Tower of Babel

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In the time after Noah, the people were feeling pretty good about themselves. Everything was going well -- the population was growing, knowledge was increasing and God had promised not to destroy the world by water ever again.

At this time everyone spoke one language and they lived together despite God instruction to be fruitful and multiply to fill all the earth (Genesis 9:1). Little did they know, their world was about to turn upside down.

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Genesis 11:1-2 -- “At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.”

This plain in Babylon was in between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. It was extremely fertile and luscious land that no one wanted to leave. Instead of obeying God’s instructions, they rooted themselves in what seemed a paradise and began to grow flamboyant, indulgent and proud.

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Genesis 11:3-4 -- “They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

The tower they built was most likely a ziggurat. This was a common structure in Babylonia at the time, most often built as a temple or for astrological purposes (to study the stars.) It would have looked like a pyramid with steps or ramps leading up the sides. It could have reached at least 300 feet high and was probably just as wide. The tower would have been the focal point in the entire city.

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Though ziggurats were common temples the men building this monument were not focused on God, but on themselves. They wanted to show off their greatness, to build a tower that reached the sky, something for the whole world to see. The Tower of Babel would have been a great human achievement, no question a wonder of the world. However, it was a monument built to the people, not to God.

What monuments are you building in your life? In what ways are you calling attention to yourself and not to God? Do you overspend your budget to get the best clothes or house or car? Is your job only to better your name and establish a social status? Being successful is not a sin, but when we look to things to give us self-worth and identity they take over God’s place in our lives. Who are you building monument for? Yourself? Or God?

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Genesis 11:5-9 -- “But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.”

God does not sit idle when we try to replace him in our lives. God wants us all of us and He wants us to willingly love and rely only on Him.

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In the case of those who built the Tower of Babel, he scrambled their language causing them to scatter and fill the world as He originally intended. God is a mighty God and his will is unfaltering and immovable. When humans foul up his plan he makes a new one.

How far does God have to go to get your attention?

Who are you building monuments for?

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Jesus Covers Our Sins

Proverbs 15: 29 -- “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.”

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Our biggest problem on this world in sin. It is the root of all misery, discomfort and evil. Sin is what separates us from God. That is what drives loneliness, bitterness and depression. Those who live in sin are considered wicked by God. He cannot hear the prayers of the wicked because He is Holy -- absent of sin. Sin cannot touch God, so when we have sin in our lives neither can we.

However, God gave us hope! Jesus is our way to God. Jesus provides a filter or a bridge to allow us to touch God, even though as humans we are inevitably covered with Sin. When we go to Jesus, he covers us with His pure sacrificial blood and allows God to hear our prayers.

When we humble ourselves and reach out to Jesus, asking repentance for our sins, we become righteous. God can then hear our prayers and make us whole.

Dear Lord,
I am a sinner, but I come to you now humble at the feet of Jesus. Cover me with your blood so that I may be righteous and that God may hear my prayers.

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The Faithful Love of the Lord Never Ends

Lamentations 3:22 -- “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.”

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There are times when I read the news or look around my community and gasp at the evil of the world. It is during times like these when this verse gives me hope.

There will always be sin and sorrow in the world, but God is faithful and His love is never ending. Jesus conquered sin so it can never devour us because his light shines in us.

No matter what troubles we face, God willingly responds with help when we ask. God’s love and mercy are greater than any sin and he promises to always forgive.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for being faithful in your love and mercy. There is evil in the world, but there is also good -- and you are greater than any sin. Please forgive me of my sins and help me bring a light into the world.

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God's Word Stands Forever

Matthew 24:35 -- “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

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God’s Words are His promises for us. The Bible is full of His promises. Many in the Old Testament came true in the New Testament, which proves God is true to His Word.

The things of this world will disappear. The stuff will corrode, the people will die, the earth itself is only a temporary. However, God is Creator, he is above all things including his first creations, the heaven and the earth.

God will take care of us and he desires to have us with him in eternity. The materials of this world will disappear, but he promises that God gave us through His Word will never disappear -- they will stand forever.

Dear Lord,
I have faith in you and I trust in your Word. Thank you for loving me so and for the eternal promises you give us in your Word.

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Obadiah (Bible in 90 Days)

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Obadiah brings the ultimate family dispute, God loves all his children, especially the Israelites whom God promised Abraham would be a nation of God’s chosen people. Edom was located in the mountains in the southern kingdom with Judah. The Edomites were blood relatives to the Israelites and should have been first in line to help Israel out when they were in trouble. However, they often did the opposite. Edom gloated over Israel’s problems, captured fugitives to give to the enemy, participate in attacks against Israel and looted the countryside. The Edomites were prideful people, believing themselves invincible in their mountainous home.

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Obadiah brought a message that said otherwise. He rebuked them of their indifference to Israel, defiance of God, and their condemning pride. Obadiah declared that the Lord had enough and they were going to be destroyed.

“The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads.” Obadiah 1:15

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Very little is known about the man Obadiah, but his name means “servant (or worshiper) of the Lord.” The book Obadiah is the shortest in the Old Testament. It is thought to take place between the division of Israel into Northern and Southern region and Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah in 586 BC. The book is written in the poetic form of a dirge of doom.

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Today God’s people are his church. God’s protection of his people, who trust in him and gives their lives over to him through the salvation of Jesus Christ, is fierce and real. Obadiah provides an example of how far God will go to protect the people he loves.