Whose Kingdom?
“And they said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built . . . So Yahweh scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.”
Genesis 11:4-5, 8 LSB
God thwarts the plans of prideful ambition and opposes those who seek to make a name for themselves. We see this so evidently in the narrative of the Tower of Babel. The people had conspired together to create a city and a name for themselves. When God saw the sinful motives of mankind and what they were capable of doing together, He intervened by confusing their language and scattering them across the face of the earth – thus, accomplishing His sovereign will. This teaches us that no matter how hard we try, we cannot thwart God’s plan. In fact, He often thwarts our plans because of our sinfulness. As Scripture teaches: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
It can be said that we are all kingdom builders. The question becomes a matter of who’s kingdom we are building: ours, or God’s? Who’s name are we seeking glory for: ours, or God’s? As Christians, we love to slap the label “Kingdom work” on whatever ministry we’re doing, but if we’re being honest, how much of that is actually selfish ambition? We often say that we depend on the Lord, yet try to accomplish “Kingdom work” without Him. What does that say about us, in light of what we see from the Tower of Babel account? It’s a dangerous thing to be self-deceived, and we should regularly question our motives in light of our sinful tendencies. Ask yourself: what am I striving for right now? How have I spent my time and money this year? If I died today and gave an account to God, would He say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” – or would He say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Learn from the Tower of Babel, be on guard against pride, and seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.
