Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

If we read verse 7 literally, it sounds like God just doesn’t want us to accomplish anything.

Genesis 11:7

“Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

But we know that isn't true, because God commands the israelites to literally build many awesome and beautiful things for His Glory. Such as the temple, the tabernacle, etc. etc.

Nimrod

Genesis 10:9-11

“a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.”

We as men and women in modernity are absolutely captivated by this story. It’s so tiny, yet we hear about it in the same vein as the flood, and sodom and gomorrah-both stories requiring multiple chapters in scripture to explain. There is a reason the tower of Babel absolutely latches onto our minds.

The key word we need to look at is Humilty

The simple fact is, man had not been obedient in building the tower of Babel.

In Genesis chapter 9:1 and in 9:7 God’s command is to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.”

God’s plan was for diversity

Everybody gathered together in one place for fear of losing their national identity (an identity not placed in God) and derived it would be suit them better to build a great reputation for themselves. What’s the best way to do that? By building the gosh darn biggest thing that there ever darn was.

A direct affront to God’s plan of filling the earth, the people in this city were concentrating all their effort on making their own name great. 

The problem was it was going in the opposite direction of making God’s name great.

The building up of power, prestige, and reputation is the natural path the human heart will walk down. God’s plan was for family, diversity, and adventure. And anytime we stray from God’s plan, we only hurt ourselves.

When we get and understand that call or God’s plan we have a choice, obey or go our own way. God will let you go your own way-He is merciful.

When we make ourselves God in our lives that is the height of pride-when we accept God’s will for our lives that is the relief of humility.

Just like those building the tower we were given God’s plan for how to live a life free from sin, but of course we can’t and we owe God this deficit of behavior, we will never be able to undo the sin we have committed, and as rich explained last week-there is always a price to be paid for sin.

We stubbornly continue in our own way and distance ourselves from God and His path for us to walk. Like his reaction to the tower of Babel God does not fling a rock at us and simply kill us.

He made a way for us to walk with Him again. This time it wasnt creating French. This time it was Jesus.

John 10:7-11

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.