One of my favorite things is when people ask Bible questions. Some are nearly impossible to answer (How many angels can fit on the point of a pen?). But any biblical question displays a desire to know about spiritual things. What is better than that?!?!?
Last week, Shirley Hundley asked me if going to space was like the tower of Babel. My first thought was, No! God told Noah and his descendants to, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”-Genesis 9:1, but the people of Babel rebelled (Genesis 11:4). That has nothing to do with spaceships. Plus, they all had one language. Again, I didn’t see the parallel to going to Mars. Then it hit me, it is just like Babel in many ways!
The real problem for the people of Babel was pride in what they had and could accomplish. They were so enamored with what “they” could do, they thought themselves equal to God. In their minds, “Who needs God when we can just build a tower to heaven?” It is easy to be impressed with our modern ability to travel to Mars, blast cars into space, and even travel into earth orbit as tourists. Is there a danger of thinking, “Who needs a God when we can accomplish such mighty things!”? Absolutely! Is there a temptation to defy God because we believe, “nothing that they (we) propose to do will now be impossible for them (us).”-Genesis 11:6? Doesn’t that describe the world in which we live?
We must be careful of the pride of Babel. Are we so concerned with making a name for ourselves, we are too haughty to submit to God (James 4:6-10)? Do our possessions keep us captive and we fail fill the earth with the message of Christ (Matthew 19:21-30)?
There is great danger in relying on the accomplishments of human beings and forgetting God. Just because we can go to Mars, doesn’t mean we can force our way into the throne room of God. The Lord wants us to remember, we need the blood of the Son of God to have forgiveness. We are in debt to God in a way we cannot repay, so we should humble ourselves and obey. Otherwise, the God of heaven may come down and scatter us to the four winds as a reminder, “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”-Ecclesiastes 3:20. Lord, your will be done and not mine.
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