Can you imagine the sound?

You may have only read the following story one way. The story of the Tower of Babel where human pride dominated the building project.

However, if you were to ask the question: what could have happened if the builders had been walking with God? Then the possibilities of what could have happened are interesting. Here are a least three.

• Communication in one language, with one united voice, brings perfect understanding to all people.
• The oneness of a shared vision and real unity, with no division, would have been powerful.
• The audacious ability to dream beyond what is seen with their power of imagination. What could have been next?

All done by spiritual people who walked with God.

Sadly, this wasn’t the case. That was the problem.

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward,they found a plain in Shinarand settled there. ³ They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11 v 1-9)

The people wanted to make a name for themselves and build a tower that would reach heaven. It was a task full of pride and arrogance, and it would lead to a constant battle between man’s kingdom and God’s kingdom. But before dismissing that story as evil, think some more. If only those people were sanctified and were walking with God. Can you then imagine what they could do for God’s kingdom? Can you imagine:-

• Through the power of communication (one language).
• Through the power of oneness (unity).
• Through the power of imagination (thinking what could be).

Can you imagine what is possible then?

But they were not sanctified, and so God’s judgment was to divide them. As the world has continued in its pride and arrogance, it has continued to divide, so today there are 7,111 languages spoken, and 23 languages account for half of the world’s population.

So, what is God’s plan? Is it to unite into one language? Wouldn’t that be easier for world evangelisation if everyone spoke English? No. Let’s use that story of division again.

1. God sees the danger of unity as worse than the power of a unified language. Maybe it is because He knows the world cannot be trusted with one language. Maybe it would wipe out the gospel completely and not advance it. When you have seen the power of the gospel in a language you do not know, then you understand that it is more effective in many languages than just one.
2. God can speak every language. The One who divided it is the One who speaks them all and to them all. Christianity isn’t tribal. The gospel is more beautiful when seen through the lens of difference.
3. God had the end result in mind when He divided the earth. He who divided will bring the whole earth together in their divided languages into a united mass of praise to Christ: Revelation 7:9-“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” He had the end result in mind when He divided the earth. This wasn’t Him being reactive. The division of the languages was His plan. Can you imagine this? Gathered around the throne of God, every nation, all tribes, all peoples, all languages; distinct voices, their unique expressions of worship – can you imagine the sound?!