Main idea: God's purposes cannot be thwarted by humanity's best efforts.
There is something about our sinful nature that delights in self-centered pursuits. Within a few generations after the flood, humanity had already lost sight of the judgment that had wiped out every living thing off the face of the earth.
People continued to disobey God and instead stubbornly determined to do things their own way. They pursued their own selfish ambitions and sought to find ways to make themselves famous.
The builders of the Tower of Babel were certainly neither the first nor the last to insist on doing things their own way. There is certainly something about our sinful nature that delights in self-centered pursuits, in doing things the way we want to do them. Life ultimately is about the choices we make and whether we give any consideration to God and His purposes.
God charged Noah's three sons and their wives with the responsibility of multiplying and populating the earth. The descendants of Noah's sons are listed in Genesis 10, a passage often called The Table of Nations. This list includes the descendants of Japheth (Gen. 10:2-5), the descendants of Ham (vv. 6-20), and the descendants of Shem (vv. 21-31). Nimrod, the father of the Babylonian civilization, was a descendant of Ham while the Hebrew people are descendants of Shem. Babylon would become the enemy of God's people. For several generations after the flood, all of the people in the world spoke the same language.
Many people chose to settle in the cities of Nimrod in the land of Shinar. Those who settled in the place that later came to be called Babylon decided to build an impressive tower. This tower was a symbol of their arrogance and rebellion against God. While God intended for Noah's descendants to spread across the earth and repopulate the planet, they tried to circumvent God's plan by staying in one place.
The tower builders utilized available natural resources to fashion the bricks that would enable them to build a tower so high that the world would take notice. God, however, took notice and concluded that if the people built their tower they would become emboldened to pursue other projects apart from Him. He therefore confused the language of the people, which resulted in their being scattered throughout the earth.
After the account of the tower, Shem's genealogy is repeated and expanded to include the descendants leading up to Abram. Abram, later known as Abraham, became the father of the Jewish nation. Beginning with Abraham, the Bible tells the story of God's interaction with this man and his descendants. The Messiah, whose coming was foretold in Genesis 3:15, was a descendant of Abraham.
I. United By A Sinful Purpose (Genesis 11:1-4)
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone,and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
No other part of the created world has the power of speech as humans do. We use language to express thoughts and ideas, to forge friendships, and even to communicate with future generations. Differences in language can create barriers, suspicion, and even separation.
We don't know what language Adam and Eve spoke of if eventually more than one language was spoken before the flood. However, for several generations after the flood, the whole earth was of one language, essentially the language that Noah and his family had spoken.
In verse two, as the descendants of Noah multiplied, they also began to migrate from the east. Nimrod, one of Noah's descendants, apparently led many people to settle “in the land of Shinar.” Nimrod was, undoubtedly, an extremely influential man who fame endured for many generations. Micah, the Old Testament prophet, later referred to the land of Assyria as “the land of Nimrod” (Micah 5:6). Nimrod's name means “we shall rebel”-an appropriate moniker since he influenced many to settle in his city rather than to obey God's command to scatter and fill the earth.
Those who migrated to Shinar were determined to build a city with an impressive tower as its defining feature. The scarcity of stones in the area did not deter the people from their building project. Instead, they made oven-fired bricks from materials readily available. The adobe-type bricks commonly used at the time in simple home construction were made of mud and water mixed with a binding materiel and then sun dried. However, the multistory building project in Shinar was much more ambitious and required durable, oven-fired bricks.
In verse four the phrase “let us” is used twice in this verse and once in the previous verse, suggesting that the ambition of the people was egocentric. Thier desire was to buidl for themselves a city and a tower. The people were filled with pride intent on promoting their own fame rather than God's. They were united in their efforts. The passage gives no indication that any person tried to suggest that they should consult God before proceeding.
The tower is described as having “its top in the sky.” This was a structure of great height in relation to everything else around it. They tower was likely pyramidal with receding tiers and a flat top.
The people thought that the presence of such a tower in their city would make them famous. They likely believed that their tower would serve as a landmark to attract others and to dissuade people from being scattered over the face of the earth.
The tower was a religious structure. The height of the tower suggests a vain attempt at reaching heaven itself. This vanity is consistent with their desire to be like God. It was a place where people hoped to make a connection with the gods or goddesses they worshiped. The tower is an indication that in the few short generations after the flood, humanity had again wandered far from God and neglected to worship Him alone. Choosing to reject God's direction leads to additional bad choices.
Applying the Scriptures:
What structures today capture the admiration of people? How can the impressive nature of these structures mislead people into thinking that the greatness of man lies within himself?
What dangers exist when making plans that ignore God or His purpose? Which danger would you rank as the greatest? Explain.
Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing Together,
Dr. Bryan Cox
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