The Blueprint of Babel

“Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens.”  Genesis 11:4

I really would like to have seen it—a tower whose base was strong enough to support a height that climbed to the clouds and whose sides were surrounded by a city big enough to contain all in the world. The plans were grand, the architecture impressive, and the materials limitless. 

Babel was built with bricks instead of stone because the abundance of sand and sun assured never-ending supplies.  One by one the bricks were fashioned.  One by one the bricks were fastened—held together by a mortar of tar and a motive of pride and preservation.  “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth”(Genesis 11:4).  The name of God was not enough.  The people wanted one of their own, and so they set out to leave a legacy by living for themselves. 

God came down to inspect.  He noticed the foundation was not Him but them, and since this did not meet code, He confused the speech of the laborers.  Unable to understand each other, they soon moved apart.  “From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth”(Genesis 11:9).

Babel was never completed.  No certificate of occupancy was ever issued.  The unfinished tower stood in the desert as a desolate monument to the grand plans of men minus God, and then it crumbled into ruin.

Its sad story stands as a divine reminder that each day we’re here on earth, we’re busy building, and depending on our materials and our motive, our work will either be temporary or eternal.  As C. T. Studd, a British athlete who walked away from sport to become a missionary, once penned, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

May we spend our moments not making a name for ourselves but making much of God’s.

 

WaterWorld

 “Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.”  Genesis 7:22

God hurt.  “His heart was filled with pain”(Genesis 6:6).  He hadn’t made a mistake, but humans had made a mess.  Less than two millennia after God created and commended, He doomed and destroyed.  “I will wipe mankind from the face of the earth for I am grieved that I have made them”(Genesis 6:6).

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord…so God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people…I am going to destroy both them and the earth.  So make yourself an ark’”(Genesis 6:8, 13-14).  Talk about a mid-life crisis!  Noah was only in his 500s. (His granddaddy Methuselah was in his 900s and still going strong.)  All three of Noah’s boys were out of the house and married, and he and the Mrs. were doing well and anticipating the years to come.

But then the call came to build a boat--a big one.  A 450’ x 75’ x 45’ triple-decker. Perfect for a 378 days/377 nights cruise for eight adults and a large party of animals.  (It only rained for 40 days and 40 nights, but drying out took much longer than the deluge.)  So for the next many years, Noah preached from his heart and pounded with his hammer, but no one repented.  When the rains came down and the floods came up, only his family was saved. 

The ark rocked in the waves and then rested on a mountain.  When the water receded, Noah emerged, and God made a covenant that a downpour would never again destroy all life.  A rainbow ringed the sky as a sign of God’s faithfulness, and He blessed the new beginning.

Even if the whole world thinks otherwise, walking with God is the only way to keep your head above water. He protects His children and keeps His promises. Rain or Shine.

The Crunch and The Cross

 “The Lord said, ‘What have you done?’”   Genesis 4:10

With one crunch it all came crashing down.  A wily serpent, a weak woman, and a wimpy man chose themselves above their God, and Paradise was lost.  They fell hard—and far.  The snake wiggled away in the dirt.  Eve writhed in pain as she gave birth.  Adam worked the ground which was now cursed.  And life as we know it began on earth.  The sun never shines on any place where the deceptiveness of sin is not a reality and where the labor required to bring forth life and make a living is not difficult. 

Adam’s first two sons example our dilemma.  Cain was unwilling to repent and return with a right sacrifice, and instead, he turned his wrath on his brother—not in a moment of passion but in premeditated malice.  Abel unsuspectingly followed Cain into the field and met his fate, and though the evidence was buried, God needed no exhibit to know the truth.  As fig leaves had failed to hide his parents’ fall, dirt did little to cover Cain’s crime.  Once again God came calling, and as before, not with an accusation but asking for an answer.  “Where is your brother?”  Like his dad, Cain had little to say but hell to pay.  The cycle had started, and so it continued.  “Adam, where are you?”  “Cain, what have you done?”  The questions still come as God still calls.  Like those before us, we have no good reply, but He has the grace-filled answer.  “For the sin of one man, Adam, caused death to rule over all. But even greater is God’s abundant grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.”(Romans 5:17).

One day, the wicked serpent will be wiped out for his head has been crushed by the heel of the Holy One. The pain of birth will be eclipsed by the joy of being born again, and the curse of the ground will cave as graves erupt with life incorruptible.

With one crunch, all was ruined, but with one cross, all was restored. 

 

Eve

“It is not good for man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him.”   Genesis 2:18

Something wasn’t right.  No matter where he looked, everyone had someone—the doe pranced beside the buck, the cow munched her lunch with the bull, and the tigress slinked slyly by the tiger.  Doves cooed together.  Swans swam together.  Squirrels scampered together.  But Adam was alone.

Something was missing, but he didn’t know what.  Perhaps a rest would set things right.

While Adam dozed, God designed.  He knew the “what” Adam needed was really a “who.”  “It is not good for man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him.”  A rib would be the perfect place to start since this helper would be by man’s side, close to his heart, and held in his arms.  So God extracted, and then He crafted.

She would be soft—and strong.  One who would nurture but who also had needs.  She would laugh with him and dance with him.  She would cheer in his victories and cry in his failures.  She would share and she would care.  She would help him.  She would hold him.  And together, they would be whole.

Adam awoke from his deep sleep but was sure he was still dreaming.  What exactly was this lovely creature coming his way?  God had brought each animal to Adam for him to name, but He had certainly saved the best till last! (At first Adam was speechless but finally managed to utter an astounded, “Wow, man!” – which, when shortened, became “woman.”:)

In truth, Adam had much to say, for the attraction was instant and the connection complete.  He exulted in God’s gift and said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she will be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man”(Genesis 2:23).  She had come from him.  She would be for him.  She would be with him. She was a perfect fit in every way.

He reached for her hand and gently clasped her fingers between his own.  A pair of eagles dipped their wings approvingly as they sailed overhead.  A duo of dolphins nudged each other knowingly, then dove into the deep.  And Adam and Eve walked around the garden—together.

Minus one bone. Plus one beauty. Small wonder guys think afternoon naps are divine!