"Genesis and Other Things"

Lesson Nine - The Tower

Moderated by Bob Huddlestun

Read Genesis 11:1-9

    On the surface this little story explains in myth-like fashion the beginning of the multiplicity of languages. The descendants of Noah migrated eastward from Mount Ararat, in what is now eastern Turkey, to the plains of Babylon. There, in that large flat plain they would build a tower that reaches to the heavens. Some have concluded that this tower was a ziggurat, a temple-tower known to the area and used for the worship of local gods. Others believe it to be just a very tall structure which would serve as a rallying point for the inhabitants. Due to the flatness of the land such a tower could be seen for miles. "Stay within sight of the tower and be safe", appears to be the message. "Should trouble come rush to the tower and together we can repel any enemy. United we will become a great people." Since the people had no way of knowing what lay beyond the horizon such a plan seems reasonable, even wise. However . . . . 

    Though there is no recorded command after the flood to do so, it was obviously God's plan from the beginning that man spread out over the whole earth (Genesis 1:28). Noting man's unwillingness to do this he intervenes. He would simply "confuse their language so they will not understand each other" (verse 7). Now, with each clan or family speaking a different language, confusion and suspicion prevailed, and the people separated. 

The inability to communicate generally creates a problem. I have a close friend who worked for several years for a local company that had a large number of Hispanics on its payroll. It bothered my friend greatly when some of these men would gather in a group and talk in their mother tongue. It was especially troublesome to him when they would laugh, appear to be talking about him, and he not be able to understand a word. Suspicion - distrust - anger - confusion - embarrassment - all the natural result of not speaking the same language. 

    My own experiences with this problem have not been so painful. I recall a summer many years ago that I worked with a group of Christian young people in Migrant Ministries. The southwestern Michigan fruit belt hosts a large number of migrant workers every year. Families, mostly from southern Florida and Texas, travel north each year following the harvest, doing the hard work of picking the crop. They live in camps, generally a group of very small and sparse houses, provided by the owners of some of the larger farms. That summer Mexican nationals were still allowed to come into this country as temporary farm laborers and it was in one of their camps that I first ran into the problem. Having spent the early part of the evening playing softball with the young people we all finally gathered around for a preaching service. There were some in our group that were fluent in Spanish, they would handle the preaching part. My two years of High School Spanish had been long ago forgotten so I was relegated to leading the congregation in singing a few songs. We were well into a hearty version of Christo Mi Ama (loosely translated - Jesus Loves Me) when all the smaller children sitting on the ground right in front suddenly broke into hysterical laughter while pointing at me and saying something about the gringo. Eventually everyone laughed. I never did find out what I said. Oh well, such is life. 

    Another occasion - again several years ago. Diane and I flew out to Los Angeles to visit our son (Mom had to make sure he was living well). While there Mike took us on a whirlwind tour of the area. Included was a tour of The Queen Mary. We were amazed and amused at the number of Japanese tourists on board. Each carrying a camera they swept through the passageways in large groups. As we came around a corner we discovered a small Japanese boy, no more than three years old, all alone and crying. Obviously he had become separated from his mother and was very frightened. I did what I thought the proper thing to do. I bent down to him, reached out to comfort him, and told him that we would help him find his mother. I didn't consider what the child would think when a pale faced stranger came at him spouting gibberish. His reaction was to back up against the wall and scream all the louder. Fortunately a very few seconds later his mother came around the bulkhead to rescue him. If that would happen today I might be arrested for child abuse, or worse. 

It's easy to understand why God's plan worked so well. 

    I wonder, recognizing that all of these Bible stories are probably alluding to things to come, could there be a message here about denominationalism resulting from the inability of God's people to speak the same spiritual language? That's probably a stretch. Perhaps it's best to steer clear of that subject. 

    What's the most important lesson to be learned from this account of the Tower of Babel? Once again man demonstrated his unwillingness to trust God, preferring to trust in himself. This self-sufficient attitude, this notion that we know better than God what is best for us, continues to plague mankind. We proudly sing along with Frank, "I did it my way." We love clichés like "He pulled himself up by his own bootstraps" and "God helps those who help themselves." Self-sufficient, self-controlled, self-important, self-absorbed, self-serving, we seem to need our own personal towers; those things, or places, or attitudes that provide security. It's difficult to "Let go and let God" (Another cliché‚ that's easy to spout off, but hard to live by), but it seems to be what he wants and expects from us. What to do about it? Since it is such a common problem, a part of our nature in fact, carrying some great burden of guilt about it seems counterproductive. It would be easy to get caught up in a morass of self-loathing and self-pity that would make action difficult or impossible. Better - take some positive steps. 

    Jesus, speaking for his Father, has much to say on the subject. In Matthew six he tells us, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?" (verse 25).  Oh, the hours I spent agonizing over whether or not I could really afford to retire. The tower of questionable financial security my job provided was difficult to leave. Even after a lifetime of experiencing God's ability to provide, I worried. Jesus spoke directly to me when he said, "O you of little faith." His advice, "Seek first his (God's) kingdom and his righteousness," works! Getting involved in the Lord's work has many advantages. Among them, a realization that comes from helping others of just how blessed you really are, and further, many of the things that once seemed so critically important to life lose their glitter. (See also Matthew 19:16-26 and 25:31-46.) 

    For some the security tower is a few friends. They fear that a radical change in lifestyle like a deep involvement in the study of the scriptures, working in the church, or caring for the needy, will cause them to lose respect and honor among their friends. This can be true with family and other associations as well. Jesus said, "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). This doesn't necessarily mean you must turn your back on your friends. They can still have first place in your life - that first place right behind the Lord and his kingdom. Better than turning away from them, bring them along so you can all enjoy a fuller, happier life.   

Question: 

What towers are keeping you from trusting God completely with your life? 

Bob Huddlestun

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