UNITY CAN BE A SIN!

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psa 133:1)

IT IS A BLESSING FOR "brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psa 133). In that very environment God "commands the blessing, even life for evermore" (v 3). That is the ultimate blessing in this world – one that is "commanded." It is not commanded TO us, but UPON us. No wonder dwelling together in unity is both "good and pleasant."

HOWEVER, IT IS NOT A BLESSING when unity is in the flesh, with the Person of Christ and the purpose of God, pushed into the background. A case in point is the attempt to build a tower in "a plain in the land of Shinar." What a construction project that was! It dwarfed building projects of our time. It was also undertaken by a united people. The people had "one language and one speech," and therefore could communicate effectively. They were deliberate in their plans, determining to make brick, bake them thoroughly, and use asphalt for mortar. Their project would have been a marvel to modern motivators and organizational experts. They would surely have been held up as the ultimate model of success.

THE EFFORT EVEN DREW THE ATTENTION of God Almighty. After all, it is not often that you find a united people determined to actually DO something. Considering the harmony and resoluteness among them, surely, the Lord will find something of value in this endeavor.

BUT THE LORD WAS NOT WELL PLEASED with what He saw. True, the people were "one," and had embarked upon an impressive and well-planned project. But their purpose was sinful. It was, they themselves acknowledged, to "make us a name" for themselves. The great God was not in their thoughts. In fact, they imagined they would derive protection and invincibility as a result of their work. Their's was a godless frame of mind.

THE LORD DETERMINED THEIR WORK would be aborted. His words are arresting, and conducive to sober thought. "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." It is written that as soon as the people could not understand each other, "the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city." The name of that place is called Babel, for it was there that the language of the people became confused (Gen 11:1-10).

TODAY, THE CHURCH IS EXPERIENCING a similar confusion and scattering. Those wearing the name of Christ cannot understand each other, for their speech has been confused. From one perspective, it appears as though Kingdom-building has ground to a halt in preference for earthly, and more visible, goals. Could it be that the Lord is not pleased with the direction Christendom, for want of a better term, has taken? Is it possible that He has confused the language of the people as He did in the Plain of Shinar? Remember, God Himself affirmed nothing the people purposed would be withheld from them because they were "one." What do you suppose would happen if the people of God set their affection on things above, and united in their determination to "obtain the prize?" What if "Christians" decided to work together for the Lord? That is certainly something to think about!

– Given O. Blakely