Why did God scatter people across the globe and confuse their languages? The Scriptural interpretation for an offended God is often based on a literal reading of Genesis 11:4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens.” But why would God be angry with people for plotting to fabricate some skyscraping tower? I don’t know any stupid architects. No one can build anything that reaches heaven. Therefore, there had to be something about the purpose of the tower that drew God’s wrath. Marvin Rosenthal provides us analysis from his careful research.
The purpose of the tower of Babel was not to literally reach heaven—the ancients knew better than that—but to build a platform from which to better observe the heavenly bodies and practice astrology and worship of the sun. It was also intended to unify mankind into one kingdom, in direct defiance of God.
Pastor Chuck Swindoll, noted, “In Shinar a Ziggurat taller than all the others was uncovered with signs of the Zodiac etched into the stonework up towards its peak—a religious shrine.”
Meditation
Matthew 18:19—Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.
Agreement is a power spiritual principle. Matthew 18:19 looks like a prayer formula. But we must understand that the context by which agreement is consummated is made clear by the succeeding verse, “For where two or three come together in My Name, there am I with them.” When we come together in prayer in Jesus’ Name, this demands that we be in obedience to His will. We learn this by more fully studying the concept of agreement in Scripture. Jesus prayed in John 17:11, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name—the Name You gave Me—so that they may be one as We are One.” Whenever Jesus speaks of unity in John 17, it is always defined by agreement and obedience to God’s plan and will. Similarly, when Jesus speaks of name, He speaks of authority and power that is objectively harmonious.
To bring Jesus into our requests without a careful understanding of His will is sacrilegious. Spiritual agreement is prayer that asks what God already wants. And we learn what He wants by closely studying Scripture and carefully following the leading of His Holy Spirit.
That agreement is exceedingly important is aptly illustrated by the Babel account. When mankind came together in sinful agreement, God was profoundly offended, noted the potential for unbridled evil and took decisive action. Conversely, whenever believers gather for prayer correctly agreed in Jesus’ Name, heaven comes down and glory fills our souls!
Inspiration
Agreement in purpose on earth must not be taken to mean a predetermination to agree together to storm God’s fort doggedly till He yields. It is far from right to agree beforehand over what we want, and then go to God and wait, not until He gives us His mind about the matter, but until we extort from Him permission to do what we had made up our minds to do before we prayed. We should rather agree to ask God to convey His mind and meaning to us in regard to the matter.—Oswald Chambers in Christian Discipline
