1) Here we are in Genesis chapter 11, picking it back up in verse 5.
We’re going to find out in this verse that God has a sense of humor.
That's right. Besides creating the things that have come along in nature,
including the invention of the mirror, the Lord tells a joke in verse 5.
Keep in mind, the people who gathered together to build the Tower of
Babel said they were going to build it up to heaven. So, the Lord,
"comes down" to see what they were building. If you’re missing it,
that’s the joke.
2) But here in this text, several incredible biblical principles emerge. The
first thing the Lord says is, "Look, if they can accomplish this, taking
advantage of their common language and their unity, they will be able to
accomplish anything they set out to do or seek to attempt." This is a key
principle: understanding the power of unity between God and you,
between your brothers and sisters in Christ, between husbands and
wives. Unity brings power; division brings destruction.
3) In almost a complementary fashion, the Lord says that nothing will be
impossible if they are unified. They can accomplish everything that is
set before them. But then the principles of heaven direct us to understand
that God is not going to allow this because He has not sanctioned it.
He’s going to give them different languages, and they will not be able to
understand each other. A person calling for brick and mortar will only
hear gibberish, and because they do not understand each other, they will
not be able to build.
4) The great lesson that comes from this also comes from Psalm 127:1:
"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." If the
Lord does not support the endeavor, it will not last. It may start, it may
look like it’s going to endure, but it will come crashing down or be left
incomplete. And if there is any resistance, the Lord will simply scatter
people to the north, south, east, and west. Everything we do must be in
partnership with God in order for it to be blessed and to have any
opportunity to be eternal; otherwise, we’re spinning our wheels.