Building Supercities ... and Supertrees

Have you heard about Singapore and its ambitious building project yet? Cutting edge might describe what is going on “over there”. Singapore is converting 250 acres of waterfront property into a horticultural recreational area. The Supertrees will be 80 to 180 feet tall and made of concrete and steel that will serve as a vertical plant garden. Some of the Supertrees will have solar panels to light them up at night. One will have a restaurant on top. Singapore is going from what is called “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”.  The cost is a mere $1.3 billion. The aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing the green space and flora of the city.  The "Garden City" came out of an international competition design contest.  There will be exotic ferns, orchids, unique vines and thousands of other varieties. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? How long will it take before someone attaches a roller coaster between them? 

Ambitious plans indeed. The Bible records another giant building project in Genesis chapter 11. Would you believe there were others in the Bible who planned to build a supertower that reached all the way to heaven! These men set about to build the first super-skyscraper. From first appearances, it seems they demanded things change to suit their ambitious plans! Things changed alright. These men decided to build a tower that would punch right through the clouds. That way people wouldn’t need to be scattered all over the face of the earth. Uhh, wait a minute, wasn’t that God’s intention back in Genesis chapter 9? In so many words – yes, that’s what God intended.

In direct defiance of God’s command (Genesis 9:1), the people had a super-size surprise coming their way. In Genesis 11:7, the Bible says that God confused their language, so they could not understand each other. When that happened they stopped building and were scattered across the earth. If you can’t communicate, you certainly can’t work together. It would be like the United Nations building in New York without any interpreters. People would drift away and scatter to be with their own kind.

Maybe it’s a good idea to seek God’s counsel on the larger issues of life. Do you recall the story in Luke about a certain farmer who had a bumper crop and decided to build more and bigger barns because he was so good at farming? Wonder how that finally worked out?