The Eighteenth Epistle
Restraint, Control,
And Morality.
DATELINE: Sunday, March 4, 2001.
By Rev. James R. Bingham
Special to corndancer.com
Posted from Memphis, Tennessee
Genesis 11:6-9
6. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Isaiah 14:13-15
13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
There is something about this guy Nimrod that really bugs me. Why on earth was he trying to get off of the earth, when everything he wanted and needed was right before him?
The name Nimrod means valiant, strong. Thus as it was in those days even until now, an individual's name was an identification of his character, or his personal claim to fame.
Nimrod was revered as a mighty hunter. He was king of several cities, including Babel, whose name means "gate of God". I pause to note that these definitions are coming from Nelson's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, edited by James I. Packer, Merrill C. Tenney, and William White, Jr. According to this source, Babel meant "gate of God." Ironic, isn't it, when you consider the evolution of the word? Today, babel (babble) means confusion in language. How different from the original meaning!
It stands to reason that people of immense capabilities and vast resources can accomplish great things. Consider Luke 12:48: "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
Nimrod was a man of immense capabilities. To me, he symbolizes the genius in man, but the kind of genius that gravitates toward tragedy and grows without proper guidance.
Great Men, Great Minds,
Great Tragedies.
Great men, with great minds, have created some great tragedies. Most of the time the misfortune they shaped was brought about by the absence of moral control. Their view of right and wrong was painted by the ideas and events of their age, which structured their intellectual, political, or economic framework.
Consider the men of history who created great problems on the face of the earth, causing destruction to a vast number of people. Truthfully speaking, these men were geniuses in their own right. Each of them lacked a certain moral restraint that would have prevented them from wreaking havoc upon the people.
The genius in man is an expanded ability, recognized as being above normal intellectual prowess. Such ability, linked with commensurate capabilities, and served by deep reservoirs of resources, can spawn the birth of great signs and wonders. Without proper controls, however, the results can be devastating.
A Challenge to Conventional Logic
Might Make You Wonder:
What Do I Really Know?
Let's take my brother George. He'll deny this, but so what? He has the type of mind that can analyze issues and ideas in a way that most people just can't wrap their minds around. He has a unique way of putting facts and time together, so unique that the viewpoints he espouses often challenge conventional logic. He's right most of the time, too.
Unfortunately, his immense ability to grasp the matrix of what is and what isn't oftentimes spawns heated arguments and debates.
I recall his encounter with Muhammad Ali on the University of Arkansas campus at Fayetteville. Ali was angered at a little college student, who was by no means a professional boxer. All the same, Ali was intimidated.
George also challenged the comfort zone of his professors; yes, even his professors of Logic and Philosophy. I visited with a couple of them when I enrolled in the University. One of them told me that people get angry when they are forced to deal with the unknown, forced to face their fears and inadequacies. The professor said George was one of those guys who knew how to put logic and reality on the defense. By doing so, he forced people to question whether they knew — really, really knew — what they thought they knew.
By no means am I saying that my brother was like Nimrod. No, he was far from bearing that type of mantle. Nimrod was concerned solely about himself. He could care less about the desires and aspirations of those men clustered around him.
Instead, Nimrod wanted to rise up and be near God.
The Sky Was the Limit!
Genesis 11:6: "And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." Scripture tells us that the people were one under Nimrod. They sought the same aim and goals as their king. Having begun a task of singular purpose, they could not be restrained. Their oneness in task and purpose overcame all obstacles. In their collective mind, the sky was the limit — and they intended to go there!
Why would God allow unrestrained genius where He is? Let's acknowledge that "where God is" is the seat of The Most High God. Nimrod's attempt to occupy the most high seat was an intrusion into God's sacred territory. After all, as the Highlander put it, "There can be only one."
What if God did not acknowledge morality? Why, forgiveness would not be a part of this world. Forgiveness is the moral buffer for progress and mobility. The fundamental meaning of forgiveness allows us to enact laws that position us as innocent until proven guilty.
Unrestrained genius is usually driven by pride. Pride promotes self. Self excludes others and is quite unforgiving. Self says, "I did what I had to do." Moral restraint says it is okay to go after your dreams, but you must remember that it is right to look upon those who don't have what you have with long-suffering. God most assuredly looks upon us with long-suffering.
God forgives us for not knowing. He forgives us for not taking action on what we do know.
The Pride of Self-Indulgence.
Nimrod, in contrast, knew that he knew and took action on it. In this respect he was much like Lucifer. God reminds Lucifer in Isaiah 14:14: "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Lucifer decided he would be like the most High. He was overcome with pride — the pride of his self-indulgence.
I'm not saying you should not be proud of your accomplishments. I am saying, however, that you should not be driven by pride. One must be able to abase self to inspire humility. Humility allows us to love others in spite of who they are and their shortcomings. Do you do that? Can you?
Remember Jesus? He is described as the Mighty Lamb of God. What a beautiful image! A lamb is a meek creature, both tender and mild. Yet here we have a "Mighty" lamb, which becomes the symbol of abasement and the avenue to ultimate power. One's willingness to submit to authority, no matter how mighty he may be in the physical realm, represents an awesome ability to comprehend God's perfect will.
While Jesus had the ability to command legions of angels to destroy the world if he had so chosen, he abased himself and submitted to the will of God. In his humility, he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of our salvation. There is no greater friend than one who is willing to give his life for another.
There's No Need to Challenge God.
What Is His Is Already Yours.
How about that? If you possessed the "gate of God," would you use it to challenge God? Here is a secret. We don't need to challenge God for anything. Why? Because all that He has is already ours.
SHOUT! Through Christ we are heirs to the fullness of the earth.
SHOUT! God has already said that we are His people and that the meek shall inherit the earth.
SHOUT! God even went so far as to say we will reign with him forever.
God so loved us that He gave His only begotten son that we might have eternal life. So His son came that we might have life and have it more abundantly!
Blinded, Peverted, and Cluttered —
Or Seeking the Secrets of Love?
Come on guys! Where does your logic lead you? Do the sweet melodies of political persuasion so capture your senses that you are blinded to the truth that all he promised you is already yours?
Has the endless pursuit of economic freedom and independence so cluttered your thinking that you fail to realize there are principles in the Holy Bible to tell us how to attain everything we want?
Has the perverted definition of self and the pride-based anchor of self-preservation so barricaded your heart that you are unable to love another as you love your self?
How do we learn to love?
As for me and my house, we will serve God. We shall not challenge God. We will embrace the principle of seeking God and His righteousness. We will claim what is rightfully ours.
When shall we receive it? When God's will is done.
How? It's simple. Raise your hands and praise Him.
Give God Some Praise!!!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rev. Bingham
can be reached by E-mail at
jamesrbingham@juno.com.
His phone number in Memphis is
901.785.5691.