“Let Us Go Down”
Read Genesis 11:5–7 and Psalm 139:7–12. Why did God come down to
the earth here? What was the event that motivated this divine reac-
tion?
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Ironically, although the men were going up, God had to come down
to them. The descent of God is an affirmation of His supremacy. God
will always be beyond our human reach. Any human effort to rise up
to Him and to meet Him in heaven is useless and ridiculous. No ques-
tion, that’s why, in order to save us, Jesus came down to us; there was,
indeed, no other way for Him to save us.
A great irony in the Tower of Babel account is seen in God’s state-
ment: “to see the city and the tower” (Gen. 11:5). God did not have to
come down to see (Ps. 139:7–12; compare with Ps. 2:4), but He did
so anyway. The concept emphasizes God’s involvement with humanity.
Read Luke 1:26–33. What does this teach us about God’s coming
down to us?
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The descent of God reminds us also of the principle of righteousness
by faith and of the process of God’s grace. Whatever work we may
perform for God, He will still have to come down to meet with us. It is
not what we do for God that will bring us to Him and to redemption.
Instead, it is God’s move toward us that will save us. In fact, the text
in Genesis talks twice about God going “down,” which seems to imply
how much He cared about what was happening there.
According to the text, the Lord wanted to put an end to the people’s
deep-seated unity, which—given their fallen state—could lead only to
more and more evil. That’s why He chose to confuse their languages,
which would bring an end to their united schemes.
“The schemes of the Babel builders ended in shame and defeat. The
monument to their pride became the memorial of their folly. Yet men are
continually pursuing the same course—depending upon self, and reject-
ing God’s law. It is the principle that Satan tried to carry out in heaven;
the same that governed Cain in presenting his offering.”—Ellen G.
White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 123.
How do we see in the Tower of Babel account another example
of human hubris and how, ultimately, it will fail? What personal
lessons can we take from this story?