Two Kinds of Unity

Genesis 11
1 The whole earth used the same language, the same words. 2 It came about that as they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shin'ar and lived there. 3 They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them in the fire." So they had bricks for building-stone and clay for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth." 5 ADONAI came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 ADONAI said, "Look, the people are united, they all have a single language, and see what they're starting to do! At this rate, nothing they set out to accomplish will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let's go down and confuse their language, so that they won't understand each other's speech." 8 So from there ADONAI scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 For this reason it is called Bavel [confusion] - because there ADONAI confused the language of the whole earth, and from there ADONAI scattered them all over the earth. (Complete Jewish Bible)


Years ago, as a new believer, the story of the Tower of Babel really confused me. I couldn't understand for the life of me what the problem was with building a big building. What was the big deal? Why did Elohim need to come down and confuse the languages of the people and scatter them? I was looking at that situation in a very simplistic way and in my newly converted heart I did not understand the true nature of the heart of man, but that would change.

At some point, I would awaken to the truth of our "nature", through life's circumstances and the tragic happenings that occur in our world. I would be confronted with the true nature of my own heart in how I "reacted" or didn't in the midst of the circumstances I would walk through and see others walk through. I would find out over time that our "nature" is not one of love, charity, kindness and patience towards all men. I discovered that we do not come into this world desiring to put other's needs before our own, but on the contrary with a deep desire to have our own needs met, do it our way and get what we want quite immediately! We are, in fact, incredibly self centered individuals. We are full of "self" and at times we will hurt one another to get what we want, not even necessarily what we "need". This is the true nature of man in his fallen state. All mankind is born into that "fallen state". Since the fall of Adam we have not been able to entirely escape this reality. None of us. Yahshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus Christ)is the only one who did not sin, but He is YHVH having come in human form. Some of us do better than others, but none the less, my "fairy-tale" would be defeated in some very difficult and challenging ways. Maybe you have experienced this too? I would come out of the shock, discouragement and difficulties I faced a more humbled and broken person. I would grow and begin to understand the Father a little better, although at this point I feel as though I have barely scratched the surface of the depth of His ways and His wisdom.

Unity in and of it's self is not an evil thing. It is in fact a fairly good concept. When people put their heads together they can accomplish a lot! YHVH knows this. He made us that way. I really believe that our Abba wants us to work together to accomplish good things. He wants to see us do things that benefit the Kingdom and accomplish things motivated by our love for Him and for one another. Hence the greatest commandment:

Matthew 22:36-40 "36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law ?" 37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

The book of Acts illustrates a time when unity was a really good thing. Pentecost or Shavuot was an incredible move of YHVH, when believers were gathered together to worship Him, and in the power of the Ruach Ha'Kodesh (The Holy Spirit) they accomplished much. They were of one mind and had all things in common. They shared all they had with one another. Needs were met. Issues were resolved in a godly way. The Word of YHVH spread and they accomplished much in the early years of church history. Unity born of a relationship with the Savior is a beautiful thing and avails much! This is Godly unity.(Read Acts!!)

It is when the unity we seek is for the wrong reasons, in other words, selfish purposes, that it all goes wrong. People get hurt, sometimes very badly. The Holocaust or Shoa is a really good example of that. The Crusades another. Then there was Jim Jones Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana that serves as another tragic example of the wrong kind of unity. The 9/11 terrorist tragedy is a recent example of misguided unity. This unity seeks to coerce a nation to buckle and accept the ideology of another using terror as a prime motivator. These are just a few examples. There are many. Billions of people have lost their lives throughout history as a result of unity simply for the sake of unity. Going along to get along. That brand of unity is born out of the need for power, control and prestige of a selfish individual or individuals. Do you think we will ever learn? Unity without the love and accountability that our Holy Elohim provides is a dangerous thing. We are simply not Him and we do not posses, as a people an ability to come together in a pure, unselfish way. We are kidding ourselves if we think for a minute that is a possibility without Him. As a side note, do we understand that the thirst for power, control and prestige is really born out of fear? If we did, would we operate in such a destructive spirit or would we surrender to a Holy Elohim and trust Him in our circumstances instead? Seeking a unity outside of the purposes of YHVH is a dangerous thing and YHVH knew that, which is why he interfered in the building of the Tower of Babel. I believer He did it because He loves us, knows all about our fallen nature and sinful tendencies and didn't want us to destroy ourselves or one another. History has proven, that is exactly what we do when we seek unity apart from Him. We need Him and we are not G-d! We are most likely not like Jim Jones, Hitler or the 9/11 terrorists but we must not trust our own hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than anything else and mortally sick. Who can fathom it?

Genesis 6:5 ADONAI saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only.

The Holy kind of unity, the unity of our Elohim, is born of love, His love. It looks like this:

1 Corinthians 13: 1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This is the only way to build something. Anything else is simply the Tower of Babel.

More than a Conqueror