Life Lessons from Biblical Parents: The Tower of Babel

"... and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. " Genesis 11:4

We live in a culture where making a name for ourselves is a major priority.  If you think of the people in our culture who have made a name for themselves, a mixed group comes to mind.  There are people who have made names for themselves because of wise financial moves, expertise in a specific field, or their insistence on excellence in anything associated with their name. There is also a group who have made a name for themselves by lowering themselves, their standards, and their public conduct.  They continue to make a name for themselves with each escapade and scandal that they are a part of.

Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is to be more desired than great riches, favor is better than silver and gold."  Although making the most of our talents and God-given abilities should be something we strive for and teach our children, most importantly we need to teach them to have a good name. A name that has no baggage attached to it, a name that brings back fond memories to others, a name that people know carries a with it trust-worthiness, honor, truth, and reliability.

Having a well-known name is not necessarily a bad thing as long as our name points others to the Lord. Some names immediately comes to my mind: Billy Graham, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes, D. L. Moody.  These are all people who pointed others to the Lord by doing what He called them to do, and God made a name for them.

The people of Shinar wanted to make a name for themselves, not so their name would be good, or that it would point others to the Lord.  They wanted to make a name so they wouldn't be scattered.  However, the very thing they didn't want is what happened.  God changed their languages and they were scattered.

We need to teach our children that they need to have a good name.  We need to teach them that they need to point others to the Lord. We need to teach them not to look to make a name for themselves.  We need to teach them to let God make a name for them. Then they will not be scattered.