“Therefore the name of it is called Babel; because Jehovah confused the language of all the earth there. And from there Jehovah scattered then abroad the face of all the earth.” – Genesis 11:9 (MKJV)
Arrogance makes man think he’s invincible…but he really ain’t at all. According to what we read in Isaiah 40:6b-7, “Shout that the people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flower in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people.” Now before you go kicking yourself in the pants because I just repeated what “THUS SAITH THE LORD” know that “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) So, if you still feel the need to give yourself a good kick have at it, as for me and this Freedom Fighter we’ll be moving on to those three questions I was telling ya about last time.
The Tower of Babel was an ancient power game for people who felt the inner need to be Numbero Uno, BUT here’s the ultimate irony to that. They built the Tower so they wouldn’t be scattered but they ended up scattered anyway. Thus does God judge all human efforts that leave Him out. He brings down the high and mighty with a great big thud. Write over this story these words, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).
They’re building a Wawa just north of where I live and I know if everyone there started to speak with each other in the language of The Gibberish what would remain after they all walked away may start looking like Babel left unfinished. I mean, how would I know the price of gas without their sign? Where do I go for my seasonal Gobbler when its Thanksgiving time? Coffee? The PNC atm? My questions are becoming many, however maybe I should go over those three questions now.
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” – Proverbs 18:10
To what extent do I express the attitude of Babel? When I have started a project and then went, “Doing this will be makin’ a name for me-self!” Ya see, it wasn’t building a tower that got Nimrod and his ilk in trouble, it was the mentality they exhibited. Because they didn’t wanna be scattered all the place they crossed the line from healthy ambition to sinful pride. Why? “And He said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). YHVH never went and said, “I’ll stay in heaven and you can be the god of your own little world.” So, there’s that to consider.
The next thing to ask is in what areas have I experienced the judgement of Babel? As you can see for yourself after 42 seconds into your read of Genesis 11, God has to come down and confused the language of the people. God does this same thing to us today. You can do your best and try to push God away while you’re in tower building mode but God will bring it down because your foundation isn’t built upon The Rock. This brings me to question three.
Have I embraced the alternative to Babel? Last time I asked that you consider what is written in Mark 8:36-37. Now I will tell you it’s because of what Jesus says there that makes Him the only alternative to the Tower of Babel. What does it profit you to build a really big “est” of a tower only lose your soul in the process? Now you could be a real smarty pants here and say, “It’s only a soul. If I lose it, so what, it’s only a soul.” Yeah…good luck with that. You can live in a world of “What If I do this”, I’d rather live in a world that says, “When God Does This”.
Do we ever realize that when we aren’t involved in first seeking the Kingdom of God, we’re probably knee-deep into building our own kingdoms? It has been said that somewhere in the history of the London Daily Mail, it had asked their readers, “What is wrong with the world?” To which theologian, C. K. Chesterton quickly fired off his reply… “Dear Sir: I am.” ‘nough said.
At the end of the day the three questions we really should ask are:
Will the pleasure of sin compensate me for eternal pain?
Will any worldly gain compensate me for the loss of the soul?
What must I do to be saved?
Ya see, where the people went, “Come, let us build” Jesus says, “Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” Tower building is hard, resting in Jesus isn’t. Amen?
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a husband, a father, has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can e-mail him at cphughes515@verizon.net
Think About This: “Here is a word for frustrated tower-builders everywhere. If you are tired of your life and want something better, come to Jesus. All that hungry hearts seek is found in Him.” – Ray Pritchard
The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 14-16; John 9:24-41| You can download our 2022 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
