Each week we have been applying the Enneagram types to characters in the Bible and what we can learn from each of them about us and our relationships. So far we have learned about FIVE: The Investigator or Observer with the Magi, Thomas, and Nicodemus. EIGHT: The Challenger or Leader with John the Baptist and Samson. ONE: The Perfectionist with the Apostle Paul. TWO: The Helper with Mary and Martha. THREE: The Achiever with Jacob. And last week it was SIX: and Moses.
This week it is NINE: The Peacemaker. Enneagram Type Nines are typically known as the Peacemakers. Nines have the uncanny ability to see everyone’s point of view at once and can join in either side of a debate. However, they usually choose to withdraw from the debate altogether because they want to avoid conflict and anything that might upset their calm.
And who is the best example of a NINE in the Bible? I believe that the “Father of the Faith” was a Nine. Who is that? Find out this week and that maybe you are a NINE too.
DYK?
Enneagram Type Nines are typically known as the Peacemakers. Nines have the uncanny ability to see everyone’s point of view at once and can join in either side of a debate. However, they usually choose to withdraw from the debate altogether because they want to avoid conflict and anything that might upset their calm.
DYK?
Nines sit atop the Enneagram for a reason. It’s not unusual for a Nine to have difficulty finding their type since they can relate to so many other numbers. They can understand the drive of the Three, the desire to be helpful of a Two, the skepticism of a Six, and the protectiveness of an Eight all at once.
This can be a good thing or a very bad thing. Healthy Nines make excellent mediators, able to bring two conflicting sides to the table and find common ground between them. Unhealthy Nines, however, can be crippled by the conflicting viewpoints and simply shut down, withdrawing into themselves and their own little world. If a Nine doesn’t want to be moved, then they can become the most stubborn Type on the Enneagram. But if a Nine truly doesn’t have strong opinions, then they are usually happy to go with the flow.
Nines are laid back and accommodating. “Meh” is a great motto for Nines, especially on the unhealthy side. They avoid conflict at all cost. Lacking focus and drive, Nines can go the entirety of their lives without a true identity or purpose.
DYK?
NINE can be peacemakers or conflict-avoiders. They can be laid back and easy-going, or they can be an immovable stick in the mud. They can be assertive and fight for a just cause, or they can be masters of sarcasm and passive-aggressiveness. They can be aloof or welcoming.
Nines often defer decisions to the group or to the one in authority. As kids, Nines picked up on the message that their presence doesn’t matter very much, so they learned to fade into the background and keep their anger in check lest they rock the boat. Nines come into their own when they learn to pair their ability to see all points of view with an assertiveness to act on what they know to be right.
DYK?
When they are growing NINE move in the direction of growth and show the healthier characteristics of Type THREE. They see their true value, they begin to develop and invest in themselves. And they understand that the peace they seek is actually asserting themselves by sharing their talents, intelligence and heart with the world.
DT Point
And who is the best example of a NINE in the Bible? I believe that the “Father of the Faith” was a Nine: Abraham. God called Abraham (then known as Abram) to leave the place of his fathers and travel to a distant land. God promised that he would bless Abram with offspring too numerable to count. It’s a beautiful promise, really.
The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,those who curse you I will curse;all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.”
Genesis 12:1-3
DT Point
I don’t know how well any other Enneagram type would handle a promise like this. A Three would let that go directly to his head as his ego inflated to the size of a hot air balloon. A Four would probably try to hide from the responsibility – You’ve got the wrong guy, God. A Seven would be almost TOO eager for the task. A One would likely get caught up in all the details of exactly how and when God’s plan would come about. But Abram simply trusted and went.
DYK?
I wonder what Abraham’s wing was? A NINE with an EIGHT wing is the Dreamer. They are more outgoing, assertive, anti-authoritarian, and may move between confrontational and appeasing. The NINE with a ONE wing is the Idealist. They are more introverted, orderly, idealistic, critical, emotionally controlled, focused, cerebral and compliant.
DYK?
When under stress NINEs will start to show some of the unhealthy characteristics of SIXES. They become anxious and worried. They become testy and defensive. Their mind starts racing and internal anxiety increases.
God changed Abram and Sarai’s names to Abraham and Sarah. Soon after that God sent his angels to investigate the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah – where Lot and his family settled down. The report was NOT good, to say the least. God sent word to Abraham that he planned to destroy the cities and the inhabitants. But Abraham took on the role of mediator and began to bargain and negotiate with God on behalf of the cities. The cities were full of evil, but Abraham still saw something worth saving in them.
DT Point
Finally, Abraham and Sarah were blessed with a son of their own – Isaac. God fulfilled the promise he made to them so long ago. I think only a Nine could have been as patient as Abraham. But then…God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac upon an altar. Some theologians and rabbis over the years have insisted that Abraham should have argued with God on behalf of Isaac like he did on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. I’m not sure. Maybe this is another instance of Abraham simply going along in order to avoid one more conflict. Or maybe Abraham had learned by this point to fully trust that God was in control of the situation.
Abraham took his last breath and died after a good long life, a content old man, and he was placed with his ancestors. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave in Machpelah, which is in the field of Zohar’s son Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre. Thus Abraham and his wife Sarah were both buried in the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites.
Genesis 25:8-10
DT Point
Nines have a way of bringing people together. Even in his death Abraham was able to bring Isaac and Ishmael together again. I don’t know that they ever settled their differences, but they were together for a time because of their father. I think that’s a very touching detail that we often overlook.
Nines often live in the tension between action and inaction. When pressed with a choice, they choose not to choose – which is still a choice! Nines and all of us must learn to move, to act, to decide, to fight. Deciding not to choose is almost never the right decision for any of us.
DT Point
Abraham was compliant and stubborn. Abraham was a pushover and he stood up for his beliefs. Abraham shied away from conflicts and he got into arguments with God Almighty. Abraham acted in his own self-interest and he became the one through whom all nations would be blessed. Abraham was self-absorbed and concerned about making everyone else happy.
DT Point
Nines are laid back and accommodating. “Meh” is a great motto for Nines, especially on the unhealthy side. They avoid conflict at all cost. Lacking focus and drive, Nines can go the entirety of their lives without a true identity or purpose.
Jonah, the reluctant prophet, is a Nine. Tasked by God to preach in Nineveh, Jonah runs the opposite way. He hops a ship, hoping to avoid the godless Ninevites. You can’t outrun God, though. After being thrown overboard and swallowed by a big fish, Jonah begrudgingly agrees to preach to the Ninevites. Surprisingly, they listen and repent. This upsets Jonah. Not long after, he wants to kill himself (a recurring theme in this story). In Jonah’s story, you see the spiritual slothfulness that often defines a Nine. He’s unconcerned with the salvation of the Ninevites and unconcerned with his own life.
DYK?
What is NINE core fear? Fear of loss and separation from others. Being in conflict, loveless, separate, uncomfortable, unimportant, overlooked, shut out, alone or out of harmony.Type 9’s are deeply motivated to create peace in their environment. They spend much of their energy working to maintain status quo in their relationships and constantly stuff down their own needs and desires to avoid conflict. Their fear of losing connection and harmony with people will break the peace they crave.
DT Point
God’s invitation for you and us today is this…I invite you to be free from the false belief that you don’t matter and believe that your place in the world is crucial to the unfolding of My purposes. I see you, and the passions I’ve given you are worth pursuing.
DT Final Point
NINEs your tenderheartedness might make you avoid arguments or conflict with others, but you and we can trust that God is in the midst of those hard things and can use your gifts to point others to the true peace that Christ offers.
Are you a NINE? If not what is your number?
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