Human Desires and God's Blessings (Genesis 12:1-3)
Let us look forward to the day when God comes to us. Although our faith may resemble a sine wave, let us embark on a journey with God. Even if human desires subtly raise their heads, let us wait for the blessings that God gives through faith. Remember that Abraham was not a special person.
God's Gaze towards People
The first half of Genesis has dramatic twists and turns. When it seems to rise, it falls, and the speed of the fall is fast, and the depth is deep. God looked upon the creatures He created with satisfaction (Gen 2). However, before God's smile could fade, human corruption emerges (Gen 3). Soon after, the murder case between Cain and Abel brothers follows (Gen 4). Just when it seems that warmth and peace continue from God's consolation by giving Seth to Adam and Eve instead of Abel (Gen 4-5), the story of Noah's flood appears (Gen 6). The sons of God see the beauty of human daughters and take the women they like as wives. On one hand, God declares that His spirit will no longer be with people, but on the other hand, we find relief in the scene where God saves Noah's family. Then we become tense again in the scene where Noah's descendants build the Tower of Babel (Gen 11).
In the first half of Genesis, God's actions towards people and people's actions towards God alternate in contrast. God blesses people, gives a new son, offers opportunities, and saves lives, but people do not show the right attitude towards God. This is the sine wave-like curve that repeats from Genesis 1 to 11.
However, as we continue reading the Bible, the subsequent human history does not deviate from the content of Genesis 1 to 11. Although a long time has passed, the structure of God's goodness and human evil shown in Genesis 1-11 is still present in our lives today. Therefore, it seems that the editor of the Bible may have nailed the contrasting behaviors of God and humans in the first part of the first volume as a prophecy.
The first thing God did for people at creation was to bless them. God was delighted because the appearance of people was so pleasing. After the twists and turns of time, God comes to Abraham again and speaks of blessings. The story of blessings appears five times in the text. It is God's work and His gaze towards us to bless people.
The Tower of Babel and Human Desire
However, people tend to turn their backs on God. This is because they desire not the blessings given by God, but the ones they want for themselves. People prefer the things they need immediately in front of them, the things they must let go of when their short lives are over, rather than the blessings given by God. The Tower of Babel is at the pinnacle of the blessings that people desire. Just as the Israelites made a golden calf with various gold ornaments, when all of human desire is gathered and thrown into the fire, the Tower of Babel emerges.
Genesis 11 shows the end of human desire.
"Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth" (v. 3).
What are today's Towers of Babel? What are we building up? We are stacking our dreams high with bricks of money, fame, and academic achievements, believing that we can only be happy if we succeed. Moreover, we apply tar to ensure that the tower we are building with all our wisdom does not collapse.
God's Answer
However, humans cannot ascend the Tower of Babel, built upon their own desires. Things do not always go according to their wishes. Because God loves people, and because of the blessings God ultimately wants to bestow upon them, God does not allow human desires to cross the final line. Therefore, those who build upon their desires inevitably experience emptiness. A condensed version of this can be found in Genesis 1-11. Now it is time for God's action, the blessings that follow human desires.
One day, God comes to Abraham.
"Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you" (Gen 12:1).
It is striking that Abraham will become a great nation, his name will be made great, and he himself will become a blessing. In the end, Abraham becomes the blessing itself, through which all people and nations receive blessings. It is good that God promises to bless Abraham, but the situation before this promise is astonishing. God does not seem to be hurt by betrayal. God first speaks of blessings to humans. In response, humans betray God. Yet, God speaks of blessings to humans again. However, God is not insensitive. The moment in the story of Noah's flood when God says, "I will no longer be with you," shows this. Is this not evidence that God has been deeply hurt by humans? But why does God keep speaking of blessings to humans? Is God restless because He cannot bless them?
God promised Abraham that he would become a great nation, his name would be made great, and he would become a blessing itself. However, listen to the words of the people building the Tower of Babel, as if making a vow to each other:
"Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth" (Gen 11:4).
Yet, God precisely opposes those who seek to see the end of their desires through the Tower of Babel. Moreover, God promises blessings that far surpass human desires. Firstly, when humans express their desire to "build a city and a tower to avoid being scattered," God opposes this by promising Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation." Secondly, in response to the human desire to "build a tower that reaches the heavens and make a name for ourselves," God opposes this by promising Abraham, "I will make your name great." Building a city, even today, requires many sacrifices. The efforts, sweat, and sacrifices of many people are necessary. Naturally, this leads to rulers and the ruled. There are those who give orders and those who work. God opposes these desire-driven human plans by telling Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him. This is a scene where God thinks of blessings even more than humans do.
God at the End of Human Desire
However, we must distinguish between the blessings bestowed by God and the blessings desired by humans. God values human dreams more than humans themselves do. When people dream, there are many sacrifices to be made, losses to be suffered, and it is difficult to even gauge the price to be paid. If people exclude God, it may seem comfortable at first, but they will eventually struggle and become distressed. Even if their desires are fulfilled, the joy does not last long. Although human dreams tend to flow with desires, if one dreams of the blessings bestowed by God, it becomes a vision rather than ambition. It is not that people desire to avoid dispersion and form a great nation, but that God promises to make them a great nation. It is not that people say, "Let's make our name," but that God says, "I will make your name great."
God stands at the end of human desires. God did not seek Abraham because he was a special being. Abraham was an ordinary person. Before God sought him, Abraham was an ordinary person living according to human desires. Abraham was also a person who pursued his desires in his own way. However, God spoke to Abraham.
Will you walk the blessed path I give? Will you leave your familiar desires and receive the blessings I give? Will you leave the world where you must strive, compete, and build up, and enter the world where I establish your name?
The scene where God sought Abraham signifies the beginning of God's blessings beyond the emptiness of the Tower of Babel, the end of human desires. God came to Abraham, who was 75 years old, with blessings. The invitation God gave to Abraham was this: To leave the land where he had built up his desires and form a great nation. At an age when familiarity was preferred, Abraham obeyed God's invitation to leave for an unfamiliar world.
However, Abraham's reality was far from forming a great nation. Above all, he had no children. God's way of blessing people always seems to be like this: To leave what has been accomplished and set out on a path with God. A rich young man sought eternal life from Jesus. Jesus told him to leave his familiar world and walk with him. Although Abraham left his homeland and went to the land God directed, he faced famine, but God was with him. God wants to give the blessing of Immanuel to people. God, who sought Abraham, will come to the end of our desires today. With the blessing that saves us and does not make us empty, God will come to us.
Let us look forward to the day God comes to us. Although our faith may be drawing a sine curve, let us set out on a path with God. Even if human desires subtly raise their heads, let us wait in faith for the blessings God gives. Remember that Abraham was not a special person.