“Let us make a name for ourselves, otherwise we will be scattered.”
–Genesis 11:4
The words we just read come from the Tower of Babel narrative. The people had migrated to a place located in modern-day Iraq where they launched a massive building effort. Scripture says that when God sees their activity that the Divine One is unhappy. “They are one people,” God says “and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand another’s speech.” God does just that, the work on the tower stops, and the people depart. The story then concludes “The Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”
Many times, those events are heard as an act of punishment by God. Viewed in that way, the most frequent interpretation is that the people were given new languages and scattered to the ends of the creation because they were declaring no need for God. While the text allows for that interpretation, I hear another possibility. Namely, that in every life there are times when we need to scatter and that such dispersion can actually be part of God’s plan for us as well.
That message emerges as a possibility for me in listening closely to the lone human voice in the narrative. “Come, let us build ourselves a city,” the leader says to his compatriots, “and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.” Had his words ended there, it would seem clear that God’s scattering of the people was due to a mis-guided attempt to replace God with something made by humans; that hubris had gotten the best of them.
Yet that voice from the past goes on to say, “Let us make a name for ourselves otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” That additional comment led me to wonder if the people built the tower because they were frightened by the prospect of being separated from each other. That what motivated them was not pride, but a fear that loved ones would begin to leave. So to prevent that from occurring, they tried to build a tower that would keep everyone together.
While unsuccessful in that effort, we can understand the sentiment. When we see our children set out in a new direction, when a long-time friend gets a job offer in distant city, or when it becomes apparent we have reached a fork in our own lives, it’s only natural if anxiety can lead to efforts seeking to prevent the change. We may not build a tower but know the emotional tug even so. Yet even those emotions are completely understandable, times of scattering have often been part of God’s plan.
Abram and Sarai were told to leave their home for a land that God would show them. From a burning bush, God told Moses to leave his father-in-law’s employ and lead the people out of Egypt. Jesus called twelve men to drop their vocations and follow him. Scattering is often part of God’s intention for human beings.
Given that Biblical history, I wonder if God’s halt to tower building was not punishment, but an act of love. God always meant for humankind to fill the earth. So, when the people chose to build the first skyscraper, God confused their languages so that they would have to move. They were scattered, yet still united as God’s own.
One of the strongest memories of my paternal grandmother was the way she tried to keep us cousins connected to each other. There were five Willingham children and three Waltons, the children of my father’s sister. We lived in Columbus, GA, and they in Thornwell, SC, which meant we saw each other only a couple of times each year. My grandmother spent her entire life in an era before cell phones or Facebook. As far as I know, she never sent or received an email. Long-distance calls were rare as they were expensive. Her handwriting was nearly as illegible as is true of her only grandchild who became a pastor, so she used a different way to keep us connected.
I can recall times as a child when I would proudly tell her about some accomplishment of mine. Maybe it was improving my report card grade in “Conduct.” Whatever the topic, when I shared the accomplishment Grandmother would often reply “That’s wonderful! Have I told you the latest news about the Waltons?” and then fill me in on their achievements. For a time, I was envious of my cousins thinking they were her favorites, but one day as a teenager, I learned they had times of feeling the same way about us. For when one of them would tell her about an achievement, Grandmother would reply “That’s great! Have I told you the latest about the Willinghams!”
We all have times when life causes us to scatter, but we never journey alone. God remains present just as he was when the people departed from Babel long ago. Such knowledge can give reassurance and strength to embark on new adventures and let our children or siblings or friends do the same. As such times of scatterings may actually move us closer to the kind of existence that God intends. In other words, even moments of dispersing can be a time for giving thanks.
Ever-present One, thank you for the certainty that you are with us in every moment. Help me claim that gift again this day that I might see the potential in times of scattering. That such moment are moving closer to your intention all along. Amen.
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