How do you handle the unknown? Are you the type that likes to explore unknown places and experiences? Or, are you the type that likes to hunker down in safe, familiar places and build walls of protection around yourself?
In Genesis 11:1-9 we see that the people of the earth were more like the second type. They all settled down in one place, spoke one language, and built a big, strong city, with thick walls around it. This way they wouldn’t have to go anywhere and nothing bad could get in.
Here’s the problem. God had told them to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. They were doing just the opposite.
So, God had to split them up by causing them to speak different languages. This forced them to spread out and fill the earth and form different cultures. I don’t think this was a punishment. It was a blessing and a little nudge from God to break out of fear and embrace life.
Here’s the lesson for today.
- God invites you into adventure. Don’t wall yourself off and try to protect yourself. That just ends up putting yourself in solitary confinement (aka, prison).
- God loves diversity. Look at how many different kinds of living things there are on our planet. God loves all the different languages and cultures. So should we.
If you’d like to hear more about this story, I preached a sermon on it a while back.
