Unity

“The people are united, and they all speak the same language.” Genesis 11:6  

The TV show What Not to Wear gave fashion tips to fashion disasters by showing them what they were doing wrong. Likewise, the first Babylonians hosted their own program called What Not to Build, where God had to show them what they were doing wrong. They were using their unity to defy God’s stated command to “be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth” (Gen. 9:7). They had decided that if they all got together, they could become their own gods. They wouldn’t need God telling them what to do. They could even build a tower straight to heaven! So God had to disrupt their unity because it was destructive.

 

Unity in itself is neither good nor bad. Some people unite because they are opposed to the same things. Some Middle Eastern nations who otherwise hate each other will unite to fight against Americans, Christians, or Jews. Terrorists, the KKK, and the Nazis were all unified in purpose, but it wasn’t God’s purpose, so unity became evil. Unity is destructive when it elevates human opinion above God’s. However, when God’s will is the goal, we can work together to accomplish His interests on the earth. He desires for His creation to work together in unity to reflect the beauty, goodness, and perfection of His own character.

Consider the ways in which you are unified with others. Is this unity accomplishing God’s purposes? 

.