Human plans fail. So do human efforts. In the haste to survive the wars falling upon them, Israel had allied itself with powerful people hoping to gain prosperity and stave off the coming siege. By the words of God, some of these plans seemed cunning and tactically sound. Yet, they would fail. This is because Israel had forgotten about its god. From an anthopocentric view, the only thing that is necessary for success is capacity for it and good management of resources. Yet, what many forget is that our dominance of the world is not ownership of it. The world defies our best laid plans, even in simple and mundane things. For all our technology and advancements, we still can’t accurately predict the weather. The only true ability to control things lies in the hands of the one who created it. Israel tried all it could to escape this fact. The example that God gives is a prescient one for today’s advancements. Even a plant that immediately is ripe for harvest will not help the hungry if God sees fit that it doesn’t happen. Whatever Babel we construct will not make us gods to be reckoned with. Our best laid plans cannot move his. It is better to ally with the living god than with our efforts and cunningness. Moreover, it is right.