God Came Down

Genesis 11:1-9

Can you imagine what it would have been like to live just after the flood account? Wouldn’t it make some sense that that would be the time in the world’s history when people could be and should be focused on God and His word more than any time maybe in the history of the world? Maybe the creation account would be the one time it would be even more. That’s the case but think about it after the flood. The people have just seen this demonstration of God’s power. He wiped out the whole earth for goodness’ sake and probably revamped the whole thing. What power God has! Do you want to stand against Him? No. And yet what love He has for His people as He saved Noah and his family from the flood waters? Would it not make sense that the people after the flood would want to listen to God, would want to focus on God, would want to show love to God, would want to pay attention to what God had said and done? Yes? I think it makes total sense. And what are the people doing? They are doing the polar opposite of what God had said for them to do. After the flood account, God said to Noah and his family, “Be fruitful, increase in number.” No, the problem before the flood wasn’t that there was too many people, nor is that a problem today, by the way. God is in heaven. He’s got it. But God also said to them, “And fill up the earth.” The whole earth, the whole planet was a gift from God to us humans, and God wanted the whole earth to be filled up and made use of. And what did the humans decide? Well, the humans were all traveling together, which would not necessarily have been wrong, had they eventually started to break off and go in different directions. But they found this plane in Shinar, and what was their plan? Their plan was to build a city and a tower. Oh, and why? It was in direct rebellion against God. “Lest we be scattered across the face of the whole earth.” God said, “Fill up the earth. Scatter yourselves.” The humans said, “We’re not going to do it, and we’re going to build this city and this tower to show it.” Oh, and by the way, through building this city and this tower, we are going to make a name for ourselves. We are going to be great. So fantastic. We’ve got arrogance mixed with rebellion. What a fantastic combination, huh? Oh, and this wasn’t going to be just any city and any tower, because they were going to brick bricks and burn burnings. That’s what the Hebrew literally says. What it means is that they were going to make the best bricks they knew how to make. Apparently, at that point, stonework was in its infancy, and so stonework wasn’t very good. But when you made bricks, the bricks, like bricks today, were even. And so you could stack them, and they would be strong, and they would be even. And so you could build a structure which was impressive and strong, and which would last. And they were going to use tar from order, which was in those days the best mortar they knew to have. So in other words, they were using the best building materials that they knew how to use. So this was going to be great. This was going to be a tower. This was going to be a city. And they were going to make a name for themselves, and they were not going to be scattered over the face of the earth. And then God came down. You noticed I paused there when I read the sermon text. Here’s why. The whole Tower of Babel account is absolutely amazing. There’s this parallel structure from the beginning to the middle and back to the end, where part one and part—I think it’s nine—match up. Part two and part eight, part three and part seven, and so on until you get to the middle phrase. And like so often happens in Hebrew literature, that middle phrase is the key phrase. And God came down. Oh, he came down not because he needed to. He came down because he wants us to know that when God does his ruling of the world when God makes his judgments, he’s not being haphazard. He’s not just reacting on the drop of a hat. No, no, no. His judgments are well carried out. And he wants us to know that he’s not just a God off there somewhere in the distance, but he’s a God who’s right here, intimately involved with our lives. And in this case, God came down for judgment. And God says, ironically, “Yeah, if with one language and tongue they can do this, nothing will be impossible for them.” What he means by that is that human humanity will just keep running pel-mel away from God. Because what they were wanting to do was to rebel against God. And if they keep talking the same language, they’re just going to keep running in that horrible, awful direction. And we’ll have the flood issue you all over again, won’t we? And so God confused their languages. You can only imagine the confusion at the building site the next morning. I imagine it happening at night, but I don’t know that. But imagine it did. And the next morning you arrive at the building site and the builder says to you, [speaking Hebrew] And you would say, “What?” Couple of you know what I said. It was Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew. But obviously it meant nothing to you because you don’t speak Hebrew. Or know any Hebrew. [Speaking Greek] And you say, “What?” That was John 1:1 in Greek. And the beginning was the word. But it meant nothing to you because you don’t speak that language. And so what happened? There apparently were little people groupings who did speak the same language. And the people who spoke Chinese-ish, whatever it was back then, headed that direction. The people who spoke Russian-ish headed that direction. The people who spoke German-ish headed that direction. The people who spoke Ethiopian-ish headed that direction. And by the way, as an aside, this seems to be the likely time when God created the racial