Text: Genesis 11:1-9: 1   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.” 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 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. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 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 all the earth.

It’s often hard enough to convey your thoughts when everyone’s speaking the same language. Imagine what happens when everything gets garbled! Imagine going from a common language to a mishmash of languages where you can’t understand your neighbor, or your employer, or your friend.

In some places of the world, a kaleidoscope of languages actually brings pride to the inhabitants. Large cities believe this fact of life reflects a sophisticated, cosmopolitan atmosphere. Citizens of these cities see multiple languages as a point of pride.

It didn’t start this way.

After Noah left the ark, his sons began repopulating the earth. Before long, the human population left Mt. Ararat and moved toward the west, toward the land of modern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). These people found large rivers in this area and named them after rivers Noah and his sons had known that flowed from Eden.

On the plain of Shinar, Noah’s descendants, under the leadership of Nimrod, Ham’s grandson (cf. chapter 10), founded a city. There was nothing wrong with the founding of a city; instead, the problem was the reason for the founding. Pride reared its ugly head again.

The ingenuity of these people should astound us. The geography of this area would challenge anyone: The area receives less than 12 inches of rain a year, and temperatures often top 130 degrees. Instead, the group learned how to irrigate the land using canals and ditches to contain the periodic flooding of the river. They found no trees for lumber, nor did they find any stone for building. Instead, this group learned how to make bricks from clay they found in the area, using tar to bind them together.

Unfortunately, nothing breeds pride like ingenuity, especially in religion. God had told Noah and his sons to spread across the earth. Nimrod and his followers decided to remain together in open defiance of God’s command.

First, imagine the pride of anyone thinking they could build a tower to reach the heavens. We could reason that the people didn’t really know how high the sky actually went, but the hubris required even to try is astounding.

Second, imagine the pride of anyone thinking they could openly disobey God by remaining together when God had told them to disperse. These people had inherited a whole earth, a new earth with potential everywhere; yet, they chose to ignore this blessing and remain only where they were, content to remain only with what they knew.

Third, imagine a group that would think God wouldn’t judge their disobedience! Apparently, someone forgot the Flood rather quickly, although the evidence for the Flood was everywhere.

Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise us that God would do something to guarantee that even a group this disobedient would obey Him, even if it was against their wills. Once God mixed the languages, the confusion guaranteed the dispersion God intended in the first place.

Does this story still say anything to us today? Of course it does.

The city these people founded played a prominent role in Scripture: Babylon.

The people of Babylon thought of their city as sent down from heaven by the gods in celebration of their patron deity Marduk’s victory at creation. The Babylonians saw their city’s cosmopolitan character as a blessing rather than a curse.

However, Scripture represents Babylon as the world system in opposition to God. The Babylonians’ pride constantly appears as a lesson against human pride and disobedience. Babylon’s last appearance in Scripture comes in Revelation 18, where the city’s destruction represents one of God’s final judgments on the world.

What lessons do we find in this passage?

First, God never commands us to do something without including a blessing. We may not have an entire world to conquer, but God still blesses those who obey His commands.

Secondly, pride always leads to separation, from God and from those we love. Pride leads us to exalt ourselves at the expense of others. Ultimately, pride will separate unbelievers from God for eternity.

Lastly, we have a picture of the final judgment in this passage. Unlike the accounts of the Fall, Abel’s murder, and the Flood, here we find no mention of grace in judgment. God clothed Adam and Eve; marked Cain to protect his life; and spared Noah’s life. In this instance, no grace appears; the judgment is final and complete. In the last judgment of the earth, the absence of grace will guarantee judgment of all who have disobeyed God and His commands.

Worse things than garbled speech awaited the disobedient in Babel’s time. Grace disappeared, not to reappear in Scripture for 5 generations. God would next speak to humanity in the person we will study for our Winter Bible Study: Abram.