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In this chapter we will consider the background and origin of God’s calling.
At the time of Abraham, man had fallen to the extent of rebelling against God by building a city called Babel and a tower to exalt man’s name. This is the background of God’s calling Abraham to come out of the land of Chaldea. Hence, Babel is the background of God’s calling (Gen. 11:4-9).
Man collectively built the city of Babel (vv. 3-4, 9). The city of Babel was something produced by man, and it reflected a living that did not want God. Hence, the background of Babel is that man rejected God. The city was brought forth out of man’s ability and effort. It had human labor and earthy materials. Human labor plus earthy materials produced a living that did not want God. Thus, the principle of the city of Babel is that man is able to exist and live, even if he does not depend on God, puts God aside, and leaves God. The first aspect of the principle of the city of Babel is a living that does not want God.
The second aspect of the background of Babel is building a tower. Man built the tower of Babel in order to make a name for himself (v. 4), that is, to exalt man. The city was built to demonstrate that man could exist even if he is independent of God and puts God aside. Hence, mankind neither wanted God, depended on God, nor lived for God. Furthermore, man built a tower to make a name for himself and to exalt himself, proclaiming that he was everything. On one hand, mankind abandoned God, and on the other hand, they exalted man. With human labor and earthy materials, mankind was able to produce something apart from God so that they might make a name for themselves. This is the principle of the tower of Babel.
The third aspect of the background of Babel is rebellion. Mankind established a kingdom in order to rule. This shows that they rejected God’s right and authority. The principle of their building a city was that they did not want God, the principle of their building a tower was that they wanted to exalt man, and the principle of their establishing a kingdom was that they denied God’s right and authority. They did not want God; instead, they wanted to rule over themselves. Hence, they denied God’s right and authority.
The fourth aspect of the background of Babel is serving idols. Joshua 24:2 says that Abraham dwelled in a land where the people served other gods. This means that they served idols, that is, demons. Hence, the people of Babel were captured by Satan.
God’s purpose involves His having dominion over man and also His gaining man’s service and worship. However, at Babel God’s right and authority were denied, and man’s service was offered to idols and the devil instead of to God. The devil had fully captured man. This is the background of Babel, the place where Abraham dwelled before he was called.
Every called person must know the condition of the world, the place where he dwelled before he was called. A person who experiences a strong calling will have a deep knowledge of the background out of which he was called. Those who have a limited knowledge of the background of their calling do not have a very strong calling.
Many people have read John Bunyan’s book The Pilgrim’s Progress. This book describes a man’s journey to the Celestial City. This man lived in a place called the City of Destruction, but he was rescued out from there by God. John Bunyan uses a city to symbolize the place where the called ones dwelled prior to their calling. Because the man who journeyed toward a celestial city had a deep sense that he dwelled in a city of destruction, he was able to pay any price to come out from there. Thus, knowing the background of one’s calling is a crucial matter.
We now come to the origin of God’s calling according to His selection. The origin of His calling is His selection, which originates from Him. The calling that we received does not originate from ourselves but from God.
When God calls us according to His selection, He appears to us. When God calls someone, He appears to him personally. God does not send angels to carry out His calling; He Himself calls a person out. Furthermore, God does not appear to people only once; He appears many times. When God called Abraham, He appeared to him at least twice. When Abraham was still in Mesopotamia, God appeared to him as the God of glory (Acts 7:2). God appeared to Abraham again when he was living in Haran (Gen. 12:1). God appeared to Abraham many more times (v. 7; 15:1; 17:1; 18:1), but His first two appearings were particularly for calling Abraham.
When God appears to someone, He calls him. Most Christians have the wrong concept that God calls people because He wants them to dedicate themselves to become preachers. They think that God calls people because He wants them to drop their profession in order to serve Him. However, the Bible reveals that every believer has been called by God (1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 8:30; Heb. 3:1). When God appears to a person, He calls him. This aspect of God’s calling is the practical application of His selection.
God calls people numerous times. For example, God called Abraham twice. The first time was when Abraham was in Ur of the Chaldeans (Acts 7:2-4), and the second time was when he was in Haran (Gen. 12:1). In calling Abraham, God told him to leave his land, his relatives, and his father’s house and go to the place that God would show him.
God’s appearing and His calling are both part of His selection. Selection originates with God and is initiated by God. When God’s selection reaches us through His appearing and His calling, we are called.
