Man Proposes, God Disposes Series

However, The Lord saw the evil of this vanity, idiocy and superficiality: “But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men 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.’” (vv 5-6)

God is not targeting architects, builders and contractors. He is not against extensive construction, but exclusive control; He does not oppose unity, but universality, the conception of a world system and the grandiosity of complete domination.

Man is not the master of the universe. God will show the way to those who would listen. Not long after the episode at Babel, just as Noah did, Abraham will build an altar to God and found the city which has God for its foundations, architect and builder (Heb 11:10).

Incivility to Others is Dangerous to One Another

7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 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. (Gen 11:7-9)

Can people get along with differences in language, land and lineage? (6:5-8)

C. H. Spurgeon said: “Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.” http://www.sermonillustrations.com/pride.htm

Californians who made their new home in Las Vegas, Phoenix or Seattle are often unwelcome and the butt of jokes in their new environment. A joke making its rounds in Seattle was reported in the Los Angeles Times (8/29/97).

A Texan, a Californian and a Seattleite are in a bar, and they ask for a bottle of tequila, a bottle of wine and a bottle of beer. The Texan throws a bottle of tequila into the air and shoots it with a pistol. He explains to the Californian and Seattleite, “Texas has plenty of tequila.” Next, the Californian throws a bottle of wine into the air and shoots it. He explains to the other two, “California has plenty of wine.” Finally, the Seattleite throws a bottle of beer into the air into the air, shoots the Californian and catches the beer bottle. He explains to the shocked and frightened Texan, “We have plenty of Californians, but I have to recycle the bottle.”

Today, the Wycliffe Bible Translators estimates there are about 6,170 languages in the world today. Mexico alone has 241; India 381; Indonesia 669; and Papua New Guinea 849 languages. The African continent alone has 1,918 different languages (Walk Thru the Bible 1/89 10).

In California alone, a study conducted in the new millennium revealed that more than 224 languages are spoken in the state. (Los Angeles Times 11/1/00)

The last “Come” was the reality of man’s lowliness and exposes his shallow understanding of brotherhood.

Do you know why the tower of Babel was incomplete? The builders scattered were not only scattered but, more importantly, they had no urge to merge again, now that they do not look like each other, act like the other and talk to one another. God exposed the hypocrisy, intolerance and guise of man. Their call for structure was a cover for supremacy.