In the Christian faith, people often do things to make a name for themselves under the guise of doing them for God. Most of the time, they have convinced themselves that what they are doing is for Him. They may have started doing all for Him, but when praise comes to them, it makes them proud, and they take the credit. We have often seen in the media how humble preachers have become great in the eyes of the public, only to be ruined by it. Their ambition is more about them than it is about God. At this point, they have become their own God. They seek what they desire and pull scripture out of context to support their ambition. Satan knows our weaknesses, and he chisels away at us one compliment, one Ata boy at a time, until we think we are something special. This is where we become our own God.
In Genesis 11:1-11, we have an account of the Tower of Babel. At this time, everyone on earth spoke the same language. They decided to put their brain power together and build a tower into the heavens. Some had migrated eastward into Shinar. They were intelligent and were seeking their way, not God’s.
Genesis 11:1-2 “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.”
In verses 3-4, they are planning. Nowhere do we see them seeking God’s will for their desires. They wanted to make a name for themselves. They had heard the stories of how God had taken care of His people, but somehow they had devised a plan that left God out! They were not just building a skyscraper; they were building a monument to themselves, a show to future generations, and a reminder to the present of how intelligent they were.
Genesis 11:3-4 “And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
On the surface, it appears to be a group of people unified by a great cause. They were accomplishing something no one else had attempted, and they were together. I can almost hear them telling the patriarchs, “We are all in this together. We are unified.” They were seeking security in their structures and ingenious minds. But beneath the bricks and mortar lay a heart of rebellion. They were not doing this to the glory of God; nowhere do we see them praying about such an undertaking. They felt they had this covered and they did not need God not His approval.
I think it is humorous that they were building a tower to the heavens, but in verse 5, “The Lord came DOWN to see the tower.” Their pride and egos led them to believe they were connecting heaven and earth through a tower. It must have been humbling when God showed them they could not override His plan. They had been so proud and confident in their own abilities, and now they could not understand a word the others were saying.
Genesis 11:5-7 “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
While this was a bit humorous to me, God was not confusing their language just because he could. He was restraining them and scattering them across the known world because when we are unified in pride, we are headed for self-destruction. Proverbs 16:18 warns us of this truth, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” By confusing their language their communication was broken. This allowed them once again to see their need for depending on God.
Genesis 11:8-9 “So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”
So what can we learn from this fiasco? Are you building the tower of your life in your own strength? Have you prayed and sought God’s answers to the opportunities in your life? Are they leading you toward independence or more dependance on the Lord? Maybe you are experiencing failure. Could it be God’s mercy on you keeping you from getting involved in something that takes you away from Him. Have you become your own God, plotting and planning your life? Sometimes God has to interrupt the building of our lives to redirect our worship to Him.
