Babel

Throughout history, and quite often in Sunday School, we have been taught that the sin of Babel is the sin of Icarus - we flew too close to the sun and so God (or the gods in the case of the wax wings) cast us back to earth to teach us a lesson. Our achievements were too great. We were too high on ourselves.

Now, don't get me wrong - we humans do love to think of ourselves as the Greatest Of All Time far too often when it is not warranted in the slightest. We enjoy being the smartest one in the room. We want to lord it over anyone and everyone we can. That part of the interpretation is correct.

They're just in the wrong story.

Babel is actually a story of sameness. Of uniformity. Of ethnocentrism.

After the great flood, the people have multiplied on the earth. Again. Only this time, they have decided to work together to build something. A monument to their greatness.

But before there were calves of gold, there were towers to glorify how everyone was the same. Same tongue. Same clothes. Same party games. Same interests. Same likes and dislikes. Same hatreds. I would even bet same skin-tones (but maybe that's me imposing my modern viewpoint back into the text.)

God saw what was happening and shot down the tower, dispersing the people - confusing their language.

It was a punishment. But it was also a blessing.

On diversity. On otherness. On distinctiveness.

As Morgan Freeman once said, "God loves wondrous variety."

So, come take a closer look on the babel God gave us and one of my favorite children's Bible stories.

Blessings,

Rev. Janie