7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.
You don’t have to go so far as international diplomacy to see this confusion at work. Ask almost any husband and wife if there can be confusion! Communicating, really communicating, is a very difficult undertaking. We even have difficulty getting what we really want to say said. Our own brains don’t always connect with the words we are feeling. This all goes back to this point in history when God had to intervene in order to prevent an even greater rebellion. By confusing their languages God postponed the self-righteous rebellion of humankind to another day. He had promised not to bring judgment again using water. They were getting to the place where judgment was again warranted. God instead creates confusion. They are no longer able to work as one on their project of rebellion. It is almost as if God introduced a computer virus into our brains circuitry that over-rode our language processing. International diplomacy has never been the same since! Our language, histories, values and cultures are now so diverse that it is impossible for us to unite for any significant length of time on anything but the simplest of tasks. Greed will prevent a one world economy, because the haves will not want to give up what they have to the have-nots and the have-nots will want what the haves have. The UN fails to function because no one is in charge and the member states don’t really want to give up their power and position over their own people. The continuing crisis in Darfur is evidence of this. We can work at understanding. But in the end, God has prevented the world from unity through His intervention. It is only when we submit to His authority that there can be unity. And even in the church, selfishness and pride get involved. Don’t be discouraged! When Jesus reigns again on earth, there will be unity.
The Arnold Journey 