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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Tuesday, 12 November 2024:
Genesis 11:4 — 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.”
The story of the tower of Babel describes the age-old pattern of destructive sin where people who reject the Sovereignty of God in their lives seek to glorify themselves and build for themselves worldly kingdoms rather than serving the LORD as part of the Kingdom of God. This spirit of humanism (sometimes couched in religious terms) is at the heart of global governments today, which all war against the will of God.
Ultimately, since the Fall, there has been only two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of man which rebels against the God’s Kingdom in futility. Everyone on earth will choose whether they will serve God in His Kingdom or self in the doomed kingdom of man. There is no third alternative or middle road. As Jesus said, no one can serve two masters. If you love the one, you hate the other.
- Psalm 2:1 — Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
- Psalm 9:17 — The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
- Psalm 9:19 — Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you!
- Psalm 9:20 — Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah
- Psalm 10:16 — The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.
- Psalm 18:49 — For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
- Psalm 22:28 — For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
- Psalm 33:10 — The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
- Psalm 33:12 — Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
- Psalm 47:8 — God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
- Psalm 59:8 — But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision.
- Psalm 72:11 — May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
In their self-centered ambition to “be like God (Genesis 3:4),” the people sought to use their shared language, values, and technology to essentially create their own heaven on earth. However, God in His great mercy thwarted their efforts because He knew that ‘nothing would be impossible for them,’ in other words, there would be no limit to the evil they would do. Without restraints in pursuit of godless objectives, mankind would have rapidly disintegrated into hell on earth. Today, technology and globalization offer mankind the opportunity to construct a virtual Tower of Babel and a global system which promises to solve the problems of our sinful, broken human condition. Some believe this one-world system is the “great city of Babylon” spoken of in Revelation.
We too can seek to build our own towers of Babel in our lives, seeking to make a name for ourselves rather than serving God as we were created to do. In His love, mercy, and grace, God will often thwart our construction of self-centered towers and will destroy our idols, though we might not see His disruptions and demolitions as acts of love. God would have nothing get in the way of your unity with Him. What are you building and why?
- Psalm 127:1 — Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
- Luke 6:47-49 — Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.
A good question to ask yourself regularly is “Why am I doing what I am doing?” Is what you are doing God-centered or self-centered? Remember, even religious activities or deeds of service can become self-centered when we seek (usually subtly or unconsciously) to glorify self rather than God or to achieve righteousness rather than humbly receiving righteousness through Christ alone and proclaiming the grace of God before others. Also remember that even though you may have committed to build an alter to the Lord (Genesis 8:20; Genesis 12:2) rather than a tower to self, you build one stone at a time, and the temptation always remains to turn the alter into a tower. Fidelity is sustained one decision at a time. Never forget: it’s not about you. God blesses us so we can glorify Him and be a blessing to others.
- John 14:13 — Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If your self-examination is honest, you will likely recognize that your motives are mixed – you are motivated in part to serve God and in part to serve self. Why? Because you are not yet perfected in love but rather are still growing into Christ-like character. Repent where needed, abide in God’s love and grace, and pray that God will continue to grow you in Christ-centeredness.
C. S. Lewis said, “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” Today’s readings of the story of the Tower of Babel reveal that education, technology, political stability, and economic prosperity cannot overcome the sinful condition of man. Rather, it only magnifies the problem as mankind becomes more capable in sin. In Genesis, God mercifully hinders mankind’s abilities in order to limit mankind’s capacity for evil. God does the same thing in the lives of individuals, mercifully holding them back from destroying themselves. Perhaps there are things you would love to have or to be that God has prevented for your own sake. Perhaps you are not ready for more opportunity because you are not yet ready to be faithful with more opportunity. There is a principle in the Bible that states that fidelity in small things brings trust in bigger things. This is true even in our spiritual development as the Bible says, “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) God gives us challenging relationships so we can learn to love Him, and it is the little, unseen acts of love we do for “insignificant” or hurtful people, which develops our character most, not the obvious acts of love seen by others for those who “deserve” our love. We often think big when God is trying to get us to think small. As someone once said, “Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to help mom do the dishes.” What we do in the small decisions today has a tremendous impact on what God puts in front of us tomorrow.
Genesis 11:10-11 — These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
In the ancestorial line listed in Genesis, the phrase, “…and had other sons and daughters.,” is repeated several times because the focus here is on those within the lineage who played key roles in God’s redemptive plan, which is going to be further revealed as we continue reading God’s word. A key figure introduced in today’s readings is Abram, and the Bible wants you to know that Abram was born into a specific family as part of God’s specific plan, though no one at the time could see God’s plan. You too were born into specific conditions for God’s specific purpose for you which you cannot currently see or understand.
Genesis 11:31 — Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
Note that the journey to the land of Canaan (Israel) first started with Terah, though we don’t know much about Terah or why he decided to leave Ur. He is mentioned in Genesis 11:26–27; Joshua 24:2; 1 Chronicles 1:17–27; and Luke 3:34–36. We do know the Terah “served other gods.” (Joshua 24:2). Again, God used Terah in ways and for reasons only God could understand, and it was only by God’s grace that Terah was used, not because of Terah’s merit. Also, as we will read, Terah doesn’t make it past Haran, but again, for reasons unexplained. Jesus commanded us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” a journey we must take, though we won’t arrive until Christ returns and brings us to Him. Just because you won’t arrive doesn’t mean you should settle down where you are because it is comfortable. Keep pressing forward like Abram (Abraham).
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 12 November 2024: Be faithful in the little, unseen, seemingly insignificant things today as an act of worship before the Lord and to build your character to Christlikeness. Love those who are hard to love or who cannot, or will not, love you back, knowing that when you love them, you are loving God and growing closer to Him and more like Him.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 