God in the Midst of the Tower of Babel

 

Bible translation is a major facet of DOOR’s ministry, helping to supply Deaf communities worldwide with the gospel in their heart languages. Many of the Deaf translators working on the sign language translations discover gems of truth during the translation process.

Deaf translator *Ukesh shared the following with his team after working on the translation of Genesis 11:1-9, “The Tower of Babel.”

In particular, verse 4 really stood out to Ukesh.

Ukesh said: “This is a vivid example of selfishness and pride. The main goal of building the tower of Babel was for the people to establish themselves, and their pride put them above the Creator. It was a very human decision to make. The selfish nature of human beings challenged me with many questions. Am I indulging in pride by boasting about my achievements rather than lifting up God’s name? Am I so selfish that I forget to be mindful of my Creator and His creation? Am I trying to establish myself instead of glorifying God?”

“In the midst of all those questions, I could feel the still small voice of God telling me that I am dependent on Him. When I depend upon Him, He is there to help, guide, care for, and love me.”

“He is not asking me to build a tower for Him. He is rather asking me to depend on Him to make my journey His.”

 

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’”

*—not real name

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