The Tower of Babel was a real estate development project with the purpose of making a name for its sponsors (see the above text). In other words, they sought self-glorification by building a monument to themselves.
The idea of glory means to magnify oneself or make oneself highly visible to others. In Colossians 4:17, the apostle Paul states that those who belong to Christ are always to speak and act in the name of the Lord Jesus, that is, as his representatives. This suggests that the motive of true Christians should never be self-glorification but always be to glorify Christ.
To seek self-glorification reveals a rebellious mind-set contrary to the will and ways of God. Given a sovereign intentional Creator, one should not expect that rebellion will be tolerated. Indeed, as the story of the Tower of Babel unfolds, one readily sees that the project of building a city and tower as a monument for human self-glorification was stopped by a fiat from the Creator—he disrupted their communication.
The Tower of Babel project illustrates the default state of fallen mankind—an innate bias for self-glorification instead of glorifying Christ. It also illustrates God’s response to self-glorification—judgment.
The story is therefore a warning against seeking to build organizations for the purpose of self-glorification. I call the mind-set motivated by the desire for self-glorification “Tower of Babel” thinking. I call the mind-set motivated by the desire to glorify Christ “Beyond Babel” thinking.
Wise people recognize the warning of this story and seek to learn from it. For example, consider the following:
Everyone seeks self-glorification: The default state of mankind is self-glorification (Tower of Babel thinking) rather than glorifying God (Beyond Babel thinking). These are mutually exclusive ways of living. To embrace Beyond Babel thinking requires the transformation of the mind (Romans 12:1–2) empowered by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3,5).
No plan will succeed against the Lord: The power of men seeking self-glorification can never stand against the power of God in resisting rebellion. Organizations built for self-glorification are doomed to failure.
Communication is essential for enduring success: Communication among men is essential for effectively building organizations. Tower of Babel thinking will lead to disrupted communication, which eventually leads to organizational failure.
In the Tower of Babel story, the project leaders sought to use God’s ways of real estate development for self-glorification. Tower of Babel thinking does not produce enduring success; it leads inevitably to judgment. The proper way to build an organization is to seek to glorify Christ—this is Beyond Babel thinking and the only way to enjoy enduring blessings.
Here is your business tip. To build multigenerational successful organizations, management must build a culture of Beyond Babel thinking. Such thinking is rooted in the desire to glorify God, that is, to do his will according to his ways. When an organization’s culture allows or promotes Tower of Babel thinking, at some point the organization will fail. Some warning signs of Tower of Babel thinking are lack of humility, inability to effectively communicate, resisting correction, and not being submitted to authority. The antidote to Tower of Babel thinking is repentance that leads to Beyond Babel thinking. Failure to address Tower of Babel thinking will be toxic to an organization. The only way to enjoy enduring success in God’s universe is to obey his laws. Tower of Babel thinking is about self-glorification, which is opposed to the Creator and will lead to judgment. Only Beyond Babel thinking can facilitate enduring organizational excellence.
.png)