The list goes on. Hockey players sit in a penalty box by themselves for a couple minutes when they’re issued infractions, and convicted criminals sometimes get sentenced to solitary confinement. You might get “iced out” of a social situation/relationship and find yourself excluded from a gathering or friend group, which could be a form of punishment in a way. No matter what the reason may be, isolation often brings with it negative thoughts and feelings, but in most cases, its end goal is actually to bring about good. 

The use of isolation as a consequence can be seen in the Bible, too. Like most consequences, it was administered by God for the ultimate good of people. For example, after the flood, the only people left on earth were Noah and his family, who had been kept safe in the ark. As Noah’s descendants grew in number, they all spoke the same language, and they plotted together to build a tower that would reach to the heavens. They wanted to make a name for themselves! But God knew that if they accomplished too much, their independence and power might not bode well for them in the future. 

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. -Genesis 11:8-9

Later in Scripture, the Israelites were scattered because they rejected their covenant with the Lord. God had instructed them to worship and obey Him, and He’d warned that if they chose to worship idols and disobey His commands, things would not go well for them. 

The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. -Deuteronomy 4:27

Although isolation can serve a useful purpose, God’s ultimate desire for His people is not that we be scattered and isolated from one another. He doesn’t want us to live in separation and disunity. He created us to be in relationships—with Him and with other people. In fact, just a few verses after God warned the Israelites that He would scatter them in Deuteronomy 4, He reminded them that He would be ready to bring them back whenever they were ready to turn to Him. 

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. -Deuteronomy 4:29

Although God sometimes scattered people when they needed a “time out,” He ultimately wants His followers to be gathered together and living in unity and community. My heart feels all warm and cozy inside whenever I read verses in the Bible that talk about God gathering His people back together. We can interpret some of these passages through a double lens… They were often prophesying about when Israel would be returned from its exile, but we can also look ahead to the day Jesus returns and gathers His believers together once and for all. Do you have a few minutes to carefully read these verses? Don’t skim over them. Take in every single word! They speak beautifully to the heart of Jesus and His desire for us to live a life of togetherness. He doesn’t want us to be scattered and isolated, just trying to make due and figure things out on our own. He wants us gathered together, and that’s what He will do when He comes back to earth!

He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. -Isaiah 11:12

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. -Jeremiah 3:17

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again. -Ezekiel 11:17

I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head. -Micah 2:12-13

“At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord. -Zephaniah 3:20

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. -Matthew 24:31

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” -Revelation 7:9-10

Are you living more of a scattered lifestyle or a gathered lifestyle? Before Jesus ascended into Heaven after His death and resurrection, He instructed His disciples to go out into the world and make disciples and start churches so that we could learn about Him in community with fellow believers. If you’re watching church online every Sunday and studying the Bible on your own, that’s great, but that’s not God’s best for you! How can you challenge yourself to take an intentional step toward fellowship with other believers? Can you join a small group? or start a small group Bible study? or set up a lunch date with a sister in Christ? or get involved with something at your church? or organize a Christian book club? or go visit an elderly shut-in who can’t physically make it to church anymore? 

You can choose to step away from scattered… And take one step closer to gathered. Those verses from Revelation 7 paint such an incredible picture of believers of every kind gathered together around Jesus’ throne, singing to Him. I can’t wait until that day comes! But until it does, let’s seek a lifestyle of community, as a beautifully imperfect yet unified fellowship of believers. …a small sneak peek of the great gathering—from every corner of the earth—that will transpire when Jesus comes back to collect and assemble His own. How amazing it will feel to be gathered up into perfect fellowship with the entire church and with our Savior and Almighty God.