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A Lesson From Babylon
by Dr. Henderson Ward Sometimes we get so caught up with the minutiae of living that we do not bother to glance back, nor indeed to reflect backwards, because to us the past holds no relevance. True, the present is more demanding and vital to our existence, but the past can furnish us with a proper understanding of the pitfalls to be avoided, the techniques we used to garnish victories and the ups and downs that we endured that tested our fortitude. Remembering is to do with the past and it is for good reasons that in the Bible the word "remember" and its variants number 266 entries in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. For believers, it's vital to remember, because Christianity has an illustrious and thrilling history, that unfolds, majestically, into our present, and will roll forward to encompass all the blessed events still in the future. Our past is littered with the most awesome, outstanding individuals who have ever lived, and as we so well know, some such have laid the glorious foundation of the church. Where can you find the pantheon of prophetic giants, the prophets, the creme-de-la-creme of believers, the Apostles, the linchpin of the early church, the church fathers, and the superb, unbelievable life, ministry and mission of the incomparable Jesus Christ the Lord but in the past. Believers should look back to the past with relish, and with wonder that so much has been achieved by the followers of Jesus Christ, that Christianity has moved humanity forward so very well despite serious obstacles, and that the world today is a better place for human habitation. Science, education, and medicine have all been affected by the progressive and compassionate thrust of inspirational Christianity. Believers also need to look back, and not forget the important lessons of the past. Like the lessons we might learn from Babylon. Today when we speak of Babylon most people seem to associate that name with a place of immorality and exile, some use the word offensively to mean the police and others as a degenerate establishment, or, for that matter, any establishment that oppresses the poor and lowly and supports the things as they are. In our lesson from Babylon we have to go back to a time just after the flood, (Noah's flood occurred sometime between 2500 and 2300 BC), when the population that left the ark grew to great numbers and so had to expand to new areas to get food and land to survive. These people became concerned that in dispersing they would lose their identity, perhaps even their very existence, and so began the saga of the City and Tower of Babel as recorded here in Genesis 11: 1-9. "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." What is popularly known about the City and Tower of Babel, as recorded here in Genesis, is that once Noah's descendents settles in the fertile valley of Shinar, in present day Iraq, they commenced to build a city, called Babylon, and a tower called the Tower of Babel. Because of utter confusion the tower was never completed and the inhabitants dispersed across the globe to form what we have today; many nations and people and cultures. So what would motivate them to settle in one spot rather than spread out and utilise the whole earth? The answer is found in Genesis, and here is the verse: "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11: 4) As can be seen, there were three reasons why these people wanted to settle and build this city and tower: 1. To build a tower whose top may reach unto heaven 2. To make themselves a name 3. To establish roots in one place With regards to number 1, many people say that all that was meant was to build a tower of great height, probably to escape any future floods. This is not plausible for two reasons. First, if they were building high for fear of another devastating flood, then surely they would have built it on a high mountain not in the bottom of a fertile valley. Second, if their great fear was to provide refuge and security during a subsequent flood, then a tall slim tower was not the answer, except for a select few. Reason number two, to make a name for themselves, was about human pride and more to the point, the exclusion of God in their affairs. And reason number three, to establish roots in one place, was an act of blatant defiance to the wishes of Almighty God whose clear instruction to Adam and Eve was to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." (Genesis 1:28) However when we examine verse four very closely there seem to be a more important lesson waiting to emerge. As the saying goes there seem to be more in the mortar than the pestle. The subsequent history of Babylon and the Babylonians has shown us that we are wrong to interpret the tower of Babel so benignly, and should see it as what it really was. The Babylonians went on to build other cities and each city had at least one tower called a "ziggurat" which was built like a pyramid and the top was called the highway to heaven. What made these towers interesting was that at the top of each tower was a shrine to a false God, and some people think that the Babylonians worshipped many false gods, like Marduk, Apsu and Enlil. People often miss the fact that at some point in human history we departed from the norms and knowledge of God and created a plethora of false gods. It was these Babylonians that brought into the world paganism, something that dominated human spirituality until Roman Emperor Theodosius 1 issued his decree in 380 BC. Although Noah was a righteous man it was not long after his death (Noah live 350 years after the flood) that his offspring turned away from God and towards paganism, enshrined in the tower, and depraved human government, typified by the city that was built as a centre for government. They also created a pagan priesthood that was to be copied by subsequent empires for the Persians, Greeks and Romans all had their pagan priesthoods. The truth is, and this must surely be the overarching lesson of Babylon, that when we deviate from the path God has chosen for us then there is just one way that we can go; down into perdition. All that we are witnessing today; abortions, homosexuality and the whole LGBT agenda, pornography, incest, relentless violence, and such like are all Babylonian. Believers in these times of crushing evil should know that our refuge is not of man-made construction but from above, and the Bible points us unerringly to where we should go, "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) Enough said. Books by this author you may wish to read. THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book) Volume 1 Five tough facts to be faced http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX5NSI STAND UP TO THE DEVIL (e-book) Volume 1 You must first identify him http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BQVLSS BASTARD: A STORY OF REDEMPTION(e-book fiction) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OF3SD6 ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (Hard copy) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002X78D16 ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (e-book) http://tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-630-9 Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017 Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |