Faithful Writers

What possible value could I be to God? Photo by Dynamic Wang on Unsplash I wonder if you are like me. Do you ever say, “Surely, God made a mistake in choosing me. There is nothing worthy in me, nothing of value to offer”? I’m a nobody. I keep messing up. I keep making bad choices. I’ve done nothing substantial with my life. What did God see in me that made Him think I could ever be of value to Him? Spiritually, I’m a loser. I’m broke. Nobody else needs me. Why would God need me? “Oh, the staggering bravery of God in entrusting His purposes to us!” -Oswald Chambers That is precisely why He chooses us. The journey with Jesus is never about what we bring to the table, but about what He deposits within us. I often admire those with great natural gifts and assume their talents will make them exceptional Christians. They have keen intellects and are dripping with intelligence. Yep, they are waaaay more qualified than I am. “That writer is amazing. So naturally talented. I bet God will use that person in a big way to bring Him glory. So smart. So gifted. Looks good, smells good, sounds good-the whole package. That’s a world-changer right there.” But true spiritual effectiveness springs from poverty of spirit. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Wait, what? Does the true kingdom of Jesus look more like the guy delivering mail to the top floor than the C-level exec with the corner office? As followers of Jesus, we are not here to fulfill our own dreams or agendas. We are here to be aligned with God’s will — completely and unequivocally. We attempt great and mighty things, hoping to “please daddy” in heaven. But that’s not what He is looking for. God prefers quality time over impressive gifts. It took me decades to understand that God prefers humble dependence over powerful independence. He’d rather I lean my head on his shoulder than toss him the keys to a Maserati. It almost seems backwards. The church is getting it wrong. We aren’t dropping our nets to follow Jesus. We are getting more nets and additional boats. We are building a fleet. But what Jesus would prefer is a small, intimate fish breakfast over a campfire on the beach. Fleets are cool. But conversations with the King of Kings are cooler. The most vital aspect of our Christian life is not the visible work we do, but the relationship we maintain with Jesus. Out of that abiding relationship flows influence, power, and fruit ( John 15:4-5 ). God does not ask us to maintain perfect productivity, but to maintain perfect connection. It is this relationship, cultivated in quietness, prayer, repentance, meditation, trials, and trust, that He craves. The greatest calling is not to be impressive for God, but to be intimately available to Him. To walk in daily dependence, humility, and communion — this is the ground where His glory is made known through our weakness. “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards… But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…” (1 Corinthians 1:26–29)“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)“Abide in Me, and I in you..for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5) This article is a crazy concept. It’s the “anti-Darwin”- survival of the unfittest. Cream doesn’t rise to the top in the Kingdom of God. What makes it to the future is what has sunk to the lowest point. And doesn’t have a clue how to rise. It’s a spiritual “Cinderella story”. God chooses the ugly ducklings and makes them His shining treasures of beauty. The last becomes the first. And the losers become the winners. So be encouraged today, you losers! Take heart, you misfits! Have hope, you untalented, unloved, despised, uncouth, lower-class rejects! There is a day coming when all I have written in this article will come to pass. You’ll see. Read this scripture twice: “He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among nobles, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order.” 1 Sam 2:8 Why did God choose you? He believes in you more than you believe in yourself. And He is going to show you what a genius potter can do with a cold, hard lump of clay. He will turn you into a work of art so dazzling it will shame everything in the Louvre . I believe that once we grasp this counter-cultural premise, we will be able to stop self-sabotaging and doubting ourselves, and nestle into the warm embrace of God. It’s what He wanted all along. Thank you for reading this. Remember that fire on the beach I mentioned? © I.M. Koen   Read more here: Jesus Wants to Make You Breakfast. Are There Mexican Angels? Why God Eavesdrops on You. Ruth 2:12 to you and yours! -Issachar

