Babylon Blog - Part 1

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at what it means to be separate from the world and therefore looking at Babylon in the Bible.“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

When we first start looking at Babylon (which is located in Modern Iraq) we firstly look back to Babel where the people decide to build a city. 

Babel – A world without God

Genesis 11:1-9

One

The Whole earth was united in one speech

The start of man not looking to God is being united as one and no longer seeing the need in God. 

We are always looking to ways where our communication is better I now have a phone where I can call, text, facebook, instant message, email, tweet and so on. Why? So i can communicate to more people than before. However apart from reading my bible on my bible app none of these things help me in looking to God.

When the world is united the first thing they forget is God. 

Staying

They build a City

When we build cities they are for us to stop at and dwell. 

God tells Noah to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth.  You cannot replenish the earth unless you are dwelling in the whole earth.  If you stop and build a city the statement is made that we are not moving. 

In application to us: Jesus says Go into all the World (Mark 16:15) – but we worry about buying a house and settling down.  The world tells us to settle – God tells us to Go.  The world tells us to make a home – God tells us He is making us a home.(John 14:2-3) 

God tells us to look for His coming – to live as if He is about to return (Titus 2:13, 2 Timothy 4:8).  So why then do we emphasise the need to settle down, buy a house, dwell?  Because that is what we have been taught by the world. 

(It is not wrong to buy a house but if your home becomes more important than going where God wants you to be or takes you away from where God wants you to be then it is)

Glory

Now they start building a Tower that will reach to the sky (heaven meaning sky in this context).  And the reason for this is to make a name for themselves.  They again forget God and rather than giving Him glory they give themselves glory. 

This is enmity with God

We worship only one God and only His name should be praised.  (Matthew 4:10)

God is in control

In verse 5-9 – God turns up realising what is happening He messes with the one thing that unites – Communication.  This results in the people scattering across the world (what God wanted in the first place) and the city is left unbuilt thus no one making a name for themselves – except the place is called “Babel” the Hebrew word for “confusion”

Conclusion

The World is confused – They want to be One, Settle down and make a name for themselves.  However they are confused as they do not have a space for God.  

We are enlightened – God wants us to be One in Him, Look to the Home He is making for us and bring glory to His name.  However when we do not listen to God we easily fall back into the thinking of the world.