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Then they said, "Come let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves " A mass migrationAt a remote period when all men spoke the same language — modern studies confirm that it was indeed once so — we are told that "men moved eastward", where they "found a plain in Shinar and settled there" (Genesis 11:2). This was a mass migration of mankind from the area where they had all once been concentrated. The plain of Shinar or ancient Mesopotamia — "Messpot" to World War I veterans — with its rich alluvial soil bordered by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, proved irresistibly attractive.An ambitious program of constructionOur text tells us that — using bricks in the absence of stone to quarry — they embarked upon a very ambitious programme of construction: they began to construct a walled city with a tower of dizzying height as its most notable feature. This tower evidently had a religious purpose. Some variant texts suggest that it was dedicated to deities thought to inhabit the heavens. It was almost certainly what archaeologists and historians call a ziggurat — a step pyramid whose holiest of holies was the smallest and top most storey. Its appearance would have been something like similar surviving ancient structures in Egypt and South America.Divine Condemnation: Bab-el becomes BabelBab-el, from which the later form Babylon is derived, originally meant "gate of God" or even "gate to God". This does tend to confirm the religious function of the tower that they were building. The grandiose plans, however, came to nothing: God was so angry with them that He "scattered them from there all over the earth" and "confused their language" (vv. 7-9).Now you might well ask why God was so angry with them. After all, isn't building a city and a "church" a very commendable thing to do? The key phrase is to be found in verse 4: they wanted, above all, to "make a name for themselves". It was the very mother and father of an ancient ego trip! That is what provoked such divine anger and such drastic action. What they thought was the gate to God became a place synonymous with scattering and confusion. In short, Bab-el became Babel. An uncomfortable applicationIn interpreting scripture correctly context is nearly always crucial, and on one level this dramatic narrative does apply to all human effort and aspiration. But if one thinks through the implications of the overall context of the story, one is forced to conclude that the narrative has a particular relevance to the people of God and thus to the contemporary charismatic scene. Let me explain what I mean.Firstly, these migratory peoples were direct descendants of Noah and his offspring. They should therefore have retained some memory and knowledge of the flood and of the One True God. Yet, in their raising of a temple to the skies — and probably dedicated to strange gods — they had turned their back on their history and their ancestral Lord. In fact, if you look at the story carefully, there is absolutely no reference whatsoever to their consulting God at any point. They migrated without reference to God's plans for them; similarly they built both city and shrine regardless of the divine will and purpose. Biblical standards: truth and lifestylePentecostal people have a lively sense of just how "good is the God we adore". He has, indeed, done great things. And we have a history and a pedigree that stretches all the way from Acts 2 through the Reformation and the Wesleyan Revival right down to the present time.
But, like the would-be builders of the Tower of Babel, we seem to have forgotten or turned our backs on our history and our pedigree in that the concept of the primacy of the bible — even though it is firmly ensconced in our fundamentals or statements of faith — seems to have been virtually abandoned. Many pastors don't ask themselves "Is it true?" or "Is it biblical?" No, what seems to matter is simply "Does it work?" or "Will it pull in the crowds?" It is precisely the same in matters of morality and lifestyle. Like those who settled on the plain of Shinar — a plain symbolises ease and comfort — we have become very lax and the lifestyle of many a believer is only marginally different from any other Tom, Dick or Harriet. In matters of church discipline this is very much the case. An unruly member disciplined in one church or fellowship is welcomed with open arms and no questions asked in another church down the road. An evangelical vicar who recently sacked his organist because he had left his wife and gone to live with another woman was urged by his bishop to be more charitable towards them! Wandering starsWhat really angered the Lord, as we have said, was that those ancient builders wanted to make a name for themselves. And today we are plagued — that's not too strong a word — with charismatic big names who love to have their names up in lights, who make extravagant claims and who build organisations and "ministries" quite as grandiose as the Tower of Babel. Of some of the so-called "prosperity" preachers David Wilkerson recently said, "If they had been in business they would have been in jail by now for making promises they couldn't possibly deliver"!The sad thing is that these "wandering stars" con gullible and sincere believers and siphon off millions that should go into local churches and bona fide causes. Churches struggle financially in some cases because tithes and gifts are sent to big-shot, self-styled prophets and teachers who are accountable to no-one. Faced, in the early second century, with teachers claiming to have a higher revelation and a deeper knowledge of the truth (doesn't that sound familiar?), Ignatius of Antioch urged Christians to "Listen to your bishop for he is the pillar of truth!" Leadership, especially at executive level, should call a halt and not "go with the flow". Like John in I John 4:1ff the responsible leader should denounce those who peddle an alien gospel and who delude the saints. Divine Displeasure: gold fillings and empty headsDivine judgement put a swift end to the grandiose schemes of those ancient builders. And God's displeasure with His contemporary worshippers — or some of them — has come in a most unusual and bizarre fashion. Because God's Word has effectively been set aside in some circles, He has given them over to gruntings and groanings, uncontrolled laughter, animal-like behaviour and the quest for gold fillings. Incredibly, such phenomena have been described as signs of the moving of the Holy Spirit by the shameless and audacious exponents and practitioners of such monstrosities. That such a virtually blasphemous attribution can be made is a sure sign of the terrible confusion that now reigns — a confusion typified in the babel of tongues in ancient Shinar.True Foundations: true role modelsEarlier we spoke of the importance of context. If we look at what immediately follows the sorry story of the Tower of Babel we find the early events in the life of Abraham. What a contrast! The presumptuous descendants of Noah and his sons migrated out of sheer whim; but Abram (Abraham) left his homeland and kindred as a result of a clear divine call. They wanted to make a name for themselves; but God said to Abram, "I will bless you and make your name great" (Genesis 12:2, NASV). They built a city that they hoped would bring them safety and security and also assure them of a place in history. Their efforts, as we have seen, ended in failure and confusion. Abraham "looked for a city with foundations whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10) and in consequence has a sure place in history and in eternity!But there is a greater One than Abraham. Jesus Christ, co-occupant of the divine throne from all eternity, having divested himself of that glory and dignity in order to die on the cross for our salvation, has now been given "a name that is above all names" (Philippians 2:9). Nor is this simply an abstract christological truth. No, Christ is the supreme pattern and role-model for all Christians, as Paul clearly teaches in that same passage in Philippians: "Let Christ Himself be the example of what your attitude should be" (Philippians 2:5, JBP). If we build out of vanity we shall miserably fail; if out of genuine, Christ-like humility and a desire to obey God, we cannot but succeed!
PRAYER:Heavenly Father, we confess we have sometimes moved and sometimes presumed without reference to You and to what You desire for us and with more regard for our own glory than yours. Forgive us and, by Your Spirit, help us to be like Abraham and, more especially, like your Son who, through self-emptying and total obedience, has laid the foundations of an invincible city and kingdom. In His Name we ask it and for Your glory. Amen.David Allen About the Author... [ TOP ] Appeared in Issue 12 September 2000 |
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