him the bad news but God is the one who gives him the vision for what must be done. And if that’s not enough, God orchestrates events so that Artaxerxes not only asks what’s bothering his wine steward but agrees to bankroll the entire project. 

Fast forward a few months. Nehemiah’s in Jerusalem and it didn’t take long for the enemies to begin causing trouble. Sanballat and his gang of thugs immediately roll up their evil sleeves and do whatever they can to stop the wall project. But each time they conspire and threaten, Nehemiah takes their threats right to the One who gave him the mission in the first place. At one point, it probably begins feeling a bit like the movie “Groundhog Day.” The Jewish people make progress. Sanballat bullies them. Nehemiah prays. God comes through. The people go back to work. It’s deja vu all over again.

We’ve just completed the same cycle once again. “When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work” (v15). Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem get wind of Sanballat’s terrorist threat, God comes to the rescue, and the construction crew clocks back into work. The LORD personally gets involved to foil their plot. The author uses the Hebrew verb parar, which means to disappoint or invalidate but also carries the idea of dividing, cracking, shattering, or breaking into bits. In the book of Job we read how God “frustrates (Heb. parar) the devices of the crafty” (Job 5:12). Here’s the deal. You’re not going to outfox God. Satan and his demonic conspiracy tried it and God gave them the heavenly heave ho (Is 14:12-15). What thinks you’ve got the brains and juice to pull one over our all-knowing and all-powerful God? It won’t end well. Just ask Sanballat and the boys. Once God thwarts the latest threat, “we all returned to the wall, each to his work” (v15). Since God is at work, the people get back to work. Yahweh is always at work whether we see it or not.

The people are back on the job, but something is different. Something has changed. Nehemiah has reassessed the situation and reassigned the work schedule. He’s drastically modified the plan after this latest threat of terrorism. With the city on red alert, Nehemiah cuts the workforce in half. Fifty percent of the crew still works on the wall. The other fifty percent now works security. “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail” (v16). Nehemiah divides the people working for him into two groups. One half puts on their hard hats and swings a hammer. The other half straps on body armor and is locked and loaded to stand guard. Knowing that half of the people are on the lookout for trouble allows the other half to concentrate on the work. And the Hebrew work crew is packing. “Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the works with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built” (v17-18).

Nehemiah’s mission is still the same. Rebuild the wall. But he modifies his methods by providing protection in light of terrorism. He’s firm and flexible. Unflinching from his God-given assignment. Ready and willing to adjust on the fly when circumstances warrant. Good leaders keep their eyes open for changes in the situation. Stay absolutely firm to the vision God has given you, but write your methods in pencil. Be firm. Be flexible. The ultimate mission never changes. Keep the main thing the main thing. But you constantly modify your methods. How you get there is constantly tweaked and adjusted. You must be firm and flexible when you know God has not only given you a mission but also has your back.

Slashing the workforce in half has a significant impact. With half of the crew working and the other half guarding, the people are spread thin along the project. Nehemiah takes one look at the impact of this reorganization and realizes the impact on the operation. “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another” (v19). He’s going to need to set up a simple but effective alarm system that allows the people to respond if and when the enemy attacks. Here’s how that works. “The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me…In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there” (v18, 20). The trumpet player is actually carrying a ram’s horn called a shofar. I wonder if he needs a shofar’s license (sorry, but it was just sitting right there). Nehemiah tells his horn player to stick to him like glue. “In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there” (v20). When you hear the alarm, follow the sound bugle and be ready to fight. He’s firm enough to continue to not lose sight of his mission. But he’s flexible enough to modify his methods to get it done.

Nehemiah reminds the people that they have the ultimate ace in the hole when they’re attacked. “Our God will fight for us” (v20). It’s important to be locked and loaded for anything Sanballat and his thugs throw at them, but in the end God is right there with them. Once again, Nehemiah pulls a page out of Moses’ playbook. If you want to be a great leader, follow the example of great leaders. While the Mighty Mo certainly had his issues, God used him to do some crazy things. When Pharaoh’s army was drawing a bead on the Israelites on the beach of the Red Sea, Moses shouts, “The LORD will fight for you” (Ex 14:14). When the people slam on the breaks and fail to roll into the Promised Land, Mo encourages them, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you” (Dt 1:30). In one his final speeches before God’s people, Moses reminds Hebrews there’s absolutely no reason to freak out because the most powerful force has their backs. “For the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Dt 20:4). The LORD frustrated Sanballat’s scheme and He’ll fight for His people. While He graciously invites us to be part of His work, God is ultimately responsible.

Because he knows this is a stone cold, lead pipe lock, Nehemiah is firm in his God given mission. But he’s wise enough to be flexible in his methods. What has the Lord laid on your heart? Has Jesus given you a burden for something that must be changed? Has He given you a specific passion? Has He given you a specific purpose? Has He jumped all over you about some issue or a particular people and refused to let you go? It could be anything. Feeding the homeless. Tutoring kids. Adoption. Taking His Good News to the people of another country. Medical missions. If so, put a headlock on it and hang on tight. But be ready and willing to change how you do it. Be agile in how you go about it. Be absolutely sure that if you’re about to become effective for God’s kingdom, the enemy will do what he can to get in your way.

Take it from Nehemiah. Be firm in your mission. Be flexible in your methods.