Pretense & Power-Schemes

SCRIPTURE: God takes the wind out of Babel pretense, he shoots down the world’s power-schemes. God’s plan for the world stands up, all his designs are made to last. Blessed is the country with God for God; blessed are the people he’s put in his will. Psalm 33:10-12 MSG

THOUGHT: Babel is perhaps the earliest tragedy of scientific prowess attempting to subvert God; of a people attempting to define themselves and their boundaries based on engineering feats. “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,” the people of Babel said, “so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth (Gen. 11:4 NIV).”

God’s original instructions to Adam and Eve were “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it (Gen. 1:28).” This he repeats to Noah and his family after the flood, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth (Gen. 9:1).” But just two chapters and a few generations later, the God-directive is lost and humans are making a plan to avoid the scattering. They want fame, security, and easy access to the heavens, just not necessarily heaven’s God. God’s solution is strange – division accomplished through differing languages so people cannot understand each other and cooperate on their smart city and tower.

In our own country there is growing an inability to understand and cooperate, a chaos where words and language divide; in our own cities, attempts to thwart God’s commands in favor of our own flimsy definitions and boundaries for self are all the rage. Could it be that an old story is repeating itself? That the blessings of being a nation whose God is the Lord are slowly ebbing away?

As those who’ve bowed a knee to Jesus, we are written into God’s will, but whole cultures and nations can walk away, building towers and technologies that result in the tragedy of being written out. Whatever the case, it pays to be reminded of this truth from the Psalmist: God shoots down the world’s power-schemes. God’s plan for the world stands up, all his designs are made to last.

SONG: Everlasting God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCobeOyiwrw

PRAYER: Oh God, you are everlasting! You reign forever, our hope, our strong deliverer. You see through all the pretense; you are more powerful than all the power-schemes. Your plans will be established, your will accomplished in this earth that is all yours.