Genesis 11:1-7 “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people were building. The LORD said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’”
There is no doubt about the powerful ability of man to reason things out, make plans and produce a significant outcome. Nevertheless, God is giver of success.
Principle: A clear vision and teamwork produce success and there are wrong ways to get there.
If everybody is committed to the same cause, and all are part of a highly developed team with a clear understanding of where the enterprise is going and with clear communication, they will be successful. That is, unless God decides to tear it all down for some reason.
The evil empire of Babylon wanted to equal God’s power, so it was bound to fail in the long run.
More recently we watched the bright technical leaders like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak work for and against the industrial giants of Hewlett Packard, Xerox and IBM but they did not do so with honor. The fact that they became some of the richest, most powerful, most influential people in the world might convince some that success comes to those are ruthless. Time will tell.
The corporations of Microsoft and Apple improved data handling and communication to a high degree. Almost nothing is impossible for them. But with the Tower of Babel and in spite of the builders’ technical skills, God destroyed their plans and the tower never got built. Even though Microsoft or Apple are incredible companies they may not stand the test of time because of faulty foundations and marginal operating principles, God will not be mocked. Even if they seem as enduring as the Great Wall of China or the pyramids, they are not eternal. God is.
How is the foundation and how are the operating principles of your company?
Discussion:
1. How many languages do you understand?
2. What heart condition was demonstrated in the desire to build the tower of Babel? 3. How do you think God feels about your desires and ambitions to “build” something?
