Bad Decisions

Have you ever made a decision and regretted it later?  Oh yes, I sure have!  Oh, that I would put my trust in the best counsellor, the Word of God!  When I consult God’s Word first and rely upon Him to help me make the right decisions in life, how much better off I will be! 

Some Very Bad Decisions – Genesis 11:1-4

When the people started building the tower of Babel they were making decisions directly against God’s will.  He had told them they were to go and replenish the earth.

1. Decision of the whole earth to stay in one productive place – worldly wisdom
2. Decision to stay here so as not to be scattered upon the face of the whole earth 
3. Decision to build a city and tower that would rich heaven – Desire for worldly power
4. Decision to make themselves a name – Pride!

Consequences of Bad Decisions

Gen 11:5  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

The people were trying to make a name for themselves, but there is only one name to be honored.   The Lord came down and walked among men as the Son of God.  Jesus is the name above all names and the only name that should receive honor and glory.

The Lord came down to see what the people had built.  He didn’t have to come down.  He sees what we do all the time.  He sees what we are building.  Is our foundation built on Him or on things of this world?  (1 Cor. 3:11-12; 2 Tim.  2:19)

God saw that the people are one and that nothing would be restrained from their imagination.  Does your imagination ever run wild?  Do we imagine things that are totally against God, things that are for our own pleasure?  We see this all over the world today.  We are told to cast down imaginations and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.  We must bring these under the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)

And His mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.  Luke 1:50
He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  Luke 1:51

So God said “let us go down” (v7) 

Interesting that He says us (the trinity, God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit) Let us go down and confound the language so they will not understand one another.  Perhaps there are times when God steps in and confuses us in our thoughts and imaginations to keep us from being disobedient to Him.  

God’s will is accomplished

So the Lord

Scattered them – He forced them to do what they had been told to do.  God will accomplish His will however He wants.  

They left off to build the city.  The word Babel means confusion.  The city was named this because the Lord confounded the languages of all the earth and from there scattered the people abroad the face of all the earth.  This was His will in the first place.

God restrains the power of evil, and makes it serve Him

Why do people imagine vain things.  God who sits in the heavens shall laugh.  He will have them in derision. (Psalm 2:4)  

There will be no confusion of languages in heaven. We will all sing One New Song.  

God is merciful and He is not willing that any should perish.  It is of His mercies that we are not all consumed.  God in His mercy spared the people of the earth, but set about to accomplish His will for man to be fruitful and replenish the earth.  God in His mercy is still sparing the destruction of the world because He wants all to come to repentance.  Have you trusted Him as your Savior?