A Call to Action: Fighting Babel

Day sixty-seven

I am particularly thankful for the priesthood in my home today.  We have had some opportunities lately to see the priesthood in action, and the many blessings that it brings.  I prayed with gratitude for the priesthood and its effects on those that are in my home.  I thanked the Lord for the teachings of the gospel that have led to the priesthood being in my home and the Spirit that it brings. And asked that we might always have these blessings in our home.

Today's scripture study:  Genesis Ch 10-11.  My focus is on ch 11:1-9 regarding the tower of Babel.

At first glance the city of Babel doesn't seem all that bad:
-Everyone speaks the same language (v 1)
-Nice location (a plain in the land of Shinar) (v 2)
-Industrious (let us make brick, let us build a city and a tower) (v 3-4)
-They talk of reaching heaven (v 4)
-They have pride in their work (let us make us a name) (v 4)
-There is a feeling of unity (lest we be scattered abroad) (v 4)

So what went wrong?  What did the Lord see when he came down that caused him to confound the language?  Here are some thoughts:

"Behold the people is one..." (v 6) Why would this be a problem?  In Gen 9:1 Noah and his sons were commanded to: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."  The word replenish in footnote c states: HEB fill.  They were commanded to fill the earth, yet they were still one when the Lord came down.  The scattering was necessary and we know this because the Lord uses the phrase or a variation of the phrase 'scattered abroad' three time in Genesis ch 11. (Gen 11:4, 8, 9).  They did not heed the Lord's commandment, so he helped them along by confounding the language.

"...and they left off to build the city" (v 8) What was wrong with building a city and a tower?  Speaking on this topic Donald W. Parry states: "It is an account of some of Noah’s descendants who set aside true temple worship and built a “pagan temple,” or “counterfeit temple,”  in the form of a great tower. Two statements hint at an attempt to build a temple: “Let us build … a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” (4) recalls one of the purposes of temples: to serve as places where God and man can meet. “Let us make us a name” (Gen 11:4) recalls another purpose of temples: to serve as holy places where individuals take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ." (Donald W. Parry, "The Flood and the Tower of Babel", Ensign, Jan. 1998, 35)

This was not a righteous endeavor, the people of Babel were a rebellious people, and under the leadership of King Nimrod they lacked real priesthood keys and the authority to build temples. The confounding of the language prevented further defilement of the Lord’s sacred ordinances.

What does this have to do with us today? 

We are now in a dispensation of gathering instead of scattering (D&C 133:4, 7). We also are no longer confounded in language, with the touch of a computer button we can send documents in many languages.  And the world is filled with industrious people who choose to work in unrighteous venues.

It's a little eerie to see so many parallels between Babel and our world today. So how do we prevent society from becoming another Babel? What is our part in fighting Babel?

Prepare Ourselves
It starts with each individual making a commitment to sanctify themselves, to prepare themselves, and to do God's will.  We must be spiritually prepared ourselves before we can help our families, friends and communities.  Fighting Babel is a work that commences in the heart of each person.

Love the Lord
We are commanded to "love the Lord thy God with all thine heart" (Deut.6:), and we have been counseled to "Plead with God in the name of Christ to write the gospel in your mind that you may have understanding and in your heart that you may love to do His will." (D. Todd Christofferson "When Thou Art Converted," (April 3, 2004).  Loving the Lord helps us know who we are fighting for. 

Listen to the Spirit
It is through your mind and in your heart that the Holy Ghost reveals truths to you (D&C 8:2).  The ability to discern good from evil will be necessary to fight the effects of Babel. 

Be an Example
We are commanded to ‘stand as a witness of God at all times’ (Mosiah 18:9).  The old adage of "Actions speak louder than words" is true when it comes to being a Christian.  We cannot be a hypocrite, we must live the life that we profess to believe in or we are not an effective example.

The story of Babel is told in nine verses in the Book of Genesis, yet it has implications to today's world, and after studying it, I understand that it is a call to action. The wickedness of Babel hasn't left, in fact, it appears to be growing.  The Lord did not stand around and watch, he took action!  I need to ask myself: Am I going to watch or take action?  Because I am a Christian and I love the Lord my answer has to be: I will take action.  I think a good place to start is to work on preparing myself.