February 18, 2026

Business by the Book

Nehemiah 2:7  Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;

Nehemiah had a desire, he had a timetable, and he had something else too. He had an understanding that there would be opposition and that he would need materials. Therefore, before leaving the king’s presence he asked for letters to the governors that may cause opposition and in the next verse (Nehemiah 2:8) he asked for a letter allowing him to obtain the materials needed for the job. Many would have been so excited for the king to give them permission to undertake their desires that they would have swiftly left the king’s presence without obtaining all that they needed for the task at hand. Nehemiah planned ahead and knew that in order to finish this job properly and within the timetable set he must have written authorization from the king. Later in the story this written authorization will be invaluable.

In 1979 I was working for a worldwide package delivery company. Upon being promoted to supervisor my manager gave me a little pamphlet containing something called the “Hines Story.”  This is how I remember the story.

There was a man who owned a lumber yard. His name was Mr. Hines. The lumber yard was the biggest in town and very profitable. Mr. Hines had no children to pass the business to and the time was approaching that he must train a replacement for himself. Of all the employees he had, only two were real candidates, from these two he would choose one to replace him as the head of the lumber yard. One man had been with him for many years, he was the more senior of the two candidates. He was faithful, always on time, good with the customers, liked by the other employees, and never caused him any difficulties. The second candidate was also faithful, punctual, customer oriented, worked well with others and had no blemishes on his record.

On a certain day Mr. Hines called the long time candidate into his office and asked him how many 2x4’s they had in stock. The man left the office and in a few moments came back and said, “We have 3,276 2x4’s in stock. Mr. Hines asked, “How many are 8 feet long?”  The man left the office and in just a few moments came back and told the owner how many 2x4’s were eight feet long. Mr. Hines then asked “When will we get more 8 foot 2x4’s in stock?”  Again the man left and came back with the answer. Then Mr. Hines asked how many 2x4’s do we have that are 16 feet long so we can cut them in half making 8 foot studs. The man left and came back with the answer. This went on for a time, and each time the man left, found the answer and returned quickly.

The next day Mr. Hines notified the more senior employee that it was time for retirement and that he had chosen to give the oversight of the business to the younger candidate. The longtime employee asked why? Mr. Hines told him to sit behind a door in his office and listen to his next meeting. Mr. Hines then called in the newer employee and asked him, “How many 2x4’s do we have in stock?”  The man left and was gone for a long time, almost thirty minutes. Upon returning the man provided the number of 2x4’s that they had in stock. “How many 8 footers?” Mr. Hines asked, and the man gave him the answer. “When is the next shipment going to arrive?” The man had the answer. “How many 16 footers do we have?” The man had the answer. The man had the answer to every question.

Mr. Hines chose the younger man for the job of running the lumber yard. Even though it took him longer to get the answer to the original question, he had all of the answers that he would need. A little extra work at the front end saved time and frustration throughout the decision making process. In business time is money, and decisions must be made on having all the facts, not just the obvious ones.

Nehemiah probably never heard the Hines Story, but he illustrates it. Gather all that you need for a task, get everything required the first time, and it will save time, energy, and frustrations

Dr. William Howe