IN May 1889, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was opened to members of the public.

The lifts were not complete, so people had to walk 1,710 steps to the top. Named after the engineer who built it, the tower is probably the most iconic of all city symbols.

Many people protested – impossible! (Never had a building reached such heights). It was deemed ‘tasteless’ and ‘monstrous’ by opponents. It was supposed to be removed in 1909: its permit was for 20 years only. Yet almost 6 million people visited in 2022, making it one of the most visited paying sites.

Like wonderful structures, the Eiffel Tower is testimony to the inventiveness, skill and imagination of human beings. How dull the world would be without the Tower of London, Ankor Wat, St Peter’s, the Great Wall of China, etc.

The first such building is found in the Bible. Genesis 11 records the descendants of Adam and Eve, who spoke one language, building a huge tower to reach the sky, and “make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we shall be scattered abroad.”

When God realised there was no end to brazen human ambition, he confused their languages and scattered people over the earth, ending their threat to his divine status. The Tower of Babel resulted in linguistic babble.

Thankfully the Tower of Eiffel is still standing, but such stories remind us that there are constraints to human ambition. Improving human life and flourishing is admirable; works of art and beauty are inspiring; and space exploration is exciting.

But as soon as human creativeness and endeavour become an end in themselves and the focus of human not divine worship, then it all goes wrong. “Thou shalt have no other gods but me.” is the first of the Ten Commandments.