Babel And Our Nation

Love of country is good, unless it excludes love of God. Love of country is good, unless it excludes love of non-citizen neighbors. The sin of self-centered national pride, of placing our name above others is the same attitude as existed at the tower of Babel. Such arrogant self-importance discredits any modern nation just as it did them. Let’s examine how the tower of Babel is still relevant today.

Making a Name

Unity can be a good thing unless a unified group uses its power to oppress others. Church unity is important, but even some morally weak Christians have used their power to murder and oppress dissenters in history. Look at how badly some Christians treated others in European history. Look at the atrocities committed by so-called Christian monarchs. Look at how some modern churches treat each other.

We’ve all heard attitudes like, “We are the best. We have the best country. We are the right denomination. Another world first by our scientists.” This was Babylon’s attitude.

“They said, ‘Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves so that we won’t be dispersed over all the earth.’ ” (Genesis 11:4 CEB)

Disobedience

Why were they worried about making a name for themselves? Was it because they wanted to be disobedient to God’s clear command to Noah?

“So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’ ” (Genesis 9:1 NKJV)

Did they think that by becoming famous for a tall tower they could stay together instead of filling the earth? Did Nimrod want power and so rallied people to support his vision which disobeyed God’s purpose? How similar is this to great swelling ideas proposed by modern politicians?

Preaching Lies

Making a name for ourselves is also a danger in the church. How many preachers want a big church, lots of money or fame? We see it frequently. Some preachers settle for a popular message and judiciously avoid the offensive words of the Bible which describe sin or suffering.

It’s tempting for preachers to heed the ancient plea of the people for comforting sermons that avoid our need to repent of sin. It’s tempting to emphasize heaven and ignore hell. Popular preferences include motivational speeches about health and wealth, or entertainment and physical experiences, or to ignore biblical morality and promote popular immorality, or to emphasize later traditions more than the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. People can’t cope with the truth. They prefer preachers who tickle their ears. They are a people,

“Who say to the seers, ‘You must not see visions’; And to the prophets, ‘You must not prophesy the truth to us. Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.’ ” (Isaiah 30:10 NASB)

Pride

These kinds of false and watered down messages bring about the same kind of pride exhibited at the tower of Babel. There is nothing new when it comes to attitudes.

What’s wrong with national or denominational pride? Pride of any kind causes evils such as treating others as lesser people. Why are would-be immigrants mistreated across the world? Why do Ulster Catholics and Protestants have a long history of violence? Why have weak Christians persecuted other Christians? Pride causes many evils.

“God opposes proud people, but he helps everyone who is humble.” (1 Peter 5:5b CEV)

Despots

Technological advancement is a mixed blessing because it also brings a greater capacity for evil. We often admire cities, yet they also isolate us from the beauty of creation in noisy, crime-ridden, concrete jungles. Despots like Nimrod assembled people in cities for protection and pride, but it also gave them more power.

“Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one [tyrant] in the earth.” (Genesis 10:8 WEB)

In context, this seems to imply that Nimrod was “one who magnifies himself, behaves proudly, a tyrant.”

Growth of Evil

The problem with a taste of power is that it easily leads to corruption. God knows this and so decided to put the brakes on human progress, because a simpler country life slows down the growth of evil and His plan was to populate the whole world.

“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.’ ” (Genesis 11:6 ESV)

Languages

What was God’s solution?

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.” (Genesis 11:7 KJV)

Losing the ability to communicate, they soon ceased building what may have been an iconic Mesopotamian ziggurat and they scattered. Just as before the flood, people were tending towards the lowest common denominator, sin. But, God had promised not to flood the whole world again. Instead, He scattered people into smaller linguistic groups. It only slowed down human depravity, but did not put a permanent stop to it as modern history shows.