Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. (Gen 11:1-3)
Fair enough, but pay careful attention to the frame of mind, the real goal of these settlers in Shinar.
Then 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, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
“Let us make a name for ourselves.” It’s the anthem of Babel, the earliest root system that eventually grows into the towering “tree” of Babylon, “the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans” (Isa 13:19). At the height of its power and perceived permanence, Daniel 4 gives us opportunity to eavesdrop on mighty King Nebuchadnezzar, walking on the roof of his royal palace. “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
“Let us make…” Human beings are makers. But thousands of years removed from that ancient construction project on the plain of Shinar, the mindset of the Genesis 11 tower builders ought to prompt a question in our minds: for whose sake am I building? I’m a maker, but for whose name? In the classroom? On the job? In the business deal? With the social media account? In the writing of the blog post? On the podcast? In the preparing of the Sunday sermon? In the opportunity to serve? In retirement? “Let us make a name…” …for who?
When we “build” with the goal of making ourselves look great, we’ve missed the point of everything. The opportunities aren’t ours, they’re God-given. The talents? God-given. The time? Provided by God. The raw materials? They aren’t our own; they belong to God. We’re just building with his stuff. Life itself? A gift from God. Which means? To act as if we’re self-sufficient apart from him is absurd. To boast in our mighty power and the glory of our majesty is foolishness. Life without God as the starting point? Shortsighted. Determination without God as the inspiration? Vanity. All of the accomplishments and monuments and corporations and reputations and followings we can construct… without God as the only audience that really matters? Without God’s glory as the ultimate goal? We may “build” for a little while, but in the grand scheme of things, it all amounts to a bunch of tiny sand towers. And what happens when the tide comes in?
How much better to make and build and serve with the mindset of Psalm 115:1 as our anthem?
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
How much more meaningful to empty ourselves, “lose our lives” (Matt 10:39), find our purpose in Christ and devote everything we have and are to magnifying his name?
Human beings are makers. Always have been. In our own generation, we have a little bit of time and a whole lot of choices. So let’s build, not as a demonstration of what we can do, but as a celebration of what God has done, for the sake of his name. And when the tide comes in, let’s joyfully let go of the sand and revel in the glory of the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.