Depression is a part of the human experience, but it isn’t your fault, nor a sin. Unsplash.com When life gets overwhelming and the weight of the world seems to be crushing you from the inside out, turning to the Psalms can offer rest, and, more importantly, reassurance.  I have previously written about this in The Beauty of Psalms .  “We will have struggles, emotional glitches, and hot mess express moments where we cry out to God, and that is ok. He is our Mighty Counselor after all.” Depression and Anxiety are real co nditions, it is not a sin. You have done nothing wrong. As a person who has dealt with severe depression and still deals with Anxiety, I used to think I was the cause, I had done something wrong, and that I was sinning, and this was a punishment from God.  Unfortunately, these are commonly held views by many churches and/or churchgoers still. This is where I got the idea that I was the problem and suffered immensely for years because of it.  Well, I’m here again to reassure you that even some of the greatest people in the Bible suffered Depression and Anxiety, and the Lord still wanted them for His work and more assuredly LOVED them despite their conditions and did not blame them for it. Depression and anxiety are medical conditions, just like Diabetes, Asthma, and Arthritis. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise; if they do, just walk away, find real support from God and others who respect your battle. Also, I want you to take any blame or doubt you may be holding over yourself, and cast it off. Let the Psalms calm, reassure, and hold you close to God. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91: 1–2) “Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.” (Psalm 16:1) Whoever clings to me I will deliver; whoever knows my name I will set on high.All who call upon me I will answer; I will be with them in distress. (Psalm 91:14–15) “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the contrite of spirit.” (Psalms 34:18) I was already going to tell you, just as the author of the article below suggests. Grab hold of one or two verses, hold on to them tight, and don’t let go.  I wanted to provide a list of Bible verses for you to read when you are struggling, and to be able to bookmark it. Emily doesn’t just provide verses, she also tells how Psalms 13 brought her through an enormously hard storm. New Hope Nation, 50 Bible Verses to Help You Find Comfort   by Emily Rico. You may also wish to check this 👇 out, where I talk about Paul, who had at the very least an anxiety attack at one point. “ Real Christians” shouldn’t experience fear. — Wait. What about Paul, then? First published in Frontier Writers on Medium. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

(Please be aware that this article discusses childhood sexual abuse.) Johannes Plenio Springtime invites the promise of flowers yet to be seen, green grasses coming out of hiding, and stormy nights. I readily embrace the new flowers and budding grass, often bringing out my camera to get up close and capture the beauty of those fresh moments so I never forget them. But one thing the summer brings that I can never forget is the promise of nighttime storms that steals my breath and tangles my heart. For so long, I have fought and battled to win my freedom from many childhood memories, but this one is the constant; this one I haven’t won yet. Each spring, when I have had my wintertime reprieve and it is but a distant fading memory, the first storm claps its hands and screams its mayhem. Like the boogie man in the closet, it comes out just when you're ready to sleep, believing you’re safe and it’s only your imagination. In the distance, I hear the rumble. I look outside and see that it is darkening; the evening is coming faster than the storm, and I can’t stop the clock racing to sunset. When it gets here, I am trapped, trapped by the moon. As the claps get closer, I feel the panic rising, my heart races, and my body revolts. With each new clap, I’m dragged backward in time. I try to stop the fall. I kick and scream, flailing my arms out, but I’m not able to hold on to the here and now. I don’t want to go back there. I open my eyes and I find I have reached the bottom of time. I stand naked in blackness, trembling, breathing too hard, heart pounding, screaming to be let go of. I can fight my way through time, distance, and memory, but not this one. This one was the one that broke me, and the deepest wound I have. A wound that changed the very essence of who I should have been. I stand there peering in the darkness, alone and naked. As each clap hits, the room becomes brighter, I can see more coming into focus. I want to close my eyes to what I know is coming, but how can one leave a child so young, so alone? I can’t, but I am also conflicted in my reactions, but I need to be the strength I have fought for and won, even as her world crumbles before me. I am both forced to be her witness and need to be her witness. I need to respect the terror, the pain, and the innocence ripped from her body. She is me. I stand rooted in place as each thunderclap bring more light into our memory. I stand on the blackened outskirts of our memory and watch her as she leaves her body and comes to stand next to our bed. She is so young, so innocent, so beautiful. I watch her as she watches the moment our innocence is violently robbed from us. How he used a thunderstorm to hide the sounds and his presence from the rest of the household. She glances around and watches the storm light up the room, looks to the door, hoping for help, then back again. No one is coming; she is alone, and her body loses its rigid stance, and she accepts her fate that night. I am behind her, she doesn’t know I’m there, silently witnessing this moment again