Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. As they traveled east they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”“

(Genesis 11:1-4)

When Noah came out of the ark, he worshipped God. God renewed His covenant with mankind, blessing Noah and his descendants. Whenever we are given freedom, we have a restriction that goes along with it. Without the restriction, we have no right to the authority that freedom brings. We prove we can handle our freedom and the authority that is ours to yield, by engaging our self-control and not violating the restriction. This is obedience. It is a simple thing that is not burdensome because of the great freedom we have in it (Matthew 11:28-30). What was the command of the Lord when He blessed humanity? “God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go out of the ship, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.”” (Genesis 8:15-17). The Complete Jewish Bible translates that last as “so that they can swarm on the earth, be fruitful and multiply on the earth“. The Modern English Version has it “so that they may breed abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth“. The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition also says “that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth“. Humanity was to multiply in what they did and knew (education and invention), multiply by breeding (population), and spread throughout the Earth (migration). This is the same assignment Adam had been given (Genesis 1:28). Humanity had fallen, so they could not spread the Garden over the Earth, but the basic assignment remained the same: fill the WHOLE planet. This is EXACTLY what humanity chose to disobey.

Babel wasn’t about humanity reaching heaven as a physical place. It was about making a monument so large that all of humanity would be drawn to it. It was about making their own strength so great that they would be unable to be pushed out of that valley/region. So that they would NOT spread. They were setting themselves against the Lord and His righteous commands. They declared their allegiance with the enemies of God. They were lining up against Him. And like cancer, it threatened to once again spread to ALL humanity (Genesis 6:5). God remembered His covenant with Noah and did not seek to destroy the Earth. Instead, God made sure that His will was carried out. He made it possible for humanity to spread throughout the Earth. He made it difficult for them to align together against Him. He gave them a chance to seek Him in groups, instead of being swayed by a single charismatic leader into disobedience. He added time to humanity’s chance to repent and turn to Him. The confusing of their language was a hard thing for humanity, but it was ultimately for their benefit.

After they spread, God was looking for someone to not only follow Him but also to teach their children how to follow Him. God was not interesting in a one-off (I’m sure He had many of those). God was looking for a chain. A growth throughout generations. A SPREAD that wasn’t just physical, but spiritual and relational (Isaiah 49:6). He found that in Abraham (Genesis 18:19). God looks for us to obey Him, follow Him, believe Him, and trust in Him. Not just in one thing, but in ALL things. No one does it perfectly – as we will see with Abraham and MANY others throughout scripture – but we are all called to walk that same walk. To follow Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.“

(Ephesians 6:10-13)

We can’t do it in ourselves. We need to do it in the Lord. We need to fight the battle of our minds: whether we will CHOOSE to pull down ungodly strongholds or whether we will CHOOSE to keep them up. Whether we will align with God’s moral character or whether we will stand against Him. We need to know proper behaviour. We need to utilize Jesus’ armour that He has given for us to equip ourselves with. We need to SPREAD God’s Light to ALL corners of our minds and hearts. And we need to teach our children so that the Light will spread, person to person, and grow throughout the Earth. In Jesus, we can do this. Standing on the Word, we can do this. Hand in hand with God, we can do this – because we engage His strength, His mercy, His goodness, and His love every step of the way.

Summary

God’s Light needs to spread. It needs to permeate our whole bodies. Every corner. Every fold. Every hidden place. In our minds, our hearts, and our mouths. We need to hold it before our eyes and make sure it flows through our ears. AND we need to spread it throughout the Earth. Taking it to people who may not have experienced it. Making sure to talk about it consistently. Share it. Develop it in our children. The Light is meant to SPREAD.