Lessons from the First Organization

Genesis 11:1-9

I was reading a book by Myron Rush entitled "Management: A Biblical Approach" last week, and he made a point that had never occurred to me. As far as we know, the first organization in the Bible occurred in the City of Babel as the people were constructing their tower. Sure, there may have been what you might call family businesses before that--farming and herding types of things. And yes, if Noah's sons or neighbors helped him, you could call that an organization. But in terms of explicitly mentioned references to people organizing their labor, the Tower of Babel is the first one in the Bible. A lot of times, we skip over this story on our way from Noah to Abraham, and when we do hear lessons about Babel, it's usually related to pride or to seeking God's will. But Rush explains that there's a lot to learn about running a business in those verses as well.

When you think about it, Babel Construction was an extremely successful company. God didn't say, "well, this isn't going to amount to anything, but let's mess up their language anyway." He said, "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." The organization set up by the people of Babel was second to none. What did they have that gave them such potential? Commitment to a goal (verses 3-4), everyone on the same page (verse 6), and effective communication (verses 1, 6). Of course, the thing that ultimately became their downfall was that their goal was not alligned with God. But their potential was tremendous!

There are two points to take away from this story in terms of faith in the workplace. First, as a communication professor, I would be falling down on the job if I didn't point out the importance of good communication. The way God doomed their project was to mess up their communication. He could have brought an earthquake or a hurricane, but instead, he made it difficult for them to talk. Communication is key. Second, and more importantly, you have to be pursuing godly objectives. If your business pursues money above all else, watch out that your tower doesn't fall. James reminds us to keep God at the center of our plans. Proverbs 16:3 explains that we should commit our plans to the Lord, who will make our paths straight. Perhaps even more to the point, unless the Lord is building your house (or business or nonprofit or church), the workers are laboring in vain (Psalm 127:1).