The Tower of Power (Advent 5, 2020)

So soon after the flood and humanity got a population movement going, what do we do? We get right back to sinning. We go right back to idolatry, making names for ourselves instead of glorifying the Name of God whom we should fear, especially after the flood. But there we go again, more concerned about our name than His.

Genesis 11:1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

STOP THE PRESSES!
Now, interrupting this Scripture for an important time out!
A one-world-movement was a problem then.
What makes us think a one-world-movement is okay now?
Look at what God thought of it.

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-4)

Time for Divine Intervention!

“But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Genesis 11:5-6)

Is God a bully? Knocking down people’s hard work?
Nope. It was Divine Intervention to save us from ourselves.

“The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel– because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. “(Genesis 11:7-9)

Questions for further thought:

Why does God say that with humanity working together, nothing they plan to do will be impossible?
In Whose Image is mankind made? What do people tend to do with what they create? Why would God find that to be a problem?
Was scattering only a temporary solution since people can learn languages?
What other obstacles happen with “tribalization”? Is it just language barriers?
Now think about unity. At Advent, we celebrate the birth of a Savior “for God so loved the world.” “But the angel said to them, ’Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11) How was God’s way of unifying the world superior? What is it based upon?

Lord Jesus we thank You for coming and reconciling all men to Yourself through Your shed blood on the Cross. We thank You for paying for the sins of all mankind. That You are so much more than divine compensation for our inadequacies or caulk to fill the gap that separates mankind from God.

Yet You require something important. You require faith and therefore the unification of all people… in Christ… would be based upon something solid, something true, something good, something noble, something lovely, something laudable…O, Lord that it would be based upon You! May our heart’s desire be to repent of our sins and to follow You.

We thank You that in heaven there are many nations, tribes, languages, and people, and that it brings glory to You by a diversity of people joined in one faith, one Lord, one baptism, one God over all! We praise You, Lord Jesus, for Your faithfulness! We praise You for laying aside what You had in heaven to enter into the human race as a baby born of the Virgin Mary, a Christ Child whom the angels proclaimed and the shepherds celebrated. As we approach Advent, make us mindful of the arrogance of man and how any hope of globalist, one-world thoughts of man should be repented and replaced by unity grounded and founded only in You. Amen.

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Last year’s Advent Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.