Q: Conflicts across our world are driven by tribalism, which people the world over have embraced as a protective and defensive survival mechanism in a world of self-interested, threatening and hostile tribes. As long as people embrace and practice tribalism, there will be no peace. Will mankind ever change? Will we ever master our human weaknesses? I believe it is possible, but it won’t be done voluntarily. There has to be some force that compels us to give priority to the greater good, or perhaps the will of God.
A: Thanks for these ‘deep’ questions and your perspective on conflicts across our world. No objective observer of history and current affairs can deny the role of tribalism in human affairs, especially in conflicts. The Bible speaks voluminously, not only on this issue, but also on The Lord’s personally proclaimed role in many forms of human conflicts as a mean to accomplish His high, strategic objectives: 1
Thus says The Lord (Who is Jesus): “Let not the wise man glory (exhibit pride) in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am The Lord, exercising (#1) lovingkindness (merciful grace), (#2) judgment (justice), and (#3) righteousness (what He calls right) in the Earth. For in these I delight,” says The Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Accordingly, He cautions us against doing what we, in our secular minds, largely do:
Woe to those who …do not regard the work of The Lord,
nor consider the operation of His hands. (Isaiah 5:11-12)
In that regard, a brief review of His role is in order, with a focus on tribalism. After the global inundation, God Himself, at the Tower of Babel, divided our then singular language. (Genesis 11:1-9) He did this as a means to facilitate His on-going command and desire for humans to spread out and fill the Earth. (Genesis 1:22, 29, 9:28) In doing so, He created divisions that separated us by languages. As a result, people eventually segregated by cultures and sub-cultures, which you refer to as tribes, and subsequently by geography. Such divisions continued as populations grew. Economic and political cultures/sub-cultures exploded as natural resource constraints manifested within populations that grew exponentially. Divisive, untoward spiritual forces added to this mix, and things quickly got ...ugly.
Your answer to your questions is spot on. Human nature’s proclivity to prideful, selfishness and tribalism ensures we will not change without ‘some force that compels us to give priority to the greater good, or perhaps the will of God.’ That unseen force, my Friend, is The Hand of The Lord about which Isaiah speaks. The concept of ‘greater good’ you mention begs the question, ‘Good from whose perspective?’ Jesus, Himself, gave us the obvious answer:
“Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. (Luke 18:19)
Given human nature, we (individuals, families, tribes, societies, nations) are not inclined to concur with His views of our greater good, especially when we personally, or our group is on the short-end of His handiworks, or is being judged according to His justice criteria, not ours. Thus, the force you speak of will likely trigger …more or deeper conflicts! What a conundrum.
This force will be sporadically manifested during the pending 7-years of global tribulation (just judgments, #2 of His strategic objectives). It will be continually manifested during the ensuing Millennial Reign of Jesus as global King. The Bible promises that, for a thousand years, He, along with His true, resurrected saints from across the ages, will exercise ‘iron rod’ authority (force), and will thus ensure (force!) righteousness (#3 of His strategic objectives) over all the Earth. During this specific time period, The Lord promises to reverse both the presence and effects of the sin curse that is upon mankind and the Earth, including His seed that triggered lingual divisiveness:
“Therefore wait for Me,” says The Lord, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the Earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy. For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on The Name of The Lord, to serve Him with one accord. (Zephaniah 3:8-9)
The sheer extent of His promised transformations are breath-taking, and some might say unbelievable. Nevertheless, He is The Lord, through Whom The Spirit of God created ALL things (Hebrews 1:2,8, John 1:3, Ephesians 3:9), and Whom God Himself, calls ‘God’! Absolutely nothing is impossible to Him. His plans only become clear when The Bible is:
(a) read as one book with 66 chapters, written/compiled by One Mind – The Mind of Christ, rather than 66 separate books, written by mere men; and
(b) understood with a multi-millennial, strategic mindset, not our typical religious mindsets. 2
Alas, the transformations will be time-limited. At the end of the thousand years, devils (who will have been locked away) will again be released ‘for a short time’, and mankind’s sinful nature will once again be allowed to rule the Earth until the predicted, final conflict – the second War of Gog and Magog. 3
End note: With three distinct groups of humans on Earth during the Millennial Reign (immortal saints as rulers under Christ’s authority, and 2 groups of mortal survivors of the tribulation (Gentiles across the world and Jews then in Israel, both of whom will likely repopulate Earth), and with each treated differently, I wonder whether this might be perceived as yet another basis for types of …tribalism, discrimination and apartheid? (For more Bible-based insights on this controversial topic, please see: The 4th DOA (Poem, Part 5, as well as other posts in this blog that mention the words, mortal, immortal, and iron rod.)
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1 See: What’s Going On (…Inside)
2 Expounding what The Bible predicts regarding The Millennial Reign of Jesus and His true saints is the major emphasis throughout this blog. It also includes some thought-provoking speculation based on iterative patterns, practices and hints throughout The Bible. For example, my favorite speculation is a plausible, Bible-based version of Jesus’ first, global press conference. See: Tribulation Age Journalists (Series)
3 The Armageddon war will be between the first and the second Wars of Gog and Magog. See: Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel.
