Towers and temples

Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is sure as the dawn;
He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. –Hosea 6:3 (ESV)

In Genesis 11, some people decided they'd build a tower up to heaven to make a name for themselves. God shut that project down.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” –Genesis 11:4 (NIV)

In 1 Kings 8, Solomon celebrated completion of a seven-year building project: a temple to honor the Name of God. The glory of YHWH filled that place.

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple. –1 Kings 8:10-11 (NIV)

Am I building towers or temples? They may look very similar to the casual observer. People have been glad to travel long ways to see both. But there are two big differences between the two: the reason for the labor, which motivates the start of the build, and the impact of the labor, which becomes evident after completion of the build.

If I build for my own glory, to make a name for myself, the best I can hope for, even if the LORD allows me to finish the project, is just that – my own glory. It’s a cliché because it’s true: “No man on his death bed was ever heard to say, ‘I wish I had spent more time at work.’”

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. –Matthew 6:20-21 (NIV)

In 2015, I lost my job at the company where I had been employed for 25 years. Many projects, many long hours, many awards, many late-night calls, many moments I should have been more present, more patient, and more kind toward my wife, my children, and people I loved. I’m not bitter – I made my choices and I made a living and I did the best I knew how at the time. But the things I built at work are mostly gone now, replaced by newer, shinier, more efficient things. Looking back, the things that meant the most were the people, the relationships, the opportunity to be a friend to many of my co-workers. But at what cost? Towers or temples?

I found myself recently lamenting a drop in value of my retirement accounts. The closer I get to actually needing to pull funds out of those accounts, the more attention I tend to pay to that sort of thing. The Lord graciously reminded me that He is, has been, and will continue to be my Provider. He told me I could rest in that. While the retirement account may be a tool He uses for my blessing, reliance on such is a symptom of tower building and that’s not the business we’re in.

If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? –Psalm 127:1-2 (MSG)