Readings for today: Genesis 11-13:4, Matthew 5:1-26, Psalms 5, Proverbs 1:24-28
"Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4)
It makes perfect sense. The children and grandchildren and other descendants of Noah walked off the ark into a strange, new world. A world that had radically changed. A world that must have seemed so foreign. Everything they once knew was gone. All the cities. All the towns. All the villages. All the fields. All the forests. Everything had died. Everything was ruined. It would now be their task to rebuild. To restore. To make the earth fruitful again. God had given them a clear command. Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth. That all sounds well and good until you’re actually faced with the prospect of hiking over the next hill into the unknown. Much easier to stay together. Much easier to stay comfortable. Much easier to stay safe.
Why build a tower that stretches to the heavens? Because no matter how far afield I go, I can look back and still see it standing in the distance. It becomes a sort of “North Star” for me, always leading me home. Always giving me a sense of safety and security. We don’t like being “off the map.” We don’t like being “off the grid.” We don’t like being in places that are unfamiliar. And yet, the call of God still remains. Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth.
What was the mistake of Noah’s descendants? Why did God bring judgment on them and confuse their languages? Two things. First, they wanted to make a name for themselves. This is the same mistake Adam and Eve made. It’s the same lie from the devil that we’ve been falling for ever since that first encounter in the Garden. We can be like God. We can do what is right in our own eyes. In our pride, we continue to reject God’s will and His ways and the result of our sin is always judgment. For God is eternally faithful and He will not allow our sin to stand. Second, they were directly disobeying God. He had clearly told them to fill the earth. They stayed together. They refused to scatter. They refused to bring restoration back to an earth ruined by the flood. And yet, this is what they were made for! This is what they were saved for! To be God’s agents of blessing as they exercised godly dominion over all He has made.
Think about your own life. How often do we choose safety and security over God? How often do we seek to make a name for ourselves rather than lift up the Name that is above every other name? Look at your calendars. Look at your budget. Look at your relationships. Are you fulfilling God’s mandate? Are you fruitful for the Lord? Are you multiplying yourself by sharing the good news and bringing others to Christ? Are you filling the earth with God’s blessing as you give and serve in His Name? Or are you spending your money and your time and your energy on yourself? Your family? Your children? Those you love? Those who speak your language? Those with whom you are most comfortable? God has called you to more than this. God has a greater plan for your life than safety and security. God wants you to be part of His great renewal project! He wants you to be part of His great redemption plan! His design is for you to place all your resources. All your time. All your energy at His disposal for the salvation of the world. Does that include your family and friends? Of course. Is it limited to your family and friends? Of course not.
God’s Word to you today is this...break out of your holy huddle! Give generously of your time, energy, attention, and wealth for the building up of God’s Kingdom! Be fruitful! Multiply! Fill the earth!
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 13:5-15:21, Matthew 5:27-48, Psalms 6, Proverbs 1:29-33