Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“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; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, September 16, 2020
by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Tower of Babel (Source)
Something I’ve always wondered about the story of the Tower of Babel is just what did the builders think that they would do once they reached the heavens. But I think this question is actually just a holdover to what I was told in Sunday school. I always thought it was mainly because of their arrogance that God smote the tower, bringing it crashing down. But that wasn’t the main reason.
Instead, as it stands in scripture, God was nervous that, having one united language and culture, that they might become greater than God.
That's a bit ridiculous, don’t you think? I mean, God is God. These were just a few schmucks who had a penchant for building a skyscraper!
Maybe it’s somehow important that human beings have more than one language and culture then. Maybe God considers diversity an important trait.
These are all just speculations though. I’m sure you have one or two as well.
What do you think? Does God consider one language, one culture to be a threat to God . . . or is it that God had some other thing in mind?
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