What's in a Name?
This historical account is the finale to the first section of Genesis. The
sin of Adam resulted in man being at odds with God. The sin of Cain showed man
was at odds with other men. Even after God washed the earth with a world wide
flood, the sin of men still keeps us at odds with each other; and with God.
After the flood, people all spoke a common language. But, like Adam and
Eve, they still wanted to be gods. The LORD told them to fill the earth and to
care for it (Genesis 9:1). They understood. They were told to obey the
commands written on their hearts. They knew it. But they refused.
God knew the evil in their hearts. Evil was leading them further away
from Him. They acted as one people with one voice. What they chose to
communicate with one voice was a way to worship themselves rather than the
LORD. They used the technology of the day to become more fit for hell.
Put another way, the single language was to unite people to speak God's
Promise of the coming Savior. It was to help them live their faith. But it was
used for the opposite reason. They used it NOT to recall God's mercy and to
live their faith, but rather to live as they pleased. The creatures rebelled
against the Creator. They wanted to make a name for themselves. They wanted
to worship their own name rather than the LORD's Name.
The Name we are to call upon and look for all good things is NOT our own
name. Our science can not save us. It may make life longer, but not eternal.
It may make life easier, but sin still corrupts us. Our leaders can't save us,
for they are just as sinful and frail as we are. Nor can we save ourselves.
Our name is not good enough. Even so, the Old Adam in us all stubbornly looks
away from God and still curves in on itself today; just as it did in Genesis 11.
Now, as then, we want to make our own rules about what feels right and
wrong. This applies not just to others who turn their backs on God; it applies
to us, too. You could say that ALL sin has its roots in the idea of idolatry.
We have evil motives. We want to make a name for ourselves.
Now, as then, we use our technology of the day to turn away from God. We
fill our time with building a name for ourselves: among friends, in a job, in
sports or on stage or thru politics, and other ways. The gifts the Lord gives
us to reach out with the total forgiveness won on the cross of Christ are
neglected; or used for ourselves. Yes; in many ways we are in similar times.
(Here I used several local examples of such problems: including the "new
synthetic life" in the news, a cell-phone related accident, and other
technology stories). Again, it is not our abilities, activities, or technology
that is essentially sinful: it is how we use it. Is it our idol? Does it
draw us to God, or draw us away?
In Genesis 11, God came, He saw, He conquered. Those who chose human
achievement over God's grace came to nothing. The very thing they wanted to
avoid, they caused. The unified, noble name they worked for was abandoned in
disunity and chaos for their shameful name. God came down and took down their
civilization with one thought.
We are all still familiar with the problems to communicate ideas and
feelings. Wars, disease, accidents, and all manner of messes often come about
globally as whole nations are divided by failures to communicate clearly.
But even people speaking the same language live in the shadow of the tower
of Babel. A husband and wife, a parent and child, on the job, and even fellow
believers in Christ are hurt because confusion in language continues to this
day. We each have many wounds to show for Babel. We continue in this chaos of
communication because the Old Adam in each of us STILL wants to worship itself.
Because of sin, we have lost the ability to clearly communicate with each
other; AND above all, with God.
At this point, some folks ask "WHY would God do this?"
The classical answer is this. God sent Adam and Eve away from the Garden
so they would not eat of the tree of life then live forever apart from Him.
For similar reasons, God confused our languages. We can become so arrogant in
our abilities and activities that we turn our backs on the Lord. Like a car
heading to fall off a cliff that crashes into a tree severely injuring all
occupants, God works for our good, sometimes using events that seem tragic to
stop us from going over the cliff to hell. This is not to say that every
misery, disease, and suffering in this life is God at work to shape faith. As
Isaiah 55 reminds us, God does not think or act as we do. For example, if God
acted as many people do: He would have destroyed the tower with a cosmic
thunderbolt after driving out any believers (much like Sodom and Gomorrah).
While we do suffer in the chaos of miscommunication, we live in the
promise of the day when God will reverse it. The life, death, and resurrection
of the Son of God is the full payment for all sins. The cross is God's oath
that He will restore perfect communication.
We hear a little of that in the account of Pentecost, our Epistle reading.
Each person heard the plan of God's salvation in their own native tongue. Not
in the babble of a foreign language, but in words they were familiar with. To
expand a bit on that, Peter spoke, and the Medes, Cretans, Romans, and every
other person heard his own native language. It was not as if Peter spoke
Greek, Matthew spoke Egyptian, John spoke Cappadocian and other disciples each
spoke one another language.
The same Holy Spirit Who intercedes for us with groans too deep for words
(Rom 8:26) was at work on Pentecost. By His authority, people were hearing
God's plan for rescue. In a miracle that too many people make smaller, God
temporarily reversed the curse of the Tower of Babel so the disciples of Jesus
were not babbling: they were clearly communicating the most important Name;
the most crucial message in the universe.
People heard of Name of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, Who lived among
us. The name they (and we) look to for all good is that Name. It is the only
Name under heaven by which anyone can be saved. It is the Name which has been
spoken all over our world since the first Pentecost. It is the Name which is
the reason for this church. They heard the Name of Christ clearly.
In Holy Baptism, the Spirit puts the Name of Christ on us. He unites us
today as the body of Christ in the one Holy Christian church we confess in the
Apostles Creed. Although the languages of mankind are still confused, the
Gospel of Jesus Christ is the common idea or communication that unites us and
all believers over the centuries and all the earth.
The 3rd Person of the Trinity works in you each time you are gathered in
God's House to hear His Law and Gospel. The Spirit toils to give us a right
understanding of God's mercy in Christ. He labors so we will rejoice in God's
consolation in Christ: He is our peace in this troubled world.
The Holy Spirit tells us in Acts 2:17 when Jesus Ascended into heaven and
Pentecost occurred, that marked the beginning of the Last Days. The Last Days
began about 2,000 years ago, contrary to what some may feel is a more recent
event. When Christ Returns, God will unconfuse communication so we will
worship Him with one voice in heaven. Until that Day of the final Pentecost or
Harvest, He fills us with His Spirit to strengthen our Christian faith and tell
others the Good News of Jesus. Until that Day, He gives us total forgiveness,
power, and peace.
In the strength of Christ, we work to overcome our many communication
problems: to live in faith and to help others. With Christ for us, we love
others with our actions and tell them about His cross. We love Him and keep
His Words (John 14:23).
The historical account of the Tower of Babel reminds us of our arrogance,
and some of the many consequences for our rebellions. But it also points us to
God's only salvation in Christ.
As God's people, we look forward to His Return. We also want people of
every language, tribe, tongue, and ethnicity to hear the message of hope in
Name of Christ. In the power of God's Word and Spirit, may we be joyful in His
Word and tell the whole world His mercy endures forever! Amen.
Pastor Michael Harman,
St. Peter LCMS - Newell, IA
vacancies at ...
Immanuel, Pomeroy
First Evangelical, Fonda
My apologies for not filling in the references of Bible verses or Confessions
or church fathers this week... Most of them are obvious.
