We start with a bunch of people determined to make a name for themselves apart from God, and who are utterly scattered and forgotten. We end with a man whose only redeeming characteristic is a willingness to obey God, and who is known the world over as the father of nations.
The one pursuit humans never seem to tire of is trying to reach Heaven on their own. We seem convinced that if we just try harder we can achieve what we're after. All of the 'isms' of history have been attempts to raise human society to a state of perfect peace, love, and prosperity. And they've all been disastrous failures.
The problem is that people aren't God, and only God can make a Heaven. To forget that is to forget the single most important distinction in the universe, that between creature and Creator. To think that we can somehow rise to reach Heaven on our own, whether we try by building a tower or by building a society, is to mistake ourselves for God, which means that smart as we may be, we don't understand much of anything about either.
That's why so-called Christian utopian beliefs are so utterly wrong-headed. The belief that we can build a perfect society on earth -- where all the imperfect people are -- shows a fundamental failure to understand who and what God and man are. Though people who hold such beliefs would no doubt be able to quote chapter and verse to back them up, they can only do so by ignoring the overwhelming witness of Scripture: people are sinners, and the only way sinners can get to Heaven is by a merciful act of God.
You know, like he did with Abram ...
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