Genesis 11:5-9. 5And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
This part of the story is dripping with irony. It’s almost comedic. The people are building what they think is a massive tower into Heaven, and yet the Lord has to come down just to see it. The people want desperately to not be scattered, and yet God will confuse their languages and disperse them over the face of the earth. We can imagine the follies that unfold as suddenly the languages are all changed and confusion takes over the scene.
Speaking of confusion, Babel can be a confusing story. Isn’t unity God’s desire for humanity? Doesn’t he want people to work together to accomplish tasks? Isn’t that what Heaven will be – all of us living as one in harmony? But it is not their unity that God opposes, it is their audacity. Their rebellion and pride (see Day 38).
And so as he has done in the past, and as he will do many more times in the future, God comes down to us – Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech. What is happening here? What is God doing, and why is he doing it?
Yes, there is a judgment taking place here. But there is also a preservation.
When God removed Adam and Eve from the garden in judgment, he was also preserving their lives from eternal dying.
When God cursed Cain and sent him east of Eden, he also preserved him with a mark of protection.
When God flooded the Earth, he preserved a remnant within the ark of grace.
And here at Babel, God is saving mankind from ourselves. God can see that, this is only the beginning of what they will do. God knows that unity is not the problem, but unity without God at the center is quite the problem. Man united around man will inevitably lead to more and more harm. Man v. man.
And so God came down. Not just to punish mankind, but to preserve mankind. The dividing of humanity is the restraining of humanity. God knows that until his grace and love are at the center, we can never be trusted to live together in unity and peace.
This is why the Church is now the anti-Babel. God’s preserving grace has become his saving grace in Christ. At Pentecost all the languages came together and by the power of the poured out Holy Spirit each could hear the gospel in their own tongue. Babel was undone on that day. Mankind was united again, destined to build the City of God and make the name of Jesus the name above every name.
Christian, the Holy Spirit lives in you, and he is preserving you until you are fully united to God in the eternal state. God has come down to you, not just to see what is going on, but to stay and dwell within you, making your heart the tower to Heaven. The connection between God and man is inside of you, in your “inner man.” The Spirit has sealed you until the day of redemption and he is protecting you from yourself until you are the new creation in all its fullness – body, soul, and spirit.
Knowing that we are to be perfected in Christ allows us to restore unity once again. It is no longer our selfish desires that are at the center, but Christ is with his desires. All things are being brought underneath the lordship of Jesus, therefore our unity is no longer a recipe for disaster but the prescription for peace and love.
Questions: How does our union with Christ supply what we need so that we can strive for unity with one another? Where have you seen God preserving you lately? Saving you from yourself?
To Live is Christ 