Tower of Babel

Today’s readings 

Genesis 9-11; Mark 4

Genesis 11:4

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 perhaps one might think of this as fodder for a blockbuster movie! Tyrant oppresses people - people band together - tyrant disrupts plans...

Or perhaps one is reminded of gods from Greek mythology taking punitive measures on man. 

After all, isn’t this the same God who recently wiped out all land based life save 8 souls and the creatures in the ark?

Once again, we see the same pattern - when creation thinks he is better or knows better than the Creator, things ultimately go haywire. 

Here was a people thinking that we do not need God to go to heaven. We can do it ourselves! And we will not allow some god to wipe us off the face of the world again. The fact of the matter is that the true God does not act on whims and fancies (c.f. Mal 3:6; 1Sa 15:29) unlike man and the “gods” he creates. And most often neglected and forgotten is that the true God HAS the solutions! Just that oftentimes, man is too ignorant or shortsighted to see. 

Even today, it is the same. Even with general atheistic, paganistic world aside, even among the so-called “believers”,  we see the multiple ways man has invented for himself to be pleasing before God. The numerous avenues and variants that man has deemed sufficient to reach heaven. Even today, Towers of Babel are everywhere and abound. Why does God allow it? Because ultimately, they will still remain confounded. Until man fully submits to the will of God, he will remained confounded. Man’s work can be the greatest ever seen, man can feel the greatest and proudest of himself, but in the end, if it detracts from the Word of God, it will come to nought. 

Wherefore it remains for us to get off our own Towers of Babel and continue to seek after what God Wills, for that is the only way we can ever hope to attain our heavenly goal.