May 10, 2015
Scripture:
Hymn 349 - News for little children
Prayer
We have been talking about Nehemiah and how he rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem. We also talked about Ezra and how he rebuilt the temple. And then there was Noah, who built the ark. All these men built something the Lord wanted them to build. Today we’ll look at a building that was just after Noah’s time, a building that God did not want the people to build.
After the flood, God made a promise to Noah that he would never flood the earth again, and said the rainbow was a symbol of this promise. Noah’s sons had families, and then they had families so the earth was once again populated.
Genesis 10:8-10, Genesis 11:1-9
Maybe this man, who’s name was Nimrod, was a leader in the building of the tower of Babel.
Since everyone was a descendant of Noah, they all spoke the same language. Everybody understood each other and there was no confusion.
The people were traveling and came across a plain and decided to make their home there. They had to make bricks (probably from mud) and cook them well, and then find slime to use for mortar. They were going to build a city with a tower that reached to heaven. Maybe they were worried about another flood and wanted to have a way of escape. They should have been putting their trust in the Lord for protection from harm, just as Noah had. God had not asked them to build this tower. He told Noah to build the ark, but He hadn’t told these people anything. It says that they did it to make themselves a name. It was a matter of pride.
The Lord saw what they were doing and knew they were doing it for themselves. The Lord knows man is evil, and always wants to do his own thing his way. The Lord knew that nothing would be able to restrain them from building the tower. They all had one language, so the Lord confounded their language. Now they couldn’t understand each other at all, and therefore they couldn’t build the tower of Babel.
Babel means confusion; and confusion is the result of not doing God’s will, but their own. God scattered them because what they were doing wasn’t going to bring honour to Him.
The first thing on a list that we had from a prayer of Nehemiah’s said that the Lord was the Creator. Read Ecclesiastes 12:1.
Solomon tells us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth. We are God’s because He made us and then He bought us back. We can have Him as our Saviour and build a life for God. We can be different from Nimrod and live our lives to bring Him honour and glory with what we do for Him.
Ephesians 1:1-14
As we mentioned last week, the first half of Ephesians is doctrinal, while the second half is practical. We learn to sit in the first half, and walk and stand in the second half. Ephesians contains the highest doctrine that we get in Scripture. We are seated in the heavenlies! You can’t get much higher than that.
There are similarities between Ephesians and Colossians, and according to Ephesians 6:21 and Colossians 4:7 Tychicus delivered both. However, Colossians doesn’t take us to heavenly places. We are told to seek things above in Colossians, but in Ephesians, we are above.
The Ephesians were ready for this truth. Paul wasn’t inspired to rebuke them; they were going on well, and so could receive high doctrine like this. That’s an exercise for us. How are we going on in the faith? What is the Lord able to bring to us; to make real?
In Romans, Paul starts by bringing out the gospel; but jumps right into taking the Ephesians into the heavenlies. In Galatians, he had to start by establishing his apostleship, but no need for that in Ephesians.
Paul addressed this epistle to the “saints in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus.” Some say that this greeting is to the assembly as a whole, and then to the individual saints. “Faithful” is a beautiful commendation, and in Darby’s translation is applied to both. May the Lord find us faithful!
Paul sent these believers grace and peace. He didn’t send them the law. If he did, there wouldn’t be any peace. That grace, Paul said, came from “God our Father.” That implies relationship. The Jews were God’s chosen people, but they only have temporal, earthly blessings. We have a relationship with God, and blessings through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are part of earth, and yet have been brought into a higher sphere. We are part of time, and yet have been brought into eternity and infinitude. God made us for this earth, but has also chosen to bring us to heaven. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ; all blessings, none are spared! Our “worst” day in heaven will be better than our best on earth, for we will be in eternal bliss. We can’t fully understand blessings like this, and don’t have the words to describe them!
We are blessed, or “made happy” in Christ, and that implies joy. We bless God, and that includes praising and glorifying Him.
When you look at the vastness of the universe—so little of which we can penetrate—it’s amazing to realize that God will one day fold it all up. He has an eternal heaven for His palace, and will welcome us there one day. We weren’t fit for it, but He has made us fit, at a high price. These are waters that can’t be passed over, but it’s nice to swim in them for a while. We can see the fringe of future blessings, and what an abundant portion is ours! We are already blessed, but may we go on in the anticipation of more to come!
Hymn 189, Little Flock Hymn Book — O God of matchless grace.
Prayer