The Language Confused

Passage to be read: Genesis 11:01-09

"The place is called Babel 

since that is where the Lord 

confused the language of the whole world.

So the Lord caused them to spread out 

from there over the whole world."

(Genesis 11: 9)

So many languages in the world; the counting would go up to five-thousand and more. Looking at this linguistic diversity, we are thrilled to go venturing into the study of how the whole diversity began; knowing that the entire human population began with a family. And while tracing back, we realise that the world of knowledge has in it the various understandings, and you find your ultimate answer in the perspective you chose to look at this whole history.

But what if someone tells you that this whole diversity was out of a great confusion; a great linguistic confusion. Yes, and that takes us to this historical event at the construction site of the Tower of Babel. With the development of a systematic language structure, there was development of society. The whole world spoke one language, and everyone used the same words (Genesis 11:1). Plans were discussed, visions were set and the people wanted to build a city and a tower for themselves. They wanted to reach high into the sky. They wanted to become famous. They wanted to ensure that they would not be scattered over all the earth ( Genesis 11:3,4). Wow! Cool as it can be! Isn't that pleasing? Isn't that a great project to take up as a society that speaks the same language? 

But, my dear friend, I want you to proceed with me further, exploring what happened to this human plan. Let's see how God looked at it. "His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not ours", right? For God, this was not in the greater plan that He had for the people on this earth.

The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. The Lord said, "Now these people are united, all speaking the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want. Come let us go and confuse their language, so they will not be able to understand each other" (Genesis 11:5-7). What? Really? Didn't that surprise you? It surely did surprise me. Why would God want His people not to be united? Why would he want them not to understand each other? And why this greater plan of confusing their language? The bible provides a good answer.

"So the Lord caused them (the people) to spread out from there over the whole world." (Genesis 11:09)

The people wanted to be together, accumulating in one place; wanted to get rooted there. They were building their tower, knowing that they are speaking the same language, and believing that this would keep them together. Their visions and their future human-plans were shattered. God wanted them to spread over all the earth. What a huge human migration that would have been? Amazing indeed. And today the whole world becomes one, though being spread over all the earth, not because on a single language that is spoken, but because of God. He brings us together in love and acceptance. It's not the language that connects us anymore, but God. The humanness in us, which is His own image. His image in us enables us to know, accept and love each other, though we may be divided by languages. How amazing is that?

Today God looks at us. What is that Tower of Babel in our life? What are we proud of? What connects us?

Our administration? Our fellowship? Our abilities? Our common interests? No!

It is God who connects us. It is He who keeps us together.

In the midst of our shattered plans and hopes, He has a greater purpose.

Just like the great linguistic confusion paved the way for human beings to spread all over the earth, all the sudden confusions and calamities in your plans and the human-bound hopes that you have built for yourselves would lead you towards a greater plan that God has for you. 

The people remembered themselves, but God remembered the whole wide world!

He remembers your world too.

May God bless you.

Yours in Christ,