with her. I want to reach out and touch her shoulder, reassure her that this, too, shall end. Turn her so we are looking at each other, not our memory of that thunderstorm, to show her who we have become, the strength we hold, the memories we have already conquered together. But I can’t, not yet, at least. Her pain is too raw; she still feels that night, but we are separated from it. I know this because I still come to her naked at each thunderstorm; that is why I don’t turn her around to show her who we have become. So I stand behind her and whisper words of love, beauty, and hope. Words she doesn’t fully understand yet, but one day will. I will come to her, clothed, and turn her around. Together, we will finally be able to put our worst memory aside, I will no longer be dragged into the pits of hell every time I hear a thunder clap at night. Until that day, I will stand behind her silently, witnessing and acknowledging the horror that was done to us that night, never pretending it didn’t happen, and continue to whisper words of hope and healing to us. The need to write this out has never come before, it was so strong it stopped me at every turn. I was unable to focus on anything else I was writing; I even dreamed of it and felt the words on my fingertips just waiting for release. And now I know why: she wasn’t holding onto the memory; I was. I had to step away many times, writing this because the tears wouldn’t stop, and the sobs that would hit me hurt my body. She was looking around in our memories for me, waiting for me to clothe myself. She knew all along I was there, but it wasn’t her who needed to heal, her time in the distant past is just that. The past. I needed to heal, I needed to release this memory that I was keeping her trapped in. I needed the courage to clothe myself and turn her around. That is what I have been fearing this whole time. I see it now, I feel it now. I was afraid of what her face would tell me. Would I see fear, anger, disappointment, or blame? I turned her around, I saw a smile. © Jane Isley First Published in Know Thyself, Heal Thyself on Substack. From the writer: Since I have written this I have been through a couple of thunderstorms. This memory I held onto for my entire life is now a faded memory or a memory, if that makes sense. I am still not a fan of the surprise loud thunder that shakes the house (who is, really?) and do startle for a moment when a large lightening bolt lights up the window. But, I no longer feel the dread, the sickness, or fear that used to come with the sounds of distant rumblings heading our way. That is all gone, I do still have some PTSD remnants left inside my body that I believe may always be there to some extent because my body remembers that night, but I haven't thought of that night since I wrote this. Ironically I'm uploading this as a giant thunderstorm is coming in and I'm excited to get to enjoy seeing the brilliant lighting light up the sky, watch the clouds rolling in and waiting to rush around if I need to bring stuff indoors. Healing from childhood sexual violence does not come over night. I was 4 when this happened to me and I am know 42, but I always keep myself open to God's timing when it's come to the healing pieces of me that are still stuck in the past, I know there's a few more in me and their time will come, He will let me know. The peace from healing far out weights to fatigue of holding them all in. And yes, when I'm curious and think of me at 4, I still see a clothed, happy and smiling little girl. © Jane Isley

Not just the Old Testament as some like to argue. Aaron Burden A specific thing from the textbook (anthropology student here. Textbook; Invitation to World Religions) that I thought was incorrect or should have been explained as having other points of view was on p. 460, where the authors talked about “ God-breathed ” and “ divinely inspired ” Scripture. The textbook asserts that the reference made in 2 Timothy 3:16 , " All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," was only talking about the Old Testament, or Jewish scriptures, because the New Testament, or the letters and text written by the apostles, was not yet recognized as Scripture. I disagree with this statement, and I feel many other Christians would as well because the New Testament works were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The next sentence in the textbook acknowledges that 2 Peter 1:21 describes the prophets of the Old Testament as being men who “ spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. ” This passage follows into the argument of why the New Testament is considered God-breathed, as the apostles and those who believe in Jesus’ resurrection are baptized by the Holy Spirit (NIV, 1973/2011, Acts 2:38–39 ), therefore receiving the gifts of the Spirit (NIV, 1973/2011, 1 Cor. 12:1–11 ). This, along with the events in all of Acts 2 , proves to me that the texts of the New Testament are indeed God-breathed, as the writers had the Holy Spirit within them. © Maia Vashti Reference: Brodd, J., Little, L., Nystrom, B., Platzner, R., Shek, R., & Stiles, E. (2021). Invitation to World Religions (4th ed., pp. 475, 492, 494). Oxford University Press Academic US.

