Previous post: Genesis 10
First, a little background. We have a brief history of the city of Babel (Babylon) back in Genesis 10. In verse 9, we see that the city was a center of Nimrod’s kingdom. Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, fell under the curse of Ham. In other words, not good for Nimrod. Also worth noting: the story of the Tower of Babel is mentioned in at least a few other non-Bible sources—mostly Greek. The narratives differ slightly but share the same theme. According to Josephus, the purpose of the tower was to build something so high that humanity could survive another flood if God sent one. Actually, that seems to be a common theme among the non-biblical narratives.
Back to the Bible. God’s call on humanity from Genesis 1:28 was to spread out and multiply. He’s pretty clear on this directive.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
He reiterates it again in Genesis 9:1 “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” (NIV) and 9:7 “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” (NIV). As fits with the pattern of the Old Testament being physical realities of spiritual truths, we see a similar command in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 where God wants his message spread out and multiplied. Notably, he does not command them to consolidate and shun the outside world. He commands them to go.
What we see in the Tower of Babel is humanity coalescing to do the exact opposite of God’s directive. It’s a group of people trying to create one singular location. God wanted the following: spread out, multiply, diversify, go into all the world and spread God’s name…spread God’s fame. In Genesis 11, humanity instead gave him the opposite.
“let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:4
Again, God wanted spread out, multiply, diversify, and spread God’s name and fame. They gave him instead consolidate, conform, stagnate, and build a name for humankind. Spread our fame through our centralized power rather than spread God’s fame through joyful, faithful, dispersion.
Literarily speaking, Pentecost in Acts 2 presents an interesting contrast with Genesis 11. In the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11, God came down and confused the one language of the people in verse 7. Then, they were scattered across the face of the earth in verses 8 and 9.
In Acts 2, God came down to unify the people by making all the languages understandable as one.
There’s more to ponder there; but let’s go back to The Great Commission and my takeaway from Genesis 11 this week. Matthew 28:18-20. Mark 16:15. Luke 24:47. John 20:21. Acts 1:8. The directive is pretty clear. We Christians are supposed to be the messengers of God’s blessing to all the world. Alas, we’re not always very good at that. Sometimes, we look more like Babel than Apostle. Here’s what I mean by that. We sometimes get with our core group of people and build some amazing things. Sometimes it’s a business. Sometimes, it’s a peaceful retirement. Sometimes, ironically, it’s a church. We opt out of diversity across the city/state/nation/world and opt for gathering a bunch of people who look a whole lot like we do to build a giant building that looks like we want it to—it has the kind of music we want, the kind of preaching we want, the color scheme we want, the children’s ministry we want, etc.
We Christians (myself certainly included) often buy into an unstated (and sometimes stated) theory: if we build out the right programs, building aesthetics, children’s programs, financial structure, and teaching structure, people will funnel into the church. There, they will encounter Jesus. There, lives will be changed. In other words, if we pour our time, talent, and treasure into building an attractive organizational funnel, people will come. If we build it, they will come. I personally have had seasons in my life where I spent the majority of my time and tithe building and serving the funnel rather than directly and relationally serving people.
Don’t get me wrong, I think there is a need and place for megachurch-style church programs and ministries. (After a lifetime of “big church” and 5 years of home church, yes, I am very aware that many have been burned, scarred, and harmed by megachurches. But, God has changed a lot of lives, fed a lot of hungry people, helped a lot of sick people, cared for a lot of widowed and orphaned people, and saved a lot of lost people who found themselves roaming the halls of megachurches.) Despite all its flaws, the American church model has reached many for Christ and has provided an avenue for authentic relationships for many. So, don’t get me wrong, my point here is not that building a big church building is bad. It’s just that I think there’s a danger and temptation in focusing all of our time and energy on a great construction while ignoring the heart of the great commission. Are we focusing on going into all the world; or, are we focusing on funneling all the world into a place or an organization? I could be wrong, but I think Paul would encourage a “reversing of the funnel” in the letter of 1 Amarilloans…and maybe 1 Americans. He might even say something super-eloquent about how a funnel looks a lot like a trumpet when it’s reversed.
In a nutshell, that is my personal takeaway from Genesis 11 this week: that I keep a focus on prayerfully, actively, and collectively pouring the love of Christ out on the community more so than trying to build an attractive organization. To put it another way: I hope that, when we Christians part ways after our Sunday morning gatherings (whether mega church, small church, or home church), we look and feel more like we’re breaking out of a huddle in the midst of a football game and less like we’re walking out of box seats of a stadium after a game is over. As much as my Enneagram 3 personality type is tempted to build a lovely, Christianized tower of Babel and spread my own fame, Genesis 11 is a solid reminder for me to make sure I’m not neglecting God’s call to go out into all the world and spread his fame.
Here’s this week’s hip hop rap summary:
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Interesting perspective! I always enjoy your thoughts.
Hadn't heard of Enneagram 3. I looked it up--description fits you perfectly!