divisions too. Don’t know that for sure. But it kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? And oh, what a judgment. Just think of how communication and cultural barriers have impacted the world from that time on. Luther comments that the Tower of Babel was a far worse judgment from God than the flood was. Because the flood impacted one generation. The Tower of Babel impacts every single generation and will impact every single generation until Jesus comes back. It was all because God came down. What if God were to come down to Milwaukee? What if God were to come down to our homes? To our hearts? What would he see there? I fear he would see the very same arrogance and the very same rebellion. How we’re going to make a name for ourselves. How we’re going to do what we want to do, whether God wants it or not. I know I’m guilty. And oh my, we deserve a far worse judgment than just speaking other languages. We humans deserve to be sent to hell forever. And if God were to come down with fair judgment on us, that’s what would happen. But can you imagine? God came down. He came down on that night that you know is Christmas. He came down as a babe wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. He came down to live our life perfectly. Never with arrogance, but always with humility. Never with rebellion, but always with listening to his father’s will and praying that his father’s will be done no matter what it took. God came down. To go to Calvary’s cross. To be buried in Calvary’s grave. And to rise again from the dead. Can you imagine? God came down to win forgiveness for sinners like you, for sinners like me. Yes, for sinners like those people there building that tower. God came down. And because God wanted the whole world to know about this message that Jesus had died and risen, God came down again on the day of Pentecost. Came down in a miraculous visible manner so that the tongues of flames were lighting on the heads of each of the believers gathered there and they were just able to speak in other tongues, other languages, languages they had never studied. And do you notice some of those languages were even minor little dialects of a language? Why? Because God wanted the whole world, every race, every culture, every language to know that God had come down. God the Holy Spirit wanted the world to know that the Son had come down from heaven, had died, had risen, had paid for the sins of the whole world. And so God allowed those believers to speak in other languages. No, the Tower of Babel curse was not reversed. Sometimes people have in a well-meaning fashion said that Pentecost day reverses Babel. That’s not true. If that were true, we would all speak one language. Do we all speak one language? No, we don’t. But note, what Pentecost did do was make clear that there is one message and one message alone which transcends languages and transcends cultures. And that’s the message that God came down. The message that Jesus is your savior. The message that Jesus is the savior of the world. The message that every single human being is sinful and deserves to go to hell. That is a great equalizer. Isn’t that my brothers and sisters? Amen. But the gospel is the other great equalizer and it’s even better. Because God came down to win the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation for every human being of every race, language, and culture that has ever existed or will ever exist. And that is the ultimate great equalizer. Amen. And if all that weren’t enough, God is going to come down one more time. Wait a minute. He actually is coming down today. Why? Because every time you hear the words of God, the Holy Spirit is working through those words. God is coming down and working on your heart and mind. Every time there’s a baptism, God the Holy Spirit comes down and empowers that baptism. So that baptism is a washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit in which God is bringing your heart to spiritual life. Every time we partake of the supper, God the Holy Spirit comes down and empowers those words as we connect the bread and the wine so that that bread and the wine empowered by the word brings us the true body and true blood of Jesus, our Savior, in a miraculous way. God is coming down over and over and over again to you because he loves you and he loves me. And oh yeah, if all that weren’t enough, God is going to come down one more time. “And the night before he went to his death, Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many rooms. I go there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back to take you to be where I am.” You imagine? Someday God is going to come down just for you. No, he’s not coming down in judgment. He did that. No, he’s not coming down to win forgiveness for you. That’s already been done. 100%. No, he’s not coming down to work faith in your heart. That’s already happened too. But he’s coming down to take you home, to take you to be with him in heaven forever and ever and ever. And can you imagine? There around that throne of God will be people gathered from every tribe, race, language, or nation of the world. There the Tower of Babel curse will have been reversed and abolished. Why? Because God came down. And so what would it make sense for you and me to do? Wouldn’t it make sense for you and me to listen to God in his word? Wouldn’t it kind of make sense for us to trust that what God says to us is true and is the right way for our life to go? Amen. And may God grant that to us day by day by day. And may God the Holy Spirit continue to come down upon each one of us. Until that glorious day when faith will be sight and God will come down to take us to be with him forever in heaven. Thank God that God came down. Amen. And Amen.