Today we begin Genesis Chapter 10. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here . For the King James version, click here . So Chapter 10 presents us with the Table of Nations that branched out from Noah’s three sons Shem, Japheth, and Ham. There are two reasons we should be intensely interested in this information. First, each and every one of us is a descendant of Noah. Second, the prophecies that Noah pronounced on his three sons are still in effect today and will continue to play their course until the coming of the messiah. So let’s take a look at the descendants of Japheth who for the most part ended up occupying Europe. Please be advised, however, that the following is by no means a 100% comprehensive record. JAPHETH In chapter 10, seven sons of Japheth are listed. They are Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Tiras and Meschech. Here is a quick snapshot of where they are today: Gomer: The descendants of Gomer generally settled in what is today Wales and Great Britain. Magog: The descendants of Magog became the Russian peoples. Madai: The descendants of Madai became the Medes. Javan: Generally speaking, the descendants of Javan became the Greeks. It is also interesting to note that one of Javan’s sons Tarshish has become what is today modern day Spain. Tarshish is mentioned in a prophecy in the Book of Isaiah 60:1–12. Tubal: A bit of controversy on this one. However, I’ll go with Josephus’s take on the matter, who identifies the descendants of Tubal with the Iberians, that is, the inhabitants of a tract of country between the Caspian and Euxine Seas, which nearly corresponded to modern Georgia. Tiras: From Tiras came a group of people known as the Thracians who became the Macedonians from whom Alexander the Great came. Meschech: The descendants of Meshech were believed to have originated from the northeast of Asia Minor, particularly in the area that is now Turkey. Then they traveled north and settled in Rosh, which is modern-day Russia. © Richoka

Nora Gwen was born and raised as a strong believer who later went astray as a prodigal, struggling in sin and suffering its consequences as a result. Since repenting and being born again, experiencing a spiritual awakening, Nora has returned home to Our Heavenly Father (by inviting Jesus into her heart forever-literally) who has blessed her with a new name “Grateful Gwen” and a clear purpose to be salt and light through reading, writing, praying, counseling, and mentoring. She knocked and the door opened. She continues to seek and find, more is revealed one day at a time!  Nora Gwen

Here’s a little tip for you when studying the Bible. Many times, you will encounter the same person or place in Scripture but with different names. Many factors come into play here. The name could change depending on which nation the person resided in. There may be a huge gap between when a given event occurred and when it was recorded. Names, cultures, and languages evolve and change over the years, and such variation needs to be taken into account when studying the Bible, especially since it spans over 4000 years of history. So from verse 6, the genealogy of Ham is reported. Decoded into modern-day names, Cush became Ethiopia, Mizraim became Egypt, Put became Libya, and Canaan became what is today Israel. However, Israel still has yet to conquer all of the land that God bequeathed to them. The truth is that many of the folks residing in the Middle East today come from the cursed line of Ham. However, the Arabs are an exception and do not stem from the line of Ham. They come from the Godly line of Shem. However, a good majority of them have given up their Godly heritage by worshipping the God of Islam, whom they call Allah. This brings up a good point that bears repeating. It doesn’t matter which line you were born into. Even if you were born into the cursed line of Ham, you don’t have to stay in that line. Back in the days of Moses and even today, one could become an Israelite by choosing to identify with them by converting. The opposite is also true. One can join the line of Ham and unwittingly make oneself an arch-enemy of God. The German people did this during the days of Hitler, and now many Arabs have also done so. Moving on, we are told that Cush ( modern-day Ethiopia ) was the father of Nimrod. This may or may not come as a surprise to some, but Cush was a black man. Both Jewish tradition and many ancient miniature statues and sketches testify to Nimrod’s negroid features. We are told that Nimrod was the first mighty empire builder. He founded Bavel, which became Babylon. We are told that Bavel was located in the Land of Shinar, which is modern-day Iraq. Take a look at verses 9–11. He was a mighty hunter before Adonai — this is why people say, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Adonai.” His kingdom began with Bavel, Erekh, Akkad and Kalneh, in the land of Shin‘ar. Ashur went out from that land and built Ninveh, the city Rechovot, Kelach,…- Genesis 10:9–11 So who in the heck is “ Asshur?" “Asshur ” is actually the Assyrian name for Nimrod. Nimrod is a Babylonian name. So verses 10 and 11 are actually talking about the same man using two different languages. Let’s take a look at verses 13 and 14. “And the Lehabites and the Naphtuhites, and the Pathrusites, and the Casluhites, and the Caphtorites f rom whom the Philistines emerged. ” Here is an interesting fact that maybe you did not know. The modern word for the “Philistines” is Palestine. However, most of the self-proclaimed Palestinians are actually Arabs who came to Israel seeking primarily manual labor on factories and farms. Nevertheless, though stemming from the line of Shem, these Arabs have made a calculated and deliberate decision to identify themselves as Palestinians, since the ancient Philistines were the mortal arch-enemy of Israel. © Richoka

