Unity and Confusion

Genesis 11:3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 

The first time lot of men united for a single cause was at the tower of Babel. This was just after the cleanup with Noah and sons. This family had witnessed the power of God and the original plan of God was that these children would teach their kids with this understanding of His might and they would be closer in relationship with God. This plan failed in the first generation itself when Ham had seen his father in a compromising position and did not care to honor him. But Shem and Japheth had united together to honor Noah. This unity brought forth good results.

In Genesis 9:26 when Noah blesses Shem, he does not personally bless Shem, but the God of Shem who is the only God almighty. Shem is the father of Abraham and Israel and so, Shem becomes the blessed and chosen son who receives all inheritance. Riches actually start with Shem because this was the start of mankind in earth. Shem did not have another God, but since He is addressed as God of Shem, we can understand that God will be happily blessed because of Shem and his generations. This should be the highest blessing given to any person.

The blessing to Japheth is to share blessings of the chosen son. This should be given because he agreed with Shem in good deeds. This incident is a metaphor to Christ and us. All we have to do is agree and work with Him. We shall inherit all His riches with that. Now Canaan (or the rest of the world) will serve both Christ and us is explained in Romans 8:28. This is how the whole earth will be who run after money and self-satisfaction and make fun of others.

Now, proceeding to Chapter 11, we read that they started making bricks first without a purpose and that led them to building Babel. This is how the world drives us. The first step to sin will not be known to us at all and never seems evil. Bricks are good for construction. We do not know why we did the first cigarette and why we joined together. But at one stage, we end up constructing something for ourselves. The world never reveals to us where we are heading towards. Each step is presented to us with deceptive attractions. Satan is so cunning that we never know our capabilities. We just start making bricks, then realize that we have asphalt for mortar and then desires sprout up in one evil mind to build a city. There we have unity without questions because we have a wrong hero (Nimrod) who can easily influence us. Without knowing that this is stupidity and slavery, we just keep following these men who satisfy their selfishness with our hands.

We need to understand that the ark was also a very large construction of man. This was God’s plan for the salvation of man. God trusts us completely by giving what we have to do and how to proceed. In our life, we know we have to live holy by forsaking the world. We know that we are heading towards heaven where our actual destined home is. Our deeds in this world build that home. We know what we are building and how to build but still need faith to stay strong. But for sin, we do not need training, motivation or strength. All it requires is one person to have an evil motive.

God did not hate Babel because it was high and would reach heavens. Heavens are not that low for man to reach by his own strength. The actual reason is that God wanted man to spread across the earth and populate it so that there will be diversity and at least one or a few groups will be preserved holy. Man did not submit to this plan and wanted to build a comfortable city. This is a time where God created confusion instead of unity. The power of unity is so large that God Himself testifies that this unity can do anything that we plan. But mankind is not wise enough to use this unity constructively. The problem is that what we know as construction actually destroys. But when Christ becomes the head which plans everything, we are the very best useful vessels. Ps 133:1 actually shows how God longs for our unity.

1 Peter 2:10 says that we were not “a people” before. Being scattered was the identity of us. But when Christ came into our lives, we became a people of God. We need God to unify us and to lead us. And sometimes confusion is brought by God in our lives so that we separate and proceed to execute His plan in our lives and not stick with our own desires.

Amen.