First Baptist Church
One of my favorite shows of yesteryear is Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is a redux of the 1960’s science fiction show, Star Trek. The show is about space travel and exploration and involves seeing and meeting new species of beings from various planets throughout the galaxy along with the trials and tribulations that come with first contact.
In one of the plot lines spanning several episodes and seasons, a collective body know as the Borg is attempting to assimilate the entire universe. They are a fierce collective of interconnected beings captured, enhanced and forced into giving up their individuality and becoming part of the Borg. Their will is destroyed. Their purpose diverted to only what is good for the Borg. They are assimilated. Anyone who does not join them is destroyed. Their famous saying is, “Resistance if futile. You will be assimilated.”
The Borg set their sights on the captain of the USS Enterprise, a galaxy class starship that travels the universe seeking out new civilizations for exploration and connection. They want to assimilate the captain because they assume this is the way to get the entire crew of the Enterprise and then have the ship return them to earth to assimilate its inhabitants as well. They captured the captain, but due to his own resistance, and that of the crew, the Borg were temporarily defeated and lost their prize and were prevented taking over the earth.
Why do I share this story with you in an article that is supposed to be about the Bible? I was reading again this morning about the Tower of Babel. It is found in Genesis 11:1-9. Here is the story.
“After the flood, God had told Noah and his descendants. “Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may abreed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.””
(Genesis 8:17)
God had destroyed the earth with a flood and saved only Noah, his wife, three sons, and their wives. From eight people, the earth needed to be filled with people. The way that God told them to do that was to multiply on the earth. This would mean that they needed to spread out and fill the earth. A group of people arose that did not want to do what God told them to do. They decided it would be better if they built a city with a tower that reached up to the heavens so that others would not attempt to take them over or move them off their land.
“They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.””
(Genesis 11:4)
God knew what they were doing to resist His instructions and His plan for the earth was more important than their desire for security and resistance, so He confused their languages. This was the beginning of people groups based on differing languages. This divided the people and stopped work on the tower. What was the result?
“So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.” (Genesis 11:8)
God had a plan and will for the world that He had created. Man resisted that will to no avail. I know what you may be thinking. You may be thinking that God did things like this in the Old Testament, but He is loving in the New Testament and allows people to make their own choices. And you would be right. But let’s not ignore the fact that God still has a will for His world that is going to be accomplished. We are told that one day there will be gathered in heaven And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)
God will accomplish this will. We have a choice to be a part of what He is doing or to resist, but resistance is futile. God will accomplish His will. We just have to decide if we will surrender and submit or have Him work around or in spite of us. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I want to be used as part of His plan. I want to be assimilated. How about you?