The Tower Of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9
Genesis 11:1-9
1
Now the whole world had one language and a
common speech. 2 As people moved eastward, they
found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3
They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks
and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead
of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 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.”
Genesis 11:1-9
5
But the LORD came down to see the city and the
tower the people were building. 6 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. 7 Come, let us go down
and confuse their language so they will not
understand each other.”
8
So the LORD scattered them from there over all
the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 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.
Genesis 10 and 11 are not in chronological
order. The author documents the spread of the
nations and difference in their languages in
chapter ten. Chapter 11 is a snapshot (a picture)
out of chapter 10 to tell of how they were
scattered.
Genesis 11:1-9 explains why God scattered the
nations. The actual spread of the people to
different parts of the world described in Genesis
10 occurs after the events at the Tower of Babel.
The whole history of mankind – has been
marked by a pattern: man’s repeated and
continued failure to recognize God as God
(rebellion), the judgment of God, and the
incredible grace of God as he responds to his
willful and disobedient children.
The story line moves up and down between sin
and grace. When the focus has been on
mankind and their actions, the emphasis is on
sin. And when the focus has been on God and
His actions, the emphasis is on grace.
They planned to build a
tower high enough that no
matter how far they would
go, they would still be able
to see the tower and find
their way back, so they
would not become
scattered.
They were planning to do
the exact opposite of what
God had commanded
them to do. They were
going to make a way
where they could stay
together and never
become scattered.
The issue here is not the building of the tower itself,
but the reasons for building it, which was rebellion.
Rebellion #1 – The immediate goal was to
"make a name for ourselves," with the longer
range purpose that they would not "be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole
earth" (v. 4).
All of us are inclined to build monuments to
ourselves in one way or another. Unfortunately,
it’s part of our sin nature. But our real identity
and our future hope is in God.
This is why the account of the Tower of Babel is
so important for us. It exposes the foundational
reason we build monuments around ourselves,
it shows us how to cure that problem, and it
teaches us how to face the future with peace in
our hearts.
Are we, at times, building our own Tower of
Babel?
Are we trying to make a name for ourselves?
Are we filled with so much pride?
Are we putting ourselves in the place of God?
The issue here is not the building of the tower itself,
but the reasons for building it, which was rebellion.
Rebellion #2 – The second element of their
rebellion was related to unity. It is obvious from
God’s response here that the problem here is
not unity itself. The problem is that it was a false
unity. “Nothing they plan to do will be
impossible for them."
This reveals that they had an ulterior motive.
The issue was not one of true harmony and
unity, but a coming together to fulfill a purpose
driven by arrogance and pride.
Are we also sometimes in rebellion when we
want our own way, making our own plans
without making sure that our plans and
purposes are in line with what God called us to
do?
Unity is great, as long as it is unity with God. We
are to seek His kingdom first; then all of the
other things will be added to us. (Matthew
6:33)
The issue here is not the building of the tower itself,
but the reasons for building it, which was rebellion.
Rebellion #3 - The third element of rebellion has
to do with the fear that they would be scattered.
And yet, since early in the creation story, this
has been God's stated purpose for humanity:
that they would "fill the earth" (Gen 1:28).
God has given us two commandments. One is to
love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and
strength. The second is to love our neighbor as
ourselves. All of the other commands are fulfilled in
these two.
When we love other things in our life more than we
love God, we are breaking this commandment.
When we allow disinterest, jealously, envy, and
hatred toward another person, we are breaking this
commandment, too.
We are no better than our cousins who lived during
this time. And we wonder sometimes why we are
confused.
In the Lord’s view (and His view is the only one
that really counts) this Tower was part of a
continuing pattern of rebellion from Noah’s
descendents. And for that rebellious spirit He
could have justly destroyed them all. But He
didn’t.
Instead, God loved them…by confusing their
language so they would stop sinning against
Him. He acted in compassion.
The curse of rebellion is confusion. The Lord
came and brought confusion by confounding
their language. The confusion broke the false
sense of harmony they had established.
The Lord brought this confusion to break their
unity of purpose in rebellion against God’s clear
command; they were no longer able to
complete their work because they were not able
to understand each other’s speech.
The confusion that God sent because of their
rebellion gives us the meaning of the word
“babble.” GEN 11:9 says, "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..."
This Hebrew word "Babel" translated into
English means "confusion."
In the middle of our confusion, the Lord offers clarity by
giving us salvation through His name.
In Acts 2:21 Peter says, “And everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved.” He makes His name in
us. By faith in Christ Jesus alone, we do not desire to
make a name for ourselves, but God is making His Son’s
name known in the church through the Holy Spirit.
As a result, Christ clarifies who we are, whose we are, and
how we are to clearly live. That way we won’t get
confused and risk building our own Tower of Babel. We
won’t try to make a name for ourselves to our own
prideful destruction.
Clarity from confusion brings true everlasting peace in
Christ.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
There is really only one race—the human race.
The Bible teaches us that God has "made of one
blood all nations of men" (Acts 17:26). Scripture
distinguishes people by tribal or national
groupings, not by skin color or physical
appearance.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
The DNA of any two people in the world would
typically differ by just 0.2 percent. Of this, only 6
percent can be linked to racial categories; the
rest is variations within the races.
Where did the different races come from, and why
are some skins darker than others?
Noah's decedents migrated from the Middle East
after the Tower of Babel; their numbers grew
smaller as they extended further out.
As the groups grew smaller, close relatives
intermarried and the certain genes within the gene
pool became dominate, while others became
dormant (buried).
Within a few generations, these genes produced
the skin color, hair color and texture, bone
structure, and other physical characteristics that
made each group distinctive within its isolated
geographical area.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
There is no practical evidence for the theory of
evolution, and it has never been shown that
evolution happened in any degree. Evolution in
all aspects is contrary to the Word of God and
true science. All of the practical evidence
supports the Bible’s account of creation. The lie
of evolution has been the source of ethnic
cleansing since its inception. This false
humanistic idea has been at the heart of the
decline in morals of the once great United States.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
Skin color is easily understood when all the
evidence is considered. Racial differences can
never honestly be said to be the result of curses
placed on people by God, or the illogical theories
of evolution.
Race occurred because of the work of the
physical laws of human genetics that Almighty
God instituted, and race has no spiritual
significance.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
It is easy to think that since different groups of
people have ‘yellow’ skin, ‘red’ skin, black skin,
‘white’ skin, and brown skin, there must be many
different skin pigments. Different chemicals for
coloring would require that there be different
codes in the DNA for each people group; but as
we have learned, there is only a tiny difference in
the DNA codes.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
We all have the same coloring pigment in our
skin, which is called melanin. This is a darkbrown pigment that is produced in different
amounts in special cells in our skin. But when you
separate out a group of people and their
descendents are limited to just their genes, some
physical traits become more apparent. These
traits are then passed on to their children.
Where did the different races come from, and why
are some skins darker than others?
Generally, whatever physical feature we may look at,
no people group has anything much different from
another. For example, the Asian, or almond, eye
differs from a typical Caucasian eye because it has a
tiny ligament that pulls the eyelid down a little.
All babies are born with the ligament, but non-Asians
usually lose it before 6 months of age. Some retain
the ligament and thus have almond-shaped eyes like
Asians, and some Asians lose the ligament and so
have round eyes like most Caucasians.
Where did the different races come from, and
why are some skins darker than others?
No matter what questions or confusion you have
in your life, my prayer is that God will use the
confusion to bring you to a belief in Him through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Tower Of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9