In Genesis 11 we read about the Tower of Babel. Verse 4 encapsulates the problem with the people of the city. They said, “Now let’s build a city with a tower that reaches the sky, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth” (GNT). They were building a city to have security without God, a tower in order to reach Heaven on their own terms and to make a name for themselves so they could have an identity apart from God. It wasn’t about building a tower. It was about being motivated by pride to accomplish something apart from God. When He walked through the city, He saw their hearts and sent judgement. From that time on Babylon has stood in defiance of God’s ways.
In the very next chapter, we meet Abram. He is the opposite of the person of Babylon. He’s willing to go wherever God asks him to, which is away from the security of his family. We know he is humble and obedient to what God says. Because his heart is right, God gives him what the people of Babylon wanted. In verse 2 God says, “I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing.” Because he lived a life of surrender instead of one of pride, God gave him a name, identity and nation. Immediately after God shows us what not to do, he gives us Abram as an example of how to live in humble obedience.
James 4:6-7 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.” What is the motivation behind the things you’re trying to accomplish? Is it for your name to be known or His? Is it so you can create your own security instead of relying on God’s? God looks at our heart more than our actions. He’s looking for humble obedience. We must submit to His plans for our life if we want blessings like Abraham. We must resist pride from the Devil so it doesn’t corrupt what God wants to accomplish through us. God is not against you being successful or building something great. He’s against the spirit of Babylon that tries to rise up in each one of us to do things without Him or His blessing. We must leave Babylon and all it represents if we truly want to follow God.
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Devotions by Chris Hendrix 