That’s What Supple Dames are Made Out Of unsplash.com Lying still on the cold floor, right cheek pressed against the tile in a feeble attempt to revive her memory, she asks herself. What was his name? God, I don’t remember, suddenly shifting to an Indian-style sit-sy. She’s also clutching a fistful of hair, as if to rip some out, while thanking her heavenly father, once again, for keeping her. Elbows shaking as she grips the kitchen table queasily, and miraculously , she pulls herself up from the yoga pose and hopefully back to right-standing. Commanding herself to breathe, deep, evenly paced breaths return. As fresh air fills her lungs, she curiously scans her mind. Seriously, what just happened? It’s like I’m waking up from a bad dream. Wasn’t I just walking to class? How did I get here? Grimacing, now noticing a severe headache forming, she lifts the back of her hand to wipe her sweaty brow, while checking for a fever. She feels normal, but she’s not. She finally realizes she’s hungover. Oh. Now, she sees. She failed. Like a safety counter at work, the reset button has been pressed, and she’s back to day one. How many days was that? She squints to recall. Oh yeah, eleven months and 14 days, a new record, but she’s not in the mood to celebrate. She’s disgusted. One cheap night, and now she has to pick up new pieces to add to her already well-defined border of brokenness. Curse it. How many times is it going to take for her to realize she is not alone in this? Her mentor keeps telling her to call if the temptation gets to be too much, but she keeps forgetting. Besides, she doesn’t know anything about being a “good” Christian. The only way she ever learns anything is through so why should her relationship with Christ be any different? And yet, somehow, it is different. She doesn’t want to take the trip to the health department to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases this time. It’s embarrassing, but she’s so full of fear that she goes time after time. I mean, even less than two years ago, it was like every other month. She’s read that God loves her, that Christ has set her free to live a victorious life over sin, so why does she keep blowing it? Her fist pounds the wobbly metal table, hoping the inanimate object will let out the scream she can not. Instead, she faintly whispers. “Jesus, if you are really here. If you can really help me, please, please take these desires.” You know I can’t stop alone. I have been lying with various men for years now, each has made his mark on me, but I can’t do it anymore. God, please.” She reaches for a chair and pulls it out to sit a moment, plopping down with slumped shoulders, and begins to cry. “Lord, why must I learn everything the hard way?” She doesn’t remember how long she has been seated in this moment, but she does realize something is different this time. She’s been saved nearly four years now, and she knows even more than the last time that she should NOT have hopped into bed with this guy. After all, Christ is firmly within her heart, but she admits, it’s been tough. She no longer uses drugs to numb her pain, so what else is she supposed to do? She also knows she’s an addict through and through and she thoroughly enjoys using lovers as highs. NO. This madness has got to stop! Feverishly searching for her Bible, her hand lands on it beneath a stack of psychology textbooks. Relieved, she prays. “God, I need you. Please answer me now.” Quietly, nearly indiscernibly, the Holy Spirit meets her in this space, and a couple of words from a Psalm written by David come to mind. She performs a quick online word search and finds it. Psalm 34 verse 18, she reads, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Yes. My God, yes. That’s what I really need. I need YOU. She closes the good book confidentially and presses it into her delicate chest. The warmth of her Savior is here. His breeze gently fills her spirit, and she is sorry. She is very sorry, and she thanks the Lord for humbling her. For helping her to see the wickedness in the choices she’s making, and she weeps loud, bitter, cleansing tears. This gritty dame finally realizes something. It is through her brokenness that Christ shines brightest. It’s not by ignoring each crack, or trying to separate herself from her bad habits and affection towards men. No, it is simply by embracing the very fabric of who she is that has created the dynamic resiliency she is experiencing right now. There will always be plenty of men, on plenty of occasions, to sweep her off her feet and right off into his bed, but she recognizes that none of them will ever fill her like Jesus. He is making something different. Not a one of them, not even a husband, perhaps two decades in, could reach this sacred oven. It is Christ’s throne room, and it is only accessible to Him because it was created by him, for his glory alone. Perhaps, the dark matter, splash of diethyl ether, and a couple of siren tails are not what little girls are made of, but grit and darkly founded determination have created an unparalleled loyalty, and Jesus and she are thick as thieves. None of the glorious freedom, nor the healing rhythms she’s experiencing in Christ, would be possible apart from the ingredients God used to fashion her. No sugar, no spice, and not much nice, but this dame is certain. Life, nor death, nor a man, nor many will ever be able to separate her from the cookie sheet of His eternal love, and armed with that newfound, never to be taken away from her knowledge, she understands that she is what she is, and she continues. © Freshly Squeezed Chronicles

