Today’s Reading: Genesis 9-11:26, Psalm 75
After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. – Genesis 9:20-22
This mistake changed the course of Ham’s life. It was an issue of disloyalty and selfishness, the heart of gossip. Instead of taking action out of respect for his father, Ham went outside and told his brothers, who took care of covering their father. Ham shirked his responsibility and brought shame to his father. Noah cursed Ham’s descendants to a life of servanthood (9:26-27) – if you don’t want to help take care of family, you will spend the rest of your life with no choice but to take care of others.
Ham was not the only one of Noah’s descendants to think too much of himself. Ham had four sons but it was his son Canaan on whom the curse landed. The curse of servanthood did not come with a humble spirit. The desire to be famous and rise above the curse remained. The tendency to think too much of themselves remained.
This is evidenced in the life of Nimrod, who became a heroic warrior. His descendants thought too much of themselves. They settled in Babylon, which became the epicenter of ARROGANCE and idolatry. Their desire was to build a name for themselves, for their own glory instead of for the glory and purposes of God.
With a shortage of stone in that area, the people used innovation and created bricks. Rather than recognizing this as a gift from God, they found excitement in the idea that they might become famous. If they could build a great tower made of bricks, the world would hear and see how wonderful they were. People would come from all around to see this tower that represented their greatness. They would become famous and there would be no need to ever leave their earthly kingdom.
Consider the sin of Adam and Eve. The serpent tempted them with the possibility of becoming like God. Eve was easily convinced by the serpent and her desire for a wisdom like God’s caused her to sin. Adam witnessed the whole thing and joined in this self-ambitious sin. They were banished from the garden, made to leave the area they had come to love.
Compare the sin of Adam & Eve to the sin of those building the tower of Babel. The people of Babylon desired to be as powerful and famous as God. Their longing for fame and fortune was stronger than their love for God. Their desire to stay there and not be scattered all over the world resulted in just that – banishment and the scattering of people across the region.
It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall…For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.” – Psalm 75:7,10
Our salvation depends on having a humble and repentant heart. If we think too much of ourselves or of what we have accomplished, we begin to depend less on God and more on what we think we can do on our own. When confronted with temptation and sin, we arrogantly choose to build our own tower of Babel.
Today may we see every good and wonderful thing in our lives as a gift from you, God. May every blessing be evidence of your generosity. Forgive us for our moments of pride. We long to be servants of your Kingdom rather than building our own fame and fortune. Help us to see the needs of others and respond with a heart of love.