Babel

Good morning brothers and sisters,
This is a fascinating story about how we identify ourselves and where we put our trust. The people try to establish their reputation and future based on their accomplishments. God doesn't like this idea at all; after all, we are called to put our trust in God, not ourselves. In a society like ours where what we accomplish is a huge part of our identity this is a word we need to hear. Work and achievement are important; God calls us to use our gifts and abilities to serve others and to establish justice. But achievement is not how we establish our worth or our security; those things are established by trusting God.

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ²And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

⁵The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. ⁶And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.