On Sunday morning we considered the account of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. We saw sinful human pride on display – sadly something which affects all of us. The people directly rebelled against God’s command and instead looked to make themselves secure apart from God by building a city. They built a tower and wanted to worship in their way and not how God had defined. They wanted a name for themselves rather than seek God’s glory and honour.
Yet, the central statement in this account is found in Genesis 11v5:
‘But the LORD came down‘
God is not distant and disinterested in this world. God intervenes in this world and brings about his purposes. The triune God came down in judgment against sin. Sinful human pride results in God’s just judgment, the people are scattered over the face of the earth, fulfilling God’s purposes and different languages are born.
As we reach the New Testament, we see God coming down again in the person of Jesus. As Jesus comes, he reverses the effects of sin through his life, death and resurrection. He died taking the punishment for all our pride and rebellion against God. As the apostles preach to the crowds in Jerusalem of Jesus’ death and resurrection in Acts 2, we read:
‘each one heard them speaking in his own language‘
What a great reversal of Babel!
As we think about our own lives, they are so full of pride. We want our security apart from God and look to things this world can offer. We want to approach God in our own way and decide what we want to believe about him. We want a name for ourselves rather than God’s glory. We need God to graciously intervene in our lives.
James Howlett