Think About This: “Affliction comes to the believer not to make him sad, but sober; not to make him sorry, but wise.” – Henry Ward Beecher
The Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 35-36 You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
Posted on February 8, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters
“And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” —Genesis 11:4 (NKJV)
I never knew that there are around 5,687 languages spoken throughout the world, kinda makes ya wonder if there are around 5,687 countries in the world doesn’t it? Hmm…but for anyone who has traveled the globe much, you already know that language can be a barrier for anyone trying to get around to see the sights or finding that special some place to eat. Over time, I’ve gotten quite a bit handy with my Spanish as that helps me navigate my day-to-day responsibilities at work and before you comment, God has His own immigration policies that ain’t American, so don’t go there. Thank you.
While staying in Montréal Quebec, my rough usage and understanding of French helped me find the local “Couche Tard” (Night Owl) convenient store for some late-night snacks. “Cette poutine est-elle fraîche et acceptez-vous l’argent américain?” “Oui.” So, yeah they took my $20 bill, gave me change in Canadian currency (to the nickel) and my infra-red’d warm French fries smothered in some watery brown goo with some still very refrigerated cheese curds hit the trash can before I left the Night Owl. In all fairness to Poutine, I was warned ahead of time NOT to order it fast food style. C’est ça manger tard dans la nuit! Anyway…
So maybe someone shoulda warned Nimrod (who’s name I just found out means “Let us revolt”) before he went and laid the plans for building the Tower of Babel that ordering anything from his favorite Babylonian restaurant was gonna be a chore once The Holy Trinity of God found out his true intent for building a tower to reach the heavens. God knew that this wasn’t being made with Him in mind. Once they started making bricks outta hard-baked clay (which can symbolize fallen man in his rebellion) and mixing mortar out of a slimy goo known as asphalt, the God of universe took notice. In short, Nimrod was gonna build with materials that symbolized the intrinsic weakness and the intentional wickedness of his kingdom, but what the hey, he made a name for himself, didn’t he. However, who wants to be called “Nimrod” these days?
“And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” Genesis 11:6-7 (NKJV)
Ya know something, when it comes to language these days, you don’t have be saying something in the same tongue to be saying the same thing. Nothing would please the adversary more than having everyone saying the same thing in different tongues to achieve the same goal. In Nimrods time, that tower they were building was gonna have an altar on top and that altar wasn’t, in no way, shape, or form, being constructed to honor the Triune God in Heaven. But because they all spoke the same way of thinking to each other it made for fast building of something that was gonna be a flat-out abomination. So…nothing can shut down a building project faster than people’s inability to communicate. “Könntest du die Kelle bitte?” “Īe, Gojira ga doko ni iru ka wakarimasen.” Yeah, ain’t nuttin’ getting done today.
My guess here is that Nimrod had issues with being under the curse of Canaan and instead of seeing it from God’s perspective, he saw it from his, and then found others who agreed. Next thing ya know they’re elevating themselves above The Most-High God and what they did has given us a fine example of what happens when there’s “Idolatry of Self” gone deeply awry. When the language was one, the distain for the things of God was easy to convey but once that was no more what the people in Nimrods kingdom feared came to pass and those people were left to scatter…just like they were supposed to do from the moment the door of The Ark opened upon dry land. Tru dat!!
So, where’s your wisely focus on? Granted, Nimrod coulda changed his mind at any given time but since he was all about doin’ everything for Nimrod, there wasn’t any room for the God he had issues with. He couldn’t accept his circumstances as they were and he couldn’t acknowledge his position with God. So, he decided to elevate himself and since he found others who saw it the same way he did, they all did what they shouldn’t have done…no matter what language was spoken in the getting it done part. They found out real quick that their thoughts weren’t His thoughts and He wasn’t thinking build a tower…build a Temple? Hmm, anyway… here’s a good time for some Pauline wisdom… “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24) ‘Nough said, Amen?
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a child of El Elyon, a son, a husband, and a father. He has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy, 11/2003. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net.
Think About This: “Affliction comes to the believer not to make him sad, but sober; not to make him sorry, but wise.” – Henry Ward Beecher
The Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 35-36 You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 36:5