Scattering and Gathering

From the very beginning, God has given us a mission to fill the earth with his glory. To our father Adam, he gave the command to take what was in the garden in Eden and fill the earth with it. "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..." (Genesis 1:28) So what was in the garden in Eden? First, humans made in the image of God. Second, a cultivated garden of order and life. God's goal was to fill the earth with his image and with his creation. The purpose was that both his image bearers and his creation were to declare his glory in all the earth.

But in steps sin. Because Adam and Eve sinned against God, disastrous consequences occurred to the human race. But God's plan to fill the earth with his Glory was not thwarted. It changes slightly, but is not thwarted. "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:14) God uses both the Scattering and Gathering of his people to accomplish his purposes, even when resisted against. Over and over in Scripture we see this imagery of Scattering and Gathering.

The first example in Scripture is Babel. Man was supposed to scatter to the ends of the earth and fill the earth. However, in Genesis 11 the people of the earth are outright resisting that command. "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4) They not only did not do what God had commanded them to do, but they also were definitively selfish in their pursuits. They wanted to make a name for themselves and they did not want to be scattered. They were doubly evil. God forced them to separate and to fill the earth by creating many languages and cultures. God Scattered them and in the process created a more glorious redemption of all peoples.

Another example of Scattering and Gathering in Scripture occurs during the Exile. For many reasons beyond the scope of a blog post, God sent his people into exile away from Jerusalem. They were cut off from the land and from the only place they were able to worship the LORD. God scattered them because they were idolatrous and adulterous. Again, God uses scattering as punishment for sin. But, God would later use this scattering of people to accomplish his purposes.

Another example similar to the exile occurs after the Church has begun. Jesus has been raised from the dead and has given the Spirit to the Church to accomplish the Great Commission. However, we find the church just chilling in Jerusalem instead of going to make disciples of all peoples. A great persecution arose in Jerusalem such that they had to leave and fill the earth. They fled to all places, but specifically to these Jewish centers that remained from the Exile many years prior. It would be in these places that the gospel churches would plant first.

God scatters so that He might gather.
God will accomplish his purpose to fill the earth with his glory.

I often fear that I am too much like the people at Babel. I desire to make a name for myself and to stay at "home". I want to build my kingdom and increase my glory. I don't want to be separated from that which is comfortable and normative. I resist the call to go fill the earth with knowledge of the glory of God. But, I do not want to be like these people at Babel and resist God's call.

As the people of God are beginning to return from Exile, Nehemiah prays a wonderful prayer. As part of this prayer he says, "Remember the word that you commanded your servant saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though you outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there." (Nehemiah 1:8-9)

As I read this, I cannot help but think of Paul's word to Timothy. "If we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13) God is faithful and his scattering of us will be to accomplish his purpose to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God.

We must rest on this in our going. We are sent with a divine mission. We are about the King of the Universe's business. We are sent by the one with all authority. Let us not be like those at Babel seeking to make a name for ourselves. Let us go to the earth where the knowledge of the glory of God is not known and worshiped and there make him known.