When Government Replaces God – Part 1 America has declared it’s independence from God. When the Government says that God can’t be here, can’t be there, it is saying that the Government is above God in the USA, and you will obey the Government, before you obey God. But this is nothing new. In the early times of the new world that God created, man was already looking for ways to put himself above God, and be independent of Him. In Genesis 11:4 (NIV) you have a Declaration of Independence that says, “Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” These people wanted to establish themselves as their own god, they were proclaiming that the One true God would not rule over them, they could make a name for themselves, and rule themselves. Their tower would reach all the way into the heavens. They didn’t need God. What these people wanted is not much different than what our teenagers want today. They want independence from your rule and authority but they want to do it in your house. They want to eat your food, enjoy the heat in the winter and the cool in the summer. They want you to buy them the nicest tennis shoes, and brand new clothes; they still want to borrow the car after you just put gas in it. But they want to stay in their room, watch their own TV, listen to their own music on their own I-Pads, all the while enjoying all the benefits of your provisions. What teenagers often want in a house is that they want the benefits of their parents but without their involvement. Not much different that many of us today that call ourselves Christians, we want God’s benefits without His involvement in our lives, we don’t want Him telling us what to do. We say, “God don’t tell me what to do, don’t say I can’t, or shouldn’t do what I want to do”, but at the same time, we pray, “Oh God, please provide for me and keep food on my table.” “Don’t tell me what to do, but keep giving me new clothes, and give me a job that will allow me to buy that car and house I want.” “Keep blessing me, but don’t instruct me.” When America declared Independence from Britain, they also declared war! They had no choice because Britain was not about to let us go without a fight. Now in the same way, America is declaring independence from God. It shows itself in some of the most interesting of places. The Mayor of New York said that we don’t want any kind of religion represented at Ground Zero, only what is politically correct, religion has its own place and it is not here. God has been pushed out of our schools, His thoughts and Words have been pushed out of the court rooms. The right to life has been changed the right to chose death, and God has become nothing more than a bye word good for dedications and benedictions, as long as He doesn’t get in the middle of anything discussed in-between. Throughout the Scripture God pronounces a warning to the nations that forget Him. That when a nation forgets the God who rules over them that is not merely forgetting, but it is a Declaration of War! It is a Declaration of Independence, which automatically means a declaration of conflict. When the Americas declared Independence from Britain they lost their protection, their covering from any outside agency. Britain would not provide for them in any way, the only thing they would receive from Britain was war. The further God is removed from a life or a culture, the more the door is opened for them not to be covered or protected by God. In the Scripture above we see that the people wanted to do three things. They wanted to build a city, build a tower, and take a name for themselves. They wanted to do everything themselves, they wanted to make their own building materials, they made clay brinks, instead of stone, they used tar instead of mortar. If you know anything about building, you know that what they decided to do was impossible. Clay bricks would crumble and tar would not hold them together. They thought they were smarter than God. They thought that they had their own technology and could build a strong tower without any help from God. They thought they could become leaders in the world and everyone would know their name and what they accomplished. These people wanted to build their own city or civilization, and in the center of this city they wanted to build a tower. The city with its tower was named Babel. This isn’t just any tower, it is a religious symbol. The word "Babel" is composed of two words, "bab" meaning "gate" and "el," "god." and so it means, "the gate of god." The tower is designed to satisfy the spirit of man, where we see, reflected in these two things, a fundamental understanding of the nature of man as body, soul, and spirit. All are to be satisfied in these two elementary needs, the city and the tower. The Babylonians built great towers called ziggurats, which were built in a circular fashion with an ascending staircase that terminates in a shrine at the top, around which are written the signs of the zodiac. Obviously, the tower was a religious building, intending to expose man to the mystery of the heavens and the greatness of God. That, perhaps, is what is meant here by the statement that they intended to build a tower with its top in the heavens. They tower would be impressive, that is, it was a colossal thing for the men of that day to build and they may have thought of it as reaching into heaven. But they also unquestionably were thinking of it as a means of communication with God, of maintaining contact with him. God is not to be left out, you see, in the city of man. He is there, represented by this tower. However, the heart of the matter is made clear in these words, “let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Already a haunting fear had set in. They were conscious already of a disruptive influence in their midst, a force that was pushing them apart so they could not live too closely together and which would ultimately, they feared, scatter them abroad and leave them unknown, unhonored, living in isolated communities where they would be exposed to great danger. The fear of this caused them to build a tower and a city. The ultimate motive is expressed in these words, “let us make a name for ourselves.” God was left out of this equation! They still wanted religion, but not God. He was as far as they were concerned against them. They couldn’t do what they wanted when they wanted to do it. God’s name was still wanted, but not His involvement. Let’s continue with this next week in When Government Replaces God – Part 2 Until He comes! (Hosea 10:12)
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 02:17:30 +0000
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