by Tom Wacaster
Traveling among the various countries of the world one comes
to appreciate the inspired record's account of how the multitude of languages
came to exist. That record is contained in Genesis 11:2-9:
"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 throughly. 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."
In India there are literally hundreds of dialects in addition to the various languages. The Republic of the Philippines, being situated where it is, likewise has numerous languages, as well as dozens of dialects. If asked if any of the citizens in these countries speak English, it is sometimes said that they speak a "broken English." By this we mean that the sentence structure, or perhaps even the words themselves, are not as clearly distinguishable as we might want. Of course such is not peculiar to non-citizens of the USA. I have known country folks, and even some city folks, who butcher the King's English. It is not that the citizens of India or Manila do not understand English; it is that their accent, and difference in usage of certain English words, often make it difficult to carry on a descent conversation. Of course, my Texas draw does not help the situation any. So, if you ever get tired of pushing "1" for English, or "2" for Spanish here in America, just be thankful that you don't have to listen to dozens, if not hundreds of choices before you even get to speak to an operator. But I digress; so let me return to the account of where all of these languages originated.
One must keep in mind that the confusion of languages in Genesis 11 was not for the purpose of simply creating dozens and/or hundreds of cultures; though no doubt it contributed to that. God's divine intervention was for the purpose of bringing man back into line with God's will and purpose. When God destroyed the earth's inhabitants with the flood He promised Noah that He would never bring that kind of punishment upon the human race. Don't forget how wicked the world had become in Noah's day: "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). It is hard for us to conceive of such evil. Every single word in God's description of the world at that time staggers the mind. Not only were the "thoughts" evil, but so was the very "imagination" of their thoughts wicked. Nor was their wicked imagination something that occasionally entered their mind and/or heart. It is said that it was only evil, it was only evil continually. I am within bounds when I say that there was nothing good, nothing kind, nothing even worthy of serious consideration; not only did they deserve to die; they did not deserve to live!
Fast forward now to the passage in Genesis 11. Once again the human race has abandoned God. In their arrogance they thought they could built a physical edifice that would, somehow, by their own ingenuity and human wisdom, take them into the presence of God. But their desire was not to worship God; it was to overthrow God. Please note that the aim of that pre-Babel society: "Let us make us a name" (verse 4). The focus was on self: self gratification, self achievement, self glory.
The curious thing about the passage is God's assessment of these people: "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" (verse 6). One assumes too much if he concludes that this race of men could somehow overthrow God. It is not that their possibilities were unlimited, but that the possibilities they sought were capable of being accomplished. One must ask, therefore, why would God confuse them, if in fact that which they desired to accomplish was good? Had not God instructed man to subdue the earth? The inevitable conclusion is that this generation of humanity wanted to accomplish something contrary to the will of God. We readily admit that much here will fall into the realm of conjecture; but it is what I would call more than simply an educated guess.
First, it is reasonable to assume that their purpose in building this tower was to become "like God." They wanted to enter into "heaven." For what purpose? Like Eve who was deceived into believing that if she ate of the fruit, she could become "like God," so these pre-Babel socialites ate the same poison from the devil and drank from the same polluted waters. For some curious reason men have, over the centuries, sought to become like God; yea to become more powerful than God! The Mormon have concocted an entire theological system that promises, "As you are now, so God once was; as God is now, so you will become." That same mindset is manifest in various "isms" of our generation: humanism, agnosticism, atheist, pluralism, et al.
Second, it is reasonable to assume that those people wanted to take others with them. Not satisfied with making the journey to "godhood" alone, they "communicated" that desire with others. Eve took Adam down with her; false teachers destroy the very ones who have escaped corruption, drawing disciples away after themselves (Acts 20:28-32). The world cannot understand why the child of God refuses to run in the same excess of riot; the faithful child of God cannot understand why the world won't just leave them alone. By confusing the languages at Babel, God immediately stopped their desire to communicate their evil intentions to others.
Third, that pre-Babel world realized the key to success. They did not stop with their imaginations. Moses tells us, "this they begin to do" (verse 6). We would do well to take a lesson from the children of darkness. Our Lord made this observation: "And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light" (Luke 16:8). Applying our Lord's words to the record in Genesis we learn that imagination without action spells nothing! Hard work has always been an essential ingredient to success. Most of the world knows this, but a growing number are slow to admit it. This will explain why those who seek something for nothing seems to be growing in number with every passing day.
Fourth, "one language" is essential to accomplishing some worthwhile task. Right here I am not talking about "on language" of tongue. In fact, time and experience has proven that the Gospel can go forth even in the midst of multiple languages. I have, on occasions, had to go through no less than three interpreters in one setting in order to convey the truth to all those in the audience. The "one language" that is essential to actually doing what God desires, is the "one language" of unity. The prophet of old acknowledged this: "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). I have learned over the years, and over thousands of miles traveled to various parts of this world, that great good can be accomplished even if we don't speak "one language." But I have also learned that much evil can also be accomplished by those who "speak one language," but whose language is that of Ashdod.
