Staying moveable for Kingdom Purposes

Open: Nacho’s father talking about Elvis. I said “Elvis is dead”

Transition: The language barrier is real, and it causes problems. Not all situations involving differences in language are funny - some are downright disastrous. Since clarity in communication is so critical, why do we speak so many different languages?

The answer is found in today’s text: Genesis 11:1-11

Unity in language was God’s gift to mankind for fulfilling His mandates (Genesis 11:1)

Explanation: Chapters 10 and 11 are one unit in the book of Genesis. The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 is very important in that it presents the basic set of people groups that God used in repopulating the earth after the Flood. Genesis 10 gives us the 70 nations that descended from Noah’s three sons and spread to the various regions of the earth.

While Genesis 10 comes before Genesis 11, the dispersal of the nations (Gen 10) is the result of the actions described in Genesis 11.

Argument: God clearly communicated His mandate to Noah’s sons to spread out on the earth (Gen 8:15-17; 9:1; 9:7). Shem, Ham, and Japheth did have lots of children and their direct descendants are listed in the Table of Nations (Gen 10). At the end of the list we find these words: “These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood." (Genesis 10:32)

Unity can be misused to defy God’s mandate (Genesis 11:2-4)

Explanation: The unified people group started to move out from where the Ark landed. The text states they journeyed from the east. (Gen 11:2) This is not the word for just taking a trip, but it has a meaning of “breaking away” and in other translations the word migration is used. This gives the understanding that they were starting to obey the mandate.

Then we are told that when they reach the plain of Shinar they stopped - they dwelt there. In chapter 10 we discover Nimrod, a grandson of Ham. Nimrod is declared to be a mighty man of influence who established the kingdom of Babylon. Throughout the Bible, the kingdom of Babylon is associated with rebellion against God, great wickedness and abominations.

The birthplace of Babylon is where the people stopped. This is where they decided to disobey God’s mandate to disperse across the land. In defiance of God’s plan they developed their own plan. Notice the language: Let us make brick, let us build a city, let us make us a name. Also note their stated purpose for their actions: “lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen 11:4)

The Tower of Babel was not an attempt to build a structure that literally reached heaven. No, their intent was to build a monument to their own achievement and be able to state, “look what we have accomplished!”

Argument: It is easy for us to become more entangled in this world than in the world to come. This is a danger that we need to heed. The people at the Tower were pioneers in a fixation on this world, but their tribe continues to prosper. We may not be building Pyramids, but we can easily become mesmerized by our own plans and dreams for achieving a lasting monument. We can become immovable in terms of kingdom usefulness.

This group of people were under the command to disperse and fill the earth, but they did not obey God. Our mandate is different than the one they were given, but God still expects us to be obedient.

Colossians 3:1–2 KJV 1900

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Matthew 6:19–20 KJV 1900

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Matthew 28:19 KJV 1900

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Application: Believers are to be focused on Kingdom objectives. We are called to obey God and to live for Him instead of ourselves. We CAN invest in the eternal and we CAN be used of God to make a kingdom difference in the here and now.

God will assess our works, and He will achieve His objective (Genesis 11:5-11)

Explanation: God is aware of all that is taking place in His created universe. The language of v. 5 relates that “the LORD came down to see the city and the tower” but that is figurative language to accommodate the listeners. God did not have to leave Heaven and zoom down to earth to know what the rebels were doing. The LORD God is omniscient and He knows everything. He is the One who declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10)

God judges the rebellion of the people at Babel by confusing their language. They were set on establishing monuments to their own greatness, so He put an end to their building project by destroying their ability to communicate. In the span of an instant, chaos reigned on the job site. One guy asks for a hammer and the other guy hands him a trowel.

Argument: God is the Creator and Sustainer of His creation and He reserves the right to step in at any time to bring a corrective. He directly intervened at Babel by supernaturally creating languages. No longer able to communicate with the whole group, those who could understand one another gathered together. As they split in groups, they also dispersed from the other groups to avoid frustration and complications.

Application: Know that God will discipline us to bring about His desired outcome. If one group of His people is not interested in fulfilling His Kingdom work, He will work with another people group.

History is not our strong point as Baptist Christians, but know that America is NOT God’s favorite nation. During the Reformation God used Germany and Switzerland. His Church was very active in England in the 1700 and 1800’s and America has been used mightily of God in the 1800’s and into the present.

He can move His Church anytime He wants to in order that His purposes are accomplished!

Concluding thought: God judged the rebellion at Babel by confounding their language. The separate groups could not understand what others were saying. At Pentecost, The Holy Spirit gave the supernatural gift of understanding languages to birth the Church. That was a temporary re-union of unity in language, but one day in glory it will be perfect.

Revelation 7:9–10 KJV 1900

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.