The Tower of Pride

As I was taking part in my own challenge this morning, I was reading the story of the Tower of Babel, found in Genesis 11.  The lens I was using consisted of two questions: “What does this show me about God’s justice?” and “What does this show me about God’s love?” 

For some reason I had it in my mind that the people were building the tower so they could reach God, which I suppose I deducted from verse 4, “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.’” 

Something different stuck out to me when I was reading this verse though: “…let us make a name for ourselves…”  The people were operating out of pride. 

What I’ve always more-or-less viewed as a punishment, I began to see as God’s grace.  Of course, it would be a whole lot easier to talk about Jesus if the language barrier wasn’t such a booger – forgive my terminology. 

God did not allow people the gift of communication (in the same manner) to protect them from themselves.  Verses 5-7 state, “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.’”  Because God caused them to speak different languages and disperse upon the earth, their tendency to run to sin was perhaps hindered. 

I’m not a theologian, and there is probably something I’m missing.  It does seem to me though that God’s love is one of the primary factors in this event.  God removed the simplicity so it was not as easy to become puffed up.  I can attest that language learning is humbling.  It’s especially in those moments, three hours later, when you realize you completely butchered a common phrase.  Such is life.

 

This is a good reminder that the Lord is our strength, He is where we are to find our identity, and we don’t have everything figured out – even when we think we do.  God is the only one who is able to truthfully make that claim.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).