A People Scattered (Unit 2 Session 4)

Introduction:

One of the main purposes of this class is to facilitate Bible-based conversations between parents and teens, or parents and kids, or family members going through the Gospel project. A couple of ways in which we are trying to integrate our Sunday school curriculum into your weekly routine is through 1) the Daily Discipleship Guides, and 2) weekly emails to parents.

We are currently several weeks into our semester. We are finishing up Unit 2 in our curriculum and for the kids there are two things that remain consistent in their teaching throughout a particular unit: 1) key passage and 2) big picture question.

The key passage for this particular unit is Romans 3:23.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

The big picture question for this particular unit is:

What does it mean to sin? To sin is to think, speak, or behave in any way that goes against God and His commands.

So here’s our first question for the day:

In our study so far, how have we seen man’s rebellion (sin) against God? (garden of Eden, Cain and Able, man’s heart before the flood)

How have we seen God’s grace in Genesis?

Our passage today reveals to us that Rebellion against God and His ways is in the heart of all people; however, God’s grace is greater than all our sin.

Setting: The pristine setting of Eden’s garden is already a distant memory by the time we arrive in Genesis 10-11. The first act of human rebellion in Genesis 3 paved the way for countless more, and not even a worldwide flood could scrub the wickedness from our hearts. In Genesis 10-11, as Noah’s offspring multiply on the face of the earth, they too turned away from worshipping and obeying God. Seeking to ascend to God, humanity repeats the folly of their first parents and rebels against God — a case study for the doctrine of sin and rebellion.

What is something you built, crafted, or put together that you were proud of?

How should we evaluate our pride in a job or project done well? (we should take pride in doing a job well so that God is honored in the work and the result; something done in rebellion against God’s commands should be repented of; pride for self-glory should be rejected)

Transition: Our propensity as sinful human beings is to make our world revolve around us. We opt to do what we want when we want. But the first chapters of Genesis, not to mention our own personal experiences, demonstrate time and again the foolishness of returning to the worship of self—the essence of our sinful rebellion—because of the consequence it brings.

POINT #1: REBELLIOUS HEARTS SEEK TO VIOLATE GOD’S COMMANDS (Genesis 10:32-11:2)

Genesis 10:32–11:2 “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. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.”

Why might a common language contribute to multiplying expressions of human sinfulness after the Fall? (easier to maintain unity together in our sinful trajectory; people would be less likely to be slowed down by confusion and misunderstanding; easier to know what sinful violations have been attempted in the past and to build off of them)

This gathering of nations is contrary to God’s original commands to Adam and Even and to Noah’s family to multiply and fill the earth.

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Genesis 9:7 “And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.”

Rebellion in the heart of Noah’s family sought to violate God’s commands.

(so far in our study) We’ve seen sin portrayed as transgression, but sin goes much deeper than an act. Sinful actions are an overflow of our rebellious hearts, which show disdain and contempt for God and His commands. We reject what God wants and settle for what we want.

1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.”

Saul rejected what God commanded and settle for what he wanted. Textbook rebellion.

What are some implications of sin being a heart issue and not just a hands issue? (our solution to sin cannot be merely behavior modification; with the heart being the core of our being, we are shot through with sin and without hope on our own; salvation from our sinful hearts requires a new heart; salvation cannot be found in anyone else who, like us, has sin in their hearts; even though someone may look “good” on the outside, his or her heart certainly is not)

One commentator describes from Genesis 2 the original human purpose is “to worship and obey.” Obediently serving as God’s image-bearing stewards of creation, humanity was meant to offer worship to God in the very presence of God, as described in the Eden narrative. Even though we no longer inhabit Eden, we still have our purpose to worship God and obey His commands, in which we trust Him to be gracious and present with us.

Yet, as our passage this morning illustrates, our hearts naturally manifest rebellious sin distracting us from fulfilling our divine purposes: worship and obedience.

From Genesis 3 to Genesis 11 the nature and persistence of human rebellion against God has been on full display through disobedience to God’s commands (Adam and Eve, Cain).

Transition: But not only do our rebellious hearts of sin refuse to obey God’s commands, they turn inward to glorify ourselves instead of our Creator. In this, by our actions, we attempt to rob God of the glory that is due Him.

POINT #2: REBELLIOUS HEARTS SEEK TO ROB GOD’S GLORY (Genesis 11:3-9)

Genesis 11:3–9 “And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”

Verses 3-4 reveal something pretty significant. (maybe ask to seek if they can see what I’m talking about)

In Genesis 11:3-4, the reader overhears the motivations and intentions of the people gathered at Shinar. Verse 4 especially reeks of rebellion against God and a desire to rob God of His glory. The people propose that they might ascend to