Interludes

"These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood."(Genesis 10:32)

"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. and the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." (Genesis 11:1-9

I wonder if the sons of the sons of Noah who were "separated on the earth after the flood," (10:32) had any kind of longing to find one another? Did they pine away for their kin? Did they lay under the stars at night wondering about their long-lost loved ones? Did they get a glimpse of a new but familiar face among many and follow them through crowds, even calling their name as I had done so many times?

I remember the last time I saw him. He was pale and thin, his eyes, though sparkling that same "Chad" smile, seemed hollow and somewhat distant, as if longing to run while all the time being found. He was weak from recent surgery but glad to be home and with family.

His phone call and request to retrieve him from the airport came amidst the clamor of family conversation. The giggling of my sister and Granny playing with my two little ones, the men folk chatting on about emissions testing and catalytic converters, and my mother and I preparing the turkey and laughing about the year she stuffed the bird with our favorite sage dressings and . . . oh yes, upon carving it, found the dish rag she had misplaced earlier! How would I know then that would be the last time I would see my brother Chad, who has now gone missing some 20 years.

This interlude (a space of time that connects events) between chapters 10 and 11, the untold story of the separation of the nations and their coming together again in the Plain of Shinar brings me to ponder about the interludes of my own life. The events. The situations. The people and the things that have caused the Lord of Heaven and earth to change my methods and my motives. Those times when God was at work; stirring, churning, moving in my heart and mind. Causing me to be challenged about why I did a particular thing or thought a particular way. Those intersections of events and people that God allowed my life to criss-cross with often affected my position. Many of those times, painful as they were; divorce, loss of friendships, the changing of jobs, the changing of churches, the changing of environment revealed, much about my ambitions and selfishness, which resulted in confession, repentance and pardon. Where would I be today, or better put, who would I be today if God had not intervened in those interludes of my life? Would I still be seeking after a name, or tower, or city for myself as chapter 11 reveals about the sons of Noah?

This family who all spoke the same language, using the same words as though they spoke from one lip, (Gen. 11:1) somehow found one another as they journeyed. This finding of one another caused their journey to stop as though they had found what they were missing. As though they found what they had long been looking for. What was it I wonder, that they had encountered on their journey, their interlude, that made them want or need to make a city for themselves . . . "lest they be scattered over the earth." Or, was it their reunion conversations, that which sparked the idea to build a tower to heaven . . . "lest they be scattered over the earth." Or, was it their fear of the possibility of a future separation, that spawned their ideas of a city and a tower. And, let's not forget their need to make a name for themselves."

Their seemingly noble desire to build a city with a tower that reaches into the heavens rings hollow and clearly underlines their wrong motives when followed by "so that they might make for themselves a name. As if the "lest they be scattered across the whole earth," was an after thought! It does sort of seem like a tag at the end of a statement when one wants to appear more humble, than their statement reveals, doesn't it?

Not only were their motives wrong, but their method of reaching heaven was wrong. Because of the written Word of God, we know there is only one way to heaven and that is by being washed in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb! The question of whether or not they could have succeeded in building a tower that reached heaven, the dwelling place of God, doesn't seem to be the point. The mere fact that they were collectively communicating, sharing the same goal, the same mind, the same drive, and the same ambition, was the thing God wanted stopped. Why? Isn't that a contradiction? Isn't that what Christianity should be about, having the same heart and mind? Why would God want to intervene and foil their plans? The answer certainly lies in their motives. At first blush, it appears their fear of being scattered, is what drove them . . . or was it? It wasn't righteousness and the name of God they wanted exalted, proving again their wrong motives. And those wrong motives brought about "that which they feared the most (Job 3:25) being scattered upon the whole earth.

The lesson for us here is that God would say "give Me your hearts and yourself, not your works or your self-righteousness." God desires that our whole goal in life would be that our lives would bring God glory; neither self-gain, nor glory with our name attached to it! God knows it isn't in the work that one accomplishes that gets one to heaven. It was only in the work He completed through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, that gets one to heaven.

Looking back, I thank God that He has seen fit to use the people, the things, the places, and the situations during the interludes of my life to change my motives. And this text leaves me with a greater question; do I long for a relationship with God, as much as I do a relationship with those whom I love on this earth? Do I pine away for a deeper commitment to my Master than I do for my brother Chad? Do I search the scriptures for that which reconnects my heart to the one who paid my debt? Do I strive to know God in such a way that when I speak with God, it is as though we speak with one lip? Am I on a treasure hunt for heaven for the right reasons, as though I were searching for a lost and precious treasure? Do you?

(Readers Note: This was written 6 months before my missing brother was reunited with my family after over 20 years!! God is GOOD!!)