Spirituality Column #746

March 2, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Modern Babel

By Bob Walters

“Now the world had one language and a common speech”– the opening of the story of the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1

I wonder what the Babylonians thought when their plans to build a self-glorifying city and erect a similarly prideful tower to heaven to greet God were quashed by the most epic failure to communicate on human record?  I doubt they blamed themselves. 

Did they know that it was God who destroyed their ability to talk and work together?  Did they have any idea why?  Did they figure it was Satan?  Or an undoing by some pagan god annoyed by their fixation on heaven?  At that early point in Bible history – in Genesis, the first book of the writings of Moses – had anybody yet figured out the “God is always righteous and Satan is always a liar and pagan gods are always useless” dynamic?  I’m not sure if, back then, theology had developed to that level.

In the millennia since, everybody used to know the story of the Tower of Babel, especially back when Bibles were not hidden from the global and American public view of education, politics, popular culture, and most critically across all categories: children. 

In the brief verses of Genesis 11:1-9 we learn of Babylon’s plans to build a tower, of the Babylonians’ pride, of God’s displeasure, and His creation of multiple languages to keep the Babylonians from both their plan and their location.  Rather than us get caught up in the pointless dialectic of “this appears to explain the presence of diverse languages on earth,” God’s purpose here – and He always has one – is about enforcing His righteousness and will on his favorite though most rebellious creation: humanity.

The tower story is brief and then pretty much left behind as the Bible narrative unfolds.  But Babylon itself is mentioned in the Bible hundreds of times and never in a positive light.  Babylon was known for and remains a symbol of man’s work against God’s righteousness, toward man’s pride, and in perpetuation of pagan practices.  Babylon is the corrupt, Bible opposite of the perfect Garden of Eden.

We’re studying the Tower of Babel in our Thursday morning Mustard Seed Bible study and yes, I’m aware there are countless lessons and biblical subtexts regarding all that the tower stood for, and none of them were good.  But the point is that God told Noah, and Noah told his descendants, to disperse and populate the whole earth after the flood. They got as far as Babylon (the middle of modern Iraq), and … stopped.

God fixed it.  What I’m wondering about now, specifically, and this is with an eye on current American and global cultural attitudes, is this: Are we – all of humanity – in a grave season of great, God-offending disobedience which, like the Babylonians, has cut off our ability to communicate with each other?  I suspect we are.  Why do I wonder?

Because there is no common speech in the academy, media, culture, or politics.

Those who do not know the Bible, do not know God, do not know Jesus Christ, and know only their own lust for power and security will have no idea what I’m talking about.  Those of us who do know and believe the Bible, God, Jesus, and the Spirit can discern plain as day the Godly presence of a huge human “failure to communicate.”

It is a darkness, the darkness of Babylon, and it grips the modern world.

I cannot imagine God is happy … nor what He is doing … or going to do next.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes, “Nimrod” founded Babylon.  Enough said.