During my brief stint of traveling the world I have been
amazed at different cultures I have experienced thus far. There are different
languages, colors, races, clothing, social norms, morals (to an extent), food
and style of life. We are all so different, but God intended it to be that way.
In Genesis chapter 11 the bible talks about how everyone spoke the same
language and lived in unison. God decided to change things up a bit as we see
in verse 7 and 8-
“Come, let us go down
and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s
speech. So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth…”
I myself have snickered at those verses. Just like that huh? Two measly sentences
depicting the utterly unending variety of human life on Earth?
Well, yeah. That is it. I do believe in God and I do believe
that the bible is the literal Word of God. He could have expounded indefinitely
on this radical change in our identities as human beings but He didn’t. He
could have explained many more things in detail about how He created the
universe or motives for His actions. But He didn’t and that is nothing to make
a fuss over. I believe He willingly left out certain information in the bible
so that we could focus on what He wanted us to focus on. I presume one day in
the glory of His Presence in heaven that He will unveil some of the mysteries
of the universe.
As we are right now, here on earth, we recognize the bible
leaves out some answers to life’s biggest questions, but it is nonetheless a
guide for how to live life.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is breathed out by God
is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work”
Joshua 1:8- “Do not let the Book of Law depart from your
mouth, meditate on in day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything that is written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous,
and then you will have great success.”
The two sentences in Genesis chapter 11 depict God’s need
for different cultures and languages here on the earth so that more glory may
be brought to Him. One language singing praises to Him is not sufficient. God
is so vast and has so much depth that He needs hundreds of different languages
praising Him. There is no such thing as an American Jesus or American God,
there may be a fictitious one that we have created in the narrowness and
futility of our minds, but truly there is one God over all the nations.
I am hard-pressed to think of better experiences in my life than
standing in a church on foreign soil, singing worship songs to God in English,
while the natives sing in their own language. It is just one of those moments
that takes your breath away. The vaguely invisible God comes into view during
these moments as all of His children, uniquely different yet lovely all the
same, unite to worship Him.
