In Genesis chapter 11, the story is told of a people of like mind and common speech. They were a group of solidarity and uniformity, and their goal was to reach heaven and make a name for themselves. They believed in doing so, the world would be their kingdom and the sky, the limit. So they set out to build. I’m talking about the people of the Old Testament and the story of the Tower of Babel.
“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east, and they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick , and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime they had for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build a city and a Tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the Tower, which the children of men had built. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they all have one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth. Genesis 12: 1-9
So often our tower, the dream we envisioned, our aspirations, and noble pursuits end in ashes. It’s a common experience and one many can relate to. We set out to accomplish something only to realize, to perhaps our amazement, that God is not in it. That, in fact, his plan for us is entirely different, than our plan for ourselves. Our well laid plans come to naught, ashes, as it were, and we are left holding the pieces of a broken dream, what we imagined or hoped would be a reality.
This disconnect is so familiar. The disparity between what is desired and what will actually be is sometimes a shock, a reality check. Why is this so? Are we that far off from the Father’s thoughts, His goals? Sadly it seems, many times we are, because we don’t realize at the time just how far out we’ve drifted from who Jesus is. Like those who sought heaven and a name in this life, they sought what in their minds was good, only to find out it was the very thing that would be kept from them. The reasons for this we can only speculate, but if we search for the Lord, in His word, we may begin to find answers.
Who is Jesus? What is He really about? It might surprise us to truly come to grips with the truth that He is very unlike us, and His goals for us, very unlike our own. His plans are not at all what we would chose. He gives us a strong hint about who He is when He commands us to “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” in 1st John chapter 2. Jesus’ goals are different from ours oftentimes because his values are different. He does not love this world, the people in it, yes, but the things of this world, the pride of life, the lusts of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, these things Jesus does not love. In fact, he was a man of many sorrows, no reputation, and had no place to lay his head. When the disciples tried to make him King he resisted, he told them, ” my kingdom is not of this world”. Is it any wonder our goals and dreams don’t often line up with His. The Bible tells us “his thoughts are not our thoughts, nor his ways, our ways. They are much higher.
The builders of the Tower of Babel no doubt thought they were doing a good thing, an even godly thing, but in truth, their goals were afar off from those of the Father. He broke down their communication with one another, and scattered them abroad. In dependence on the Lord, they found their way out of this darkness, and discovered a better understanding of His will for them.
We may not be able to avoid the ashes of disappointment that come in this life, everyone experiences them at one time or another, but maybe in our disillusionment we can begin to take a deeper look at who Jesus is and discover for ourselves His true desires for us as we make our journey home to Him.
Sarah Hopkins Art 