The gathering
Posted on March 16th, 2023 by RedeemedJeremiah 31:10 NIV
"Hear the word of the LORD, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'
The nations were scattered at the Tower of Babel. Before now the whole earth spoke one language and speech, but at Shinar, for that was were they found a plain fit for habitation, and they thought to make a name for themselves by building a city and tower whose top will reach up to heaven, so they won’t be scattered abroad the whole earth.
The source of all life is God, and everyone is drawn to their source which was broken due to man’s disobedience at the garden of Eden.
The natural man may die when they come into God’s Presence for Scriptures tells us, flesh and blood will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
John 3:5-7 AMP
Jesus answered, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not be surprised that I have told you, 'You must be born again [reborn from above-spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].'
1 Corinthians 15:50 AMP
Now I say this, believers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit nor be part of the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (mortal) inherit the imperishable (immortal).
Scriptures abound of people who died prematurely in the old Testament, when they came into God’s Presence unprepared without undergoing the prescribed rituals God gave to Moses for the Priest and Levite to approach Him.
Their quest to build a tower reaching to heaven therefore was a very dangerous one - one with the potential to wipe off the human race.
They progressed in their work because they had one mind, and so God decided to come down to see what the children of men were doing. And He saw that nothing will be restrained from them for they had one mind in their purpose of building the city and tower!
To stop the progress of their work, God confounded their language so they would not understand themselves, and the work came to a stop. At Babel their language was confused and they were scattered abroad - the very same thing they didn’t want to happen.
The LORD said His plans and purposes will stand.
Isaiah 14:24 NKJV
The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:
Isaiah 46:10 AMPC
Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose.
Their purpose was to make a name for themselves and not be scattered to the ends of the world and also have access to heaven but God wanted man to populate the earth. Their purpose therefore was in conflict with God’s plan for man and the earth.
When God came down He confused them and their work couldn’t progress and so every man went their own way.
God is saying in the opening Scripture that He will gather all people together - the very thing man wanted to do at Babel.
There is a time therefore for everything. Doing something even if it’s good at the wrong time is likely to meet with failure, but when done at the appointed time it likely will be successful, for God had told man in the garden of Eden to fill the whole earth.
Genesis 1:28 NIV
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
There has to be a scattering before a gathering. At Babel the children of men wanted to gather and stay put. Scriptures abound of our tendency to stay put, and not scatter abroad. In scattering are we increased. Without a scattering we won’t increase much.
Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world preaching the good news of the Kingdom, but the disciples choose to stay in Jerusalem, and then the scattering came. They were forced to flee for their lives, and as a result the good news spread wherever they fled.
In the parable of the sower, the sower scattered his seed abroad, at the end of the day, his harvest was tremendous.
Matthew 13
8 And so finally the sower scattered his seeds in a patch of good earth. At home in the good earth, the seeds grew and grew. Eventually the seeds bore fruit, and the fruit grew ripe and was harvested. The harvest was immense—30, 60, 100 times what was sown.
God is getting ready to gather all nations together after He had scattered mankind.
Just as the nations were one before the scattering at Babel, He has promised to gather us as one nation and watch over us as a Shepherd watches over his flock.
Jeremiah 31:12-14 NIV
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD-the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. [13] Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. [14] I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty," declares the LORD.
God is faithful and He will bring His people together under one Shepherd. Every tear will be wiped away; joy, grain, wine and oil will be abundant.
Sorrow and pains will not be recorded amongst His people. The zeal of the LORD will bring it to pass.
God bless.
Peace.
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