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"Building With Bricks is Unbiblical?"

"Building With Bricks is Unbiblical?"

2 Peter 1:20-21

Really? Could it be that an insidious error has crept into the church? Could it be that our buildings reflect this error in their very construction? Ridiculous you say? I can prove it...from the Bible!

In my reading of Genesis 11:1-9, I discovered this truth! On the plain of Shinar, the descendants of Noah came together to build a city and a tower. They said to themselves,

"Let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly..." (v.3)

"Let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven..." (v.4)

We all recall the story. The Lord was so displeased with them that He came down and confused their language so that they could no longer communicate with one another and He scattered them abroad upon the earth from that place.

The Cursed Bricks

What was it that provoked such a swift and severe response from the Lord? Clearly it was the "bricks!" After all, bricks are made from "earthly" elements; sand, water, and straw or some plant material to give it strength and bind it together. But remember! The earth was cursed in the Fall! How dare these descendants of Noah use the cursed elements of the earth to build their city and their tower and their dwelling places; to make a name for themselves ! Had they forgotten that they themselves, through their first parents Adam and Eve, were taken from the dust of the ground! Was that cursed "dust" now sufficient for such a glorious project?They should have used stones....shaped by the Lord through nature; wind and water and time, and they shouldn’t have laid a single tool to that stone. They should have built with stones, as they found them; as the Lord shaped them, stacking one upon another! Didn’t the Lord forbid the Israelites from building their altars from bricks and command that they should use uncut stonesfrom the field!

There is a clearer example demonstrated in Moses’ meeting with the Lord on the mountain! Didn’t the Lord say to Moses, "remove your sandals from off of your feet, for the ground you stand upon is Holy ground!" What made that patch of ground Holy was the Lord’s presence upon it. Moses was made to remove his sandals as a reminder that he was but dust! His bare feet in contact with the ground was symbolic of his connection with the earth...the cursed earth. God was Holy and whatever came into contact with Him was Holy; thus the holiness of the ground immediately around the burning bush. The Lord was essentially demonstrating to Moses what was necessary for the work He would call him to...namely, to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. The Lord was in essence saying, "Moses! You are of the earth....earthly, and subject to all the effects of the curse laid upon the earth in the fall, but I am Holy and I will deliver my people!"

And here in Genesis 11, we have Noah’s descendants, utilizing the elements of the cursed earth to establish a great city and a tower and to make for themselves a name! Were the city and tower to be accomplished with bricks, their glory as it were, would be but a testimony of their cursed condition! This is what provoked such a swift and severe response for the Lord! Bricks would essentially exalt cursed men over the Lord Himself who is Holy!

Bricks Instead of the Rock?

Another reason, and perhaps the most important reason for such a response from the Lord is that had He allowed them to be successful in using bricks, it would have distorted the prophecies regarding the Messiah! The people of God would become so accustomed to using "bricks" that when the Messiah was called the Rock or as Paul calls Him, the Chief Corner Stone they would have had no reference point for the similitude. They might have come to call the Messiah the "Brick," a grievous error which would have suggested that His origins were of the cursed earth and that He would in some fashion be "shaped" by fallen men; a direct contradiction to John 1:1ff. No doubt, this reflects the belief of many in our day, but it could not be for the true people of God.

When one considers this, it is no surprise to read of the Lord’s swift and severe response at Babel. His own glory was at stake not to mention the salvation of men through Jesus, "our Rock."

The Unbiblical Witness of the Church

As is clearly seen....Bricks must never become the material of our building. It is Unbiblical, but it is also an obstacle to the clear proclamation of both the fallen condition of men and the glorious identity of our Savior Jesus Christ! Yet how many of our churches today are utilizing brick in their construction? What are we communicating to the lost world about ourselves and our Savior when we build our magnificent buildings with "bricks?" The people of Israel were to be nomadic...spreading abroad upon the whole earth; living in tents! Even the Tabernacle, the place of God’s dwelling among His people was a tent! Do we presume to do otherwise today? Have we concluded that were are free to build with whatever materials we deem suitable? Do the Scriptures say nothing to our disobedience in doing so?

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WAIT!

If you haven’t already stopped reading this post, you’re surely thinking that I’m either a heretic or a complete idiot! Hopefully none of you has been converted to a "Non-Brick" advocacy!

Believe it or not, I read an article about Contemporary Christian Music this week that was even more convoluted and Biblically incoherent than what I have written here. Obviously, my words are a satirical challenge to that article which was entitled "Contemporary Christian Music is Unbiblical." The verses cited for that article were used similarly to how I’ve used those of Genesis 11. Most of you will immediately realize that though "bricks" are mentioned in Genesis 11, the passage...indeed, the swift and severe response of the Lord was not a direct prohibition of the use of bricks. Only someone with an "agenda" would manipulate the text in such a dreadful way. The verses cited in the article I read, indirectly refer in some case to music or instruments, but these references were incidental to the primary thrust of the verses. Some made no mention at all of music, explicit or implicit. Clearly, the author of that article had framed an opinion about "contemporary music" and had searched for texts to support that opinion. Hermenutically, we call this "eisegesis," or "reading into" a text. Obviously, the discussion about what is appropriate or inappropriate music for the worship of the church is an important discussion, but shouldn’t such an important discussion all the more demand an honest and objective consideration of the Scriptures? Shouldn’t we be attempting to understand the scripture rather than trying to make it say what agrees with us?

Peter offers wise counsel from the Scriptures and about the Scriptures.

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God!" (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Let’s be honest! Let’s allow the Scriptures to speak as the Lord wills, and let’s adjust our "agendas" to those truths! May the Lord grant us discernment of His word!

 

Note: A Unity to be Embraced" the follow up to last week’s post can be heard at the "Sermon" link.

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