LESSON5
IDOLSWENEVERKNEWWEHAD
TECHNOLOGY
In2011,IBMsupercomputer“Watson”competedonJeopardy.Watsonwasconsideredto possessthemostsophisticatedlanguagerecognitiontechnologyontheplanet.Thiswasall partofathree-daychallengebetweenWatsonandthetwomostsuccessfulcontestantsin Jeopardyhistory:KenJennings,whohadthefamous74-gamewinningstreakbackin2004, andBradRutter,whohasthehighestdollarearningsinJeopardyhistoryatover$3.5 million.Thegamewasadvertisedastheultimatemanversusmachinebattle.
Watsonwasdominant.AfterprocessingthecluesfromAlexTrebek,Watsonbuzzedinto answerataspeedcorrelatingtohisdegreeofconfidenceinacorrectanswer.Thescientists sittingintheaudiencewhohadbeendevelopingWatsonforthepastsevenyearsbeamed withanalmostparentalpride.AndKenJenningslookedhelpless,appearingtowant nothingmorethantospillcoffeeonWatson’smotherboard.
Watsondidexperiencesomeembarrassingfoibles,however.Forinstance,inonefinal Jeopardyround,thequestionaskedforaUScityinwhichthelargestandsecondlargest airportswerenamedafteraWorldWarIIheroandaWorldWarIIbattle,respectively. BothJenningsandRuttereasilygottheanswer:Chicago.Watson,ontheotherhand,came upwiththegreatAmericancityof...Toronto.Apparently,Watsonstruggledwithcertain piecesofinformation,likethefactthatTorontohasaprofessionalbaseballteaminthe AmericanLeague.
Advancedtechnology,languagerecognition,andanalmostembarrassinglevelofpride thesesoundbiblicallyfamiliar.
Genesis 11:1-9
11 Thewholeearthhadonelanguageandasinglevocabulary. 2Aspeopletraveledinthe east,theyfoundaplaininthelandofShinar,andtheysettledthere. 3Theysaidtoone another,“Come,let’smakebricksandbakethemthoroughly.”Theyusedmudbrickinstead ofstoneforbuildingmaterial,andtheyusedtarformortar. 4Theysaid,“Come,let’sbuilda cityforourselvesandatowerwhosetopreachestothesky,andlet’smakeanamefor ourselves,sothatwewillnotbescatteredabroadoverthefaceofthewholeearth.”
5TheLordcamedowntoseethecityandthetowerthatthepeoplewerebuilding. 6The Lordsaid,“Ifthisisthefirstthingtheyaredoingasonepeople,whoallhaveonelanguage, thennothingthattheyintendtodowillbetoodifficultforthem. 7Come,let’sgodownthere andconfusetheirlanguage,sothattheycannotunderstandoneanother’sspeech.”
8SotheLordscatteredthemfromthereoverthefaceofthewholeearth,andtheystopped buildingthecity. 9ItwasnamedBabel,becausetheretheLordconfusedthelanguageofthe wholeearth.FromtheretheLordscatteredthemoverthefaceofthewholeearth.
Note: After Noah and his family departed the ark, his sons and their eventual clans dispersed in various directions according to God’s plan. The Shemites, the group to whom God had given the special blessing of being the ancestors of the Savior of the world, went southeast, to the ancient land of Mesopotamia. In the Tigris-Euphrates valley they found a fertile area in the plain of Shinar. The lush land seemed comfortable enough to settle permanently.
1. WhatwasthestatedreasonfortheShemites’desiretobuildtheTowerofBabel?
2. WhatpreviouscommandofGodweretheShemitesclearlyignoring(seeGenesis1:28; 9:7)?HowdoesprideaffectthewayyouperceiveGod’scommands?
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 9:7
“But you, be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly on the earth, and multiply on it.”
