Pentecost Day May 27, 2007

“The LORD Intervenes in Grace”

Genesis 11:1-9

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 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 and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

There are over 5,000 languages in the world. That is not a surprise, especially when you live in a large city like Houston. Walk into any grocery store, any post office, any hospital, or even just walk down most streets and your ears will notice that you don’t understand what others are saying. You will hear people around you speaking a language different than yours. Spanish, German, Mandarin, Russian, French, Portuguese…who knows?

It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when every person in the whole world spoke only one language. After the Flood, the only people around were Noah and his seven relatives - and there was one common language. So what changed? How did the world evolve from one language to more than 5,000 during the past 5,000 years? Some call the wide variety of languages “a monument to the cleverness of the human mind.” But more accurately, the wide variety of languages is “a monument to the rebellion of the human heart.” We’ll see today that the different languages in the world dates back to a day when human beings declared, “Glory to man in the highest!” It is only because of God’s gracious intervention that the rebellion wasn’t any worse. Listen as I read the account of man’s rebellion and God’s intervention, the account of the Tower of Babel. First we’ll listen to man’s rebellion. (read v.1-4)

The rebellion may not be easily apparent. You might think, “Those people just wanted to build a tower… what’s the big deal? What’s wrong with that?” The problem wasn’t what they were building as much as why they were building it. God had clearly revealed his plan for people after the Flood. He commanded, “Fill the earth!” That was a loving plan, and God wanted to bless them through it. So Noah’s descendants started to fill the earth, but as they moved they found a plain in Shinar. This flat and well-watered plain caught their eye, especially before the days of bulldozers and irrigation. In answer to God’s command, “Fill the earth!” they all said, “Why should we?” They parked it right there.

There was nothing temporary about this arrangement. “Let us build a city” they declared. Their construction materials are significant – instead of the normal sun-dried stone or clay, they decided to turn up the heat and double-fire the bricks to make them last as long as possible. Instead of the normal mud for mortar they chose tar to make it last as long as possible. “I need to provide my own security” they thought. They also added a tower to the master plan. Why? To make certain they wouldn’t ever fill the earth and also so they could make a name for themselves. They were using every waking moment and every breath to shout, “Glory to man in the highest!”

You know as well as I do that “Glory to man in the highest” is not what God likes to hear. We are here on the third rock from the sun to serve the LORD in the highest, not ourselves. We easily forget that when Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” ALL means ALL. So what about those who punt him off his pedestal? It’s good to remember that God does not haggle with humans. God will not draw up a compromise with them. He doesn’t say, “If you insist, we’ll share time on the pedestal.” The holy God will not tolerate humans wiping their muddy feet all over his good plans. So when he said, “Fill the earth and give glory to me” but humans retaliated with, “Stay in the plain of Shinar and give glory to man.” judgment was coming upon their sin.

They were getting too big for their britches – so the LORD put an end to their plans. Listen to verses 5-9. (read v.5-9) The LORD confused their languages so they could not continue the building project. They were scattered all over the face of the earth. They were judged guilty of sin and punished.

But there was more than judgment here. There was also loving intervention. Here is a question for you to ponder: what is the most unloving thing God could possibly do? The most unloving course of action for God to take is to leave human beings alone. The most unloving thing for God to do is to tell human beings, “Fine! Have it your way.” If God had left the people at Babel alone, they would have continued living a life of “Glory to man in the highest!” Their rebellion would increase during their entire lifetime until it grew higher than the tower they were building. They would have been so full of themselves, God would have had no choice but to rain fire and brimstone down upon their precious plain, city, and tower and give them a one-way ticket to hell. That would have been that. God certainly could have left humans alone to their own wicked designs. But he didn’t. He decided to intervene and save the humans from themselves.

God also has saved us from ourselves and our evil designs. We like to trust in ourselves for survival – I want to be in charge. We want to pile up earthly security around us – plenty of wealth, wonderful health, living out our dreams and plans – I want to call the shots. We’d like a struggle-free, pain-free life - and we’d like all of that to last as long as possible. In the end, we’d like our legacy to be remembered, thinking life is about me. It’s all a subtle way to proclaim, “Glory to man in the highest.” What sin we have in our hearts!

Thankfully, the LORD has not left us to our own designs and plans. He has graciously intervened. He could’ve stayed in heaven, but he intervened and was willing to be born in a stable. He could’ve said, “Forget it! I’m not going to die on a cross” but he intervened and gave up his own life. And when he died and rose again for our sins, heaven was opened and we are guaranteed to be eternal victors.

What a blessing that the LORD did not leave us alone but intervened in our lives! What a blessing that the LORD runs after us patiently and persistently when we fall! What a blessing that the LORD allows struggles in our lives to loosen our grip on the temporary and strengthen our grip on the LORD.

God promises he will always work everything for good. Here is one way that he worked the events at Babel for good. On Pentecost Day, the LORD graciously reversed the events of Babel. The Lord took this result of rebellion – the different languages of the world – and used those different tongues to share the message that God himself had not left them alone with their sins but instead had intervened to bring free and faithful forgiveness.

The LORD intervenes in grace – what a blessing indeed! Thank him for his intervention in your life. Amen.