After the flood Noah and his family once again began to grow. God had desired of them to spread out and fill the earth. He did not want them to settle in one place.

Genesis 11 starts out making a statement that the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. There wasn’t so much as a difference in accent. They all spoke exactly the same. They formulated a plan to build a great city, they also made a name for themselves. Names, identities  keep us together. They were again not doing what God desired of them! So what is the Problem? Why does God think He should control everything?

The simple truth is that God created man for His pleasure. If His creation is not doing what He created them for then the problem comes from that simple fact. Lets say that you as a parent decided to make a swing for your 4 year old child. You go about making the ropes fast and the seat so that the child doesn’t fall out. After the completion of the swing, you talk to the child so that he or she knows what to do on the swing. The swing is created to do a specific duty, that duty will bring pleasure to both the child and parent alike. Let’s say now that the swing doesn’t function correctly and the child is turned out on their head. What will a good parent do with the swing? The swing will be corrected so that the proper pleasure will be gotten from it. That is exactly the way it is between God and mankind. He created us for a purpose, and He will correct us when we are not fulfilling that purpose. He has given lots of instruction on what He expects of us.

So God observed mankind in his activities, and decided to step in. Race is the subject of much debate these days. The division of race is being discussed on many levels in our society. I have observed in my travels that there is a division caused by language that far outweighs the division caused by the colour of ones skin. God did two things to all the people living at Babel. One he gave them all different languages. There are said to be more than 8000 languages spoken in todays world. God created them all in one instant. Two He scattered the people over the whole earth, from one extreme to the next. This is the main reason I think that people do not generally like to move. God put them where they are. For example there are people living in the deltas and swamps of the world, just miles away from firm ground, but they stay. The name of most people groups can be translated the people. Yes each group consider themselves “The People” and it comes out as an outsider becomes more familiar with a people group. He realises that he the outsider is considered sub par, not one of the “people.” As an outsider becomes more proficient with the language he is looked on with less suspicion, and more respect and will eventually if he learns the language well become one of the “people.”

So God in His wisdom and understanding spread mankind out on the face of the earth and made it impossible for all the earth to be one people again. That is until He decides to bring all the people of earth together.

God desires our affection. He desires our attention. He desires us to follow His way and not our own. We as created beings, created by Him owe him no less than to be His, to give Him pleasure.