I decided last week to take a closer look at the Tower of Babel. I'm not real sure why, I just started looking through Bible stories and the Lord seemed to lead me to this one so here is what I took from my reading of it in Genesis 11:1-9.
After the Great Flood, God commanded the people of earth to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1). But as the people began doing so, they had a change of plans. As they were traveling out, they realized they were happy with the lives they were living and where they were. So they decided to build a great city there and a tower that could reach to heaven. They wanted to make a name for themselves by building such a might tower, and wanted to keep their people together in the city so they wouldn't be sent all over the world. While the city and tower were being built, God came down to see what the people had accomplished. But God could see the people's hearts, and he know that their tower to heaven would actually lead them away from him instead of closer. He also noticed how strong the people were as a group when unified for a common purpose. Seeing this, and realizing their sin was pulling them away from him, he confused their languages so they would no longer be able to understand each other. By doing this, God threw a wrench in their plans for the mighty tower and scattered the people of the city.
In V2, we see that the people actually started out following God's instructions as they "migrated from the east." But they began to slip up once they reached the plain of Shinar and saw how pleasant of a place it was to live. Their personal desires began to take over and they decided to settle there. This was their first step away from God's will and it continues through Vs3-4. The people said, "Let us make bricks...build ourselves a city and a tower, make a name for ourselves." It started being about them. They wanted to build the city and tower as a monument to their abilities and to demonstrate their power to the world. The construction of the tower was not a single act of disobedience to God, it was the result of their prideful decisions which had led them out of God's will. They even chose to cook their own man-made bricks to build with instead of using God-made stone which was available. When we build something with our lives, are we using our personal materials to build with? Or are we using the spiritual gifts and talents that God has blessed us with? Often times, I try to do things in my own strength or perseverance until I feel I can't make it. And then I decide to go to God and ask for his provision. Man it'd be a lot simpler if I would just do that first!
On down in V4, we see that the people wanted their tower "with its top in the heavens." They were not intending for their tower to give them direct access to God, but they did want the tower to be as high as possible as a shrine to their building abilities. Their motivation for building the tower was to glorify themselves, thereby stealing the glory from God. What towers are we building in our lives? And keep in mind, towers aren't inherently a bad thing, our motivation for the tower may be wrong which makes it wrong. We may be building our body, a legacy, a career, or a business which may have a noble purpose. But what makes the task noble, is the desire behind it. Eric Thomas often asks the question, "What's your why?" In building our tower, whatever it may be, are we doing it to glorify ourselves, or to glorify God?
In V5 the Lord comes down to see the tower the people have built. This thing was apparently pretty impressive because God says in V6, "This is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing they propose to do will now be impossible for them." The people had been united and built such a magnificent tower that the Lord saw their potential strength in unity. He noticed that this strength would allow the people to accomplish great tasks, both for good and evil. Look at what these people were able to accomplish outside of God's will while they were unified. What could our church today accomplish through this kind of unity in God's will?
In V7, the Lord subtly reminds us and further affirms the truth of the trinity as he says, "Let us go" when talking about confusing the languages of the people so they would no longer be able to communicate with each other. The people made the choice to settle, to live outside the will of God for their lives. God dealt with their sin by confusing their languages and dispersing them throughout the earth, and he will one day deal with ours as well. He forced them to split up into smaller ethnic family groups where their own language would be understood.
Are we settling to live in sin today? Just because the government says something is okay or politicians like to talk about something, does that make it okay by our worldly standards? Are we comfortable where we are setting up our own cities and towers? Or are we willing to go wherever God calls us to go? Doing great things is good, but be sure God is the one getting the glory from it.
After the Great Flood, God commanded the people of earth to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1). But as the people began doing so, they had a change of plans. As they were traveling out, they realized they were happy with the lives they were living and where they were. So they decided to build a great city there and a tower that could reach to heaven. They wanted to make a name for themselves by building such a might tower, and wanted to keep their people together in the city so they wouldn't be sent all over the world. While the city and tower were being built, God came down to see what the people had accomplished. But God could see the people's hearts, and he know that their tower to heaven would actually lead them away from him instead of closer. He also noticed how strong the people were as a group when unified for a common purpose. Seeing this, and realizing their sin was pulling them away from him, he confused their languages so they would no longer be able to understand each other. By doing this, God threw a wrench in their plans for the mighty tower and scattered the people of the city.
In V2, we see that the people actually started out following God's instructions as they "migrated from the east." But they began to slip up once they reached the plain of Shinar and saw how pleasant of a place it was to live. Their personal desires began to take over and they decided to settle there. This was their first step away from God's will and it continues through Vs3-4. The people said, "Let us make bricks...build ourselves a city and a tower, make a name for ourselves." It started being about them. They wanted to build the city and tower as a monument to their abilities and to demonstrate their power to the world. The construction of the tower was not a single act of disobedience to God, it was the result of their prideful decisions which had led them out of God's will. They even chose to cook their own man-made bricks to build with instead of using God-made stone which was available. When we build something with our lives, are we using our personal materials to build with? Or are we using the spiritual gifts and talents that God has blessed us with? Often times, I try to do things in my own strength or perseverance until I feel I can't make it. And then I decide to go to God and ask for his provision. Man it'd be a lot simpler if I would just do that first!
On down in V4, we see that the people wanted their tower "with its top in the heavens." They were not intending for their tower to give them direct access to God, but they did want the tower to be as high as possible as a shrine to their building abilities. Their motivation for building the tower was to glorify themselves, thereby stealing the glory from God. What towers are we building in our lives? And keep in mind, towers aren't inherently a bad thing, our motivation for the tower may be wrong which makes it wrong. We may be building our body, a legacy, a career, or a business which may have a noble purpose. But what makes the task noble, is the desire behind it. Eric Thomas often asks the question, "What's your why?" In building our tower, whatever it may be, are we doing it to glorify ourselves, or to glorify God?
In V5 the Lord comes down to see the tower the people have built. This thing was apparently pretty impressive because God says in V6, "This is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing they propose to do will now be impossible for them." The people had been united and built such a magnificent tower that the Lord saw their potential strength in unity. He noticed that this strength would allow the people to accomplish great tasks, both for good and evil. Look at what these people were able to accomplish outside of God's will while they were unified. What could our church today accomplish through this kind of unity in God's will?
In V7, the Lord subtly reminds us and further affirms the truth of the trinity as he says, "Let us go" when talking about confusing the languages of the people so they would no longer be able to communicate with each other. The people made the choice to settle, to live outside the will of God for their lives. God dealt with their sin by confusing their languages and dispersing them throughout the earth, and he will one day deal with ours as well. He forced them to split up into smaller ethnic family groups where their own language would be understood.
Are we settling to live in sin today? Just because the government says something is okay or politicians like to talk about something, does that make it okay by our worldly standards? Are we comfortable where we are setting up our own cities and towers? Or are we willing to go wherever God calls us to go? Doing great things is good, but be sure God is the one getting the glory from it.
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