DAY 209- BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE LAND
Reading: Genesis 11:1-9; Revelation 17
Yesterday, we spoke about the fact that salvation and judgment are two sides of the same coin. Today we see that just as there is the good land of God that is prepared for His people – so there is the other side of the coin.
After the great deluge, Noah’s descendants once more began to multiply and spread out across the Earth. However, when one group arrived at a place called Shinar, they chose to rebel against God’s command to fill the Earth and instead they decided to make a name for themselves, build a city and unite together in one place.
God called this place Babel. And it soon began to represent the land of judgement. It takes on an ominous reputation as a place where godlessness reigns and people gather to unite against God. It is possible that Babel, meaning ‘portal to God’ or ‘gate to God’ and ‘confusion’, was a place of idolatry where man reached out to other spiritual beings.‘Babel’ is a Hebrew word, which in Greek is pronounced ‘Babylon’. Babylon, which was ruled by Nebuchadnezzar later on in the 6th Century B.C., was seen as the great enemy of God’s people. Its inhabitants came to Jerusalem and destroyed Solomon’s temple and carried the Jews into exile in Babylon for 70 years. Oracles of judgement against Babylon are mentioned in the books of the Prophets (e.g. Isaiah and Jeremiah). These predict Babylon’s future destruction by the Medes and Persians because of their evil ways.
Later on, in the book of Revelation, we see that Babylon has morphed into the world-system we know so well today – a world system that is dead set against God, His Word and His people.
Prayer:
Dear Father, rescue us from Babylon the Great. Deliver us from evil men who would draw us into rebellion against Your commands. Give us a spirit that is willing to obey Your word. Amen
For the family
Explain
Explain that yesterday we learned about the Flood that covered the land that God gave to His people with water for a whole year. The only land there was, was Noah ark – and here the people who had been saved learned once again to know God and to obey Him.
After the water went down, Noah and his family came out of the ark and worshipped God. They began to multiply and have families and spread across the earth just like God had asked them to.
But one group did not.
They settled in one place and began to build a high tower because they thought they could reach God that way. God wasn’t happy with their stubborn, disobedient hearts so He came down and confused all their languages so that they were forced to continue to travel and inhabit all the earth.
Engage
Now have some fun engaging with your kids on various aspects of the story. Very young kids will have fun building a high tower out of blocks or plastic containers. Older kids will have fun learning how to say hello in different languages. Did you know that there is such a thing as World Hello Day? It is celebrated on November 21 annually.
Here are some language video tools to help you get ready for World Hello Day 2019.
Young kids
Older kids and teens