Tuesday, May 22, 2018
At one time
all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they
found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began saying to each other, “Let’s make
bricks and harden them with fire.” (In
this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great
city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from
being scattered all over the world.” But
the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and
they all speak the same language. After
this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people
with different languages. Then they
won’t be able to understand each other.”
In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped
building the city. That is why the city
was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with
different languages. In this way he
scattered them all over the world. Genesis 11:1-9(NLT)
I despise having
to admit that the easiest way to get me to do anything is to tell me I can’t do
it. But, human nature being what it is,
and I, being a card-carrying human person, how could I deny that nature? I want to be in control of my decisions.
It was no
different for the early Babylonians.
They wanted to make a name for themselves, so they began to build their
empire, strengthening their hold on that region. They were digging-in for the long haul. But twice before God had laid out his plans
for humankind to spread-out over the whole earth.[2] King Nimrod and the Babylonians had different
ideas. They were out to consolidate
their holdings in a Nimrod Tower; they forgot Who was in charge.
The Babylonians,
under Nimrod’s leadership had forgotten (as we all do at times) that they were
the creatures, not the Creator. If
you’re designed to cooperate with God, but your mind is settled on what you
want to do, you’ve got a problem!
With words God had
brought complex order to the chaos of an unformed universe, creating every
species of plants, animals, natural habitats and laws; then God formed his
jewel to crown the lot – humans. Just a
few generations later those humans exhibited the temperment of a spoiled three
year-old refusing to obey God’s command to spread out and replenish the earth: but I don’t wanna!
So God did what
God does – He took down their Legos™ tower.
With words God had
brought order to chaos in the universe; when humans rejected God’s words, God responded
by bringing confusion to their words.
Unable to communicate, the people had no choice, but to scatter and move
out.
One way or the
other – through cooperation or conscription, God’s created order will
correspond with God’s will. That
equation will always balance. Free will
means God has given us a gift to correspond with His design; those (like
Nimrod) who attempt to challenge God with impugnity, imposing their will over
His, eventually find out their tower is nothing but a house of cards.
For You Today
It’s a good thing
to check on your progress regularly. We
need to remember what building projects are going to last, and what projects
are wood, hay and stubble, to eventually be consumed in the fire of judgment.
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