In Genesis 10:21 we come to the blessed line of Shem. From this line came both the Arabs and the Israelites , from whom the Messiah would be born . ChatGPT And although I cannot say this with 100% accuracy, possibly the far eastern asian races (the Chinese and Japanese) come from this line as well. Notice that in verse 22, the name Asshur appears again. However, this is a different person than the conqueror of empires we were introduced to a few verses earlier. Again, just as in our day, the same names for different people can appear a number of times. Notice it says that Shem was the father of the descendants of Eber. “Eber” is the forerunner of the word Hebrew and it means to “cross over” or “pass through." Abraham, who we are going to be introduced to soon, is the first individual called a Hebrew. The name was applied to him because he left his native land to “cross over” to a new land that God would show him. Next it says that Eber had two sons named Peleg and Yoktan. The word Peleg means division. From the line of Peleg would come Abraham from whom would come the Israelites. So we can see that God places great importance on family lines and that He is continually in the process of dividing and separating a holy nation unto Himself. This is quite opposite to today’s political climate which is always attempting to harmonize and unify every religion and belief system under the sun. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT …the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg , the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah…, -Luke 3:34–36 © Richoka

Today, we begin Genesis Chapter 11. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here . For the King James Version, click here . “Come, let’s build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth. ” -Genesis 11:4 The story of the Tower of Babel is the story of anti-God imperialistic ambition. The whole world spoke one language, making everyone feel united and powerful. This story reminds me of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II. Germany wanted to take over all of Europe. Japan wanted to be ruler over all Asia. They both wanted to establish new orders in their respective countries that would last a thousand years. No wonder these two nations became partners during World War II. Both Germany and Japan had great ambitions for their nations, but they were NOT God’s ambitions. The story of Babel is exactly the same. It is the story of mankind unwilling to accept subordination to their Creator by building a tower “ to make a name for ourselves and not be scattered ." The people went against God’s command to literally spread out and populate the planet. Can you see the serious dangers technology poses when people don’t revere God? The first hint of rebellion is that we’re told the world’s population journeyed from the East . Remember, whenever we encounter the direction East, it’s almost always connected to God. In this case, we’re told that mankind moved AWAY FROM the East as opposed to MOVING TOWARDS the East. In other words, mankind wanted to separate themselves and be independent of God. They wanted to make a name for themselves. They wanted to establish their own city-state, their own tower in their own one language. This desire is at the heart of nationhood to this very day! And God wasn’t going to have any of it. He came down and stopped them. He confused their languages and forced them to scatter across the earth per His original command. You see unity in the sense that mankind, including the church, defines it as a false doctrine. The world during this time had a unified vision and purpose that they thought was good. Yet when we examine the Scriptures, we do NOT see God unifying. We see God dividing, electing, and separating! Moving forward in our Torah study, when we see Israel wind up in Egypt… And when we begin studying the Levitical (priestly) laws… We’ll see God hammer home repeatedly to Israel to separate themselves from unholy nations and customs… And make distinctions between the clean and unclean… And the pure and impure in every area of their lives. In conclusion, the story of Babel informs us that ALL nations except Israel have at the origin of their history rebellion against God. And God has appointed a day when He will judge this rebellion. The fact that this judgment has not yet come is because He is still giving us a chance to repent and return to Him. He is willing that not any should perish. Ya feel me? CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.-Acts 17:31 Therefore, “ Come out from them and be separate , says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”-2 Corinthians 6:17 © Richoka