3. Howwasusingbrickandtaranadvancementintechnology?
4. Identifysomemajorfailuresofmoderntechnologyinrecenthistory.
5. ThepeoplewhowantedtobuildtheTowerofBabeldescribedthisbuildingas“atower thatreachestotheheavens.”Mostcommentatorswillsuggestthisclearlyhasreligious implications.HowistechnologysometimesperceivedasnearlyplayingGod?
6. Pridebuildsusup.It’slikebuildingatowertoheaven.Humilitybringsusdown.Howis Jesustheembodimentofgospelhumility?Whatdidhishumilitybringforus?Ifwe wouldembodyhissamehumility,howwouldwechangetheworldaroundus(home, church,community,work)?Putmorepersonally,finishthissentence:IfIwasmore filledwiththeSpiritofChrist,Iwouldbemore/less____ .
There’saveryfinelinebetweenhumankind’sobedienceincarryingoutGod’sinstructions to“filltheearthandsubdueit”(Genesis1:28)andhumankind’sarroganceinsimplytrying tomakeanameforourselvesandbecomelikeGod.Whilewecaninventmachinestokeep aperson’sheartpumping,westillcan’tinventmachinestochangesomeone’sheart.While wecaninventmachinestoreadaperson’sbrainwaves,westillcan’tinventmachinesthat encouragepeopletosuspendtheirsensoryexperienceinordertoexercisefaith.Whilewe caninventmachinestoenhanceandtemporarilymaintainlife,westillcan’tinventthe machinethatstopsdeath.Nomatterhowmanymoonswelandon,God’speopleshould wanttostayhumbleandnotforgetwhoauthorssuchknowledge,becausehumanity’s towerscancrumblewheneverGodsaysso.
BONUS MATERIAL
1. Whataresomeofthelatestadvancementsthatyou’veheardofinthefollowingareas? Whatisthebest-case-scenariooutcomeforeachoftheseadvancements?
• Healthcare?
• Transportation?
• Communication?
Read Exodus 31:1-5.
31 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2“Look, here is Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. I have called him by name. 3I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and with skill in all kinds of crafts. 4He has the ability to create designs. He works with gold, silver, and bronze. 5He is able to cut and engrave precious stones and mount them. He can also carve wood. He works skillfully in all kinds of crafts.”
2. ThistextintroducesustoBezalel,themanGodselectedtobuildthefurnishingsforthe tabernacle.Howishedescribed?Giveacomparableexampleinthepresent-dayworld.
3. WhatdoesthistellusaboutGod’sperceptionoftechnologicaladvancementanddoing smarter,better,higherqualitywork?(SeeGenesis1:28)
Read Deuteronomy 4:15-20.
15So guard your hearts very carefully, because you did not see any form on the day that the Lord your God spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire. 16Do this so that you do not act corruptly and make for yourselves an idol of any form. Do not make an image of a male or female, 17an image of any animal that walks on the earth, an image of any bird that flies in the sky, 18an image of anything that creeps on the ground, or an image of any fish that swims in the water below the earth. 19Beware so that you do not lift up your eyes to the heavens and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the vast army of the heavens, and you are lured away, and you bow down to them and worship them things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the nations under all the heavens.
20But you are the ones that the Lord has chosen and has brought out of the iron furnace of Egypt, to be a nation that is his possession, as is the case today.
4. Falsegodsdon’tjustexist.Wheredotheycomefrom?
5. Howdoestechnology,asmuchasanyothertopicwe’velookedatinourstudiesthus far,seemtofitthatdefinitionofidolatry?Inotherwords,whatisyourworking definitionoftechnology?
FURTHER PERSONAL TESTS FOR THE IDOL OF TECHNOLOGY
Ifalovedonefellterriblysick,whatwouldgiveyouthegreatestrelief?Wherewouldyou firstturn?
Doyoufeeloverwhelmed,anxious,andinadequateifthereisanewerversionofaproduct youalreadyhave(forexample,phone,TV,car,computer)?
Doyoufeellikethesolutiontomostofthemajorproblemsoflifeis“bettereducation”?