I'll take "NO" for $500 Alex. Oh well. Let's watch what happens.
In Genesis 11:1-9, people are going to build a big tower, spite the Almighty, and learn Spanish. Let's watch.
A bit of background here:
Genesis 1:28, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..."
Genesis 9:1, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth".
Genesis 9:7, "Be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it."
Man was commanded by God, from the beginning, and then again after the flood, to fill the earth and subdue it. In Genesis 11, the people all come together as one and park themselves in one place.
"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. 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." (3-5)
Man is building himself a big tower to make a name for himself and to keep men from being scattered over the earth. Man is not taking action in order to make a name for God or relate to his creator. His is doing this for himself. Is this in line with what God had previously commanded about being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth? I'll take "NO" for $800 Alex. Make a note here that the name of this place is going to be called Babel, (v9), which means confusion. Throughout the Bible Babylon is going to be symbolic for man living apart from God's will and ways. Make a note: Man living apart from God leads only to confusion, destruction, and trouble. See also any atheistic governments like Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia, China under Mao, etc."And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another' speech." (5-7)
God sees what man is doing and sees the people of earth working together with one language. He sees that whatever man proposes to do they will be able to complete. In verses 7-9 God is going to fluster the plans of men so they cannot complete what they are attempting. At this point you have to ask why. Why would God do this? Why would he intervene and disrupt what is going on? Is he mean? Is he selfish? Is he like a little kid standing over an ant hill with a microscope trying to torment humankind? Why would he do this? Why would he interrupt what appears to be a healthy endeavor, which is building a city?
I would submit to you that God is acting in kindness towards men made in his image. From Genesis 1 onward, man was made to walk in fellowship with God. Whenever man got himself in trouble it was because he was not walking with God. Whenever man was blessed it was because he was in relationship with God. So here, in Babel, man is seeking to live independently of God. Is that going to have positive results? Maybe you think so. Let's look at man so far when he has lived independently of God:
Adam and Eve - listened to a talking snake, doubted the goodness of their Creator. Acted in blame shifting and shame. (Genesis 3)
Cain - Got mad at God, was jealous of his brother, killed his brother, and hid the body, (Genesis 4)
Lamech - Kills a man for striking him, promises reprisals on anyone who messes with him, (Genesis 4).
Man experiences the curse of sin and dies, and dies, and dies, (Genesis 5).
Man increases in violence, corruption, and some sort of weird sexual immorality, (Genesis 6).
Mankind has shown himself to be corrupt, broken, violent, lustful, jealous, selfish, and evil apart from God. What would happen if a bunch of people like this all get together in one place? I'm sure the results would be wonderful, right? No. That is why, as Tommy Nelson stated in his sermon on Genesis 11, when people retire they don't move to Manhattan. That is why God intervenes to separate man from himself. He is acting in mercy to keep man from utterly destroying himself. Sinful man, gathered unto himself, united in mind, will only bring about his own self destruction. (I have nothing against New York by the way).
"So the Lord dispersed them from over the face of all of the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth," (8-9)
Notes:
- Man makes plans, but God is ultimately in control.
- Man tries to act in rejection of God's will, (be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth), but God supersedes their rebellion to accomplish his will, "the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth."
What does passage tell you about man?
He continually seeks to live independently of God. Man continues to struggle with sin in his heart and a desire to do things his own way. Man has a problem. He is not inherently good. He does not seek God. He is naturally drawn away from God, rather than towards him. Man needs a Savior.
What does this tell you about God?
God is again seen as the one acting with care and concern towards man. Even though mankind continues to rebel against the plan of God, try to make a name for himself, and reject God's will for his life, the Lord does not squash man like a bug. Man is continually given second chances with the Lord.
So man continues his action of living independently of God, with only a notable few, (Abel, Enoch, Noah), walking with God by faith. Now we have the scattering of all peoples, the introduction of numerous languages, and man's continual need of a Savior to change his heart and restore him to fellowship with God.
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| I know this has nothing to do with Genesis 11, but it just looks funny. |
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