"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 throughly. 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."
In India there are literally hundreds of dialects in addition to the various languages. The Republic of the Philippines, being situated where it is, likewise has numerous languages, as well as dozens of dialects. If asked if any of the citizens in these countries speak English, it is sometimes said that they speak a "broken English." By this we mean that the sentence structure, or perhaps even the words themselves, are not as clearly distinguishable as we might want. Of course such is not peculiar to non-citizens of the USA. I have known country folks, and even some city folks, who butcher the King's English. It is not that the citizens of India or Manila do not understand English; it is that their accent, and difference in usage of certain English words, often make it difficult to carry on a descent conversation. Of course, my Texas draw does not help the situation any. So, if you ever get tired of pushing "1" for English, or "2" for Spanish here in America, just be thankful that you don't have to listen to dozens, if not hundreds of choices before you even get to speak to an operator. But I digress; so let me return to the account of where all of these languages originated.
One must keep in mind that the confusion of languages in Genesis 11 was not for the purpose of simply creating dozens and/or hundreds of cultures; though no doubt it contributed to that. God's divine intervention was for the purpose of bringing man back into line with God's will and purpose. When God destroyed the earth's inhabitants with the flood He promised Noah that He would never bring that kind of punishment upon the human race. Don't forget how wicked the world had become in Noah's day: "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). It is hard for us to conceive of such evil. Every single word in God's description of the world at that time staggers the mind. Not only were the "thoughts" evil, but so was the very "imagination" of their thoughts wicked. Nor was their wicked imagination something that occasionally entered their mind and/or heart. It is said that it was only evil, it was only evil continually. I am within bounds when I say that there was nothing good, nothing kind, nothing even worthy of serious consideration; not only did they deserve to die; they did not deserve to live!
Fast forward now to the passage in Genesis 11. Once again the human race has abandoned God. In their arrogance they thought they could built a physical edifice that would, somehow, by their own ingenuity and human wisdom, take them into the presence of God. But their desire was not to worship God; it was to overthrow God. Please note that the aim of that pre-Babel society: "Let us make us a name" (verse 4). The focus was on self: self gratification, self achievement, self glory.
The curious thing about the passage is God's assessment of these people: "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" (verse 6). One assumes too much if he concludes that this race of men could somehow overthrow God. It is not that their possibilities were unlimited, but that the possibilities they sought were capable of being accomplished. One must ask, therefore, why would God confuse them, if in fact that which they desired to accomplish was good? Had not God instructed man to subdue the earth? The inevitable conclusion is that this generation of humanity wanted to accomplish something contrary to the will of God. We readily admit that much here will fall into the realm of conjecture; but it is what I would call more than simply an educated guess.
First, it is reasonable to assume that their purpose in building this tower was to become "like God." They wanted to enter into "heaven." For what purpose? Like Eve who was deceived into believing that if she ate of the fruit, she could become "like God," so these pre-Babel socialites ate the same poison from the devil and drank from the same polluted waters. For some curious reason men have, over the centuries, sought to become like God; yea to become more powerful than God! The Mormon have concocted an entire theological system that promises, "As you are now, so God once was; as God is now, so you will become." That same mindset is manifest in various "isms" of our generation: humanism, agnosticism, atheist, pluralism, et al.
Second, it is reasonable to assume that those people wanted to take others with them. Not satisfied with making the journey to "godhood" alone, they "communicated" that desire with others. Eve took Adam down with her; false teachers destroy the very ones who have escaped corruption, drawing disciples away after themselves (Acts 20:28-32). The world cannot understand why the child of God refuses to run in the same excess of riot; the faithful child of God cannot understand why the world won't just leave them alone. By confusing the languages at Babel, God immediately stopped their desire to communicate their evil intentions to others.
Third, that pre-Babel world realized the key to success. They did not stop with their imaginations. Moses tells us, "this they begin to do" (verse 6). We would do well to take a lesson from the children of darkness. Our Lord made this observation: "And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light" (Luke 16:8). Applying our Lord's words to the record in Genesis we learn that imagination without action spells nothing! Hard work has always been an essential ingredient to success. Most of the world knows this, but a growing number are slow to admit it. This will explain why those who seek something for nothing seems to be growing in number with every passing day.
Fourth, "one language" is essential to accomplishing some worthwhile task. Right here I am not talking about "on language" of tongue. In fact, time and experience has proven that the Gospel can go forth even in the midst of multiple languages. I have, on occasions, had to go through no less than three interpreters in one setting in order to convey the truth to all those in the audience. The "one language" that is essential to actually doing what God desires, is the "one language" of unity. The prophet of old acknowledged this: "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). I have learned over the years, and over thousands of miles traveled to various parts of this world, that great good can be accomplished even if we don't speak "one language." But I have also learned that much evil can also be accomplished by those who "speak one language," but whose language is that of Ashdod.
No comments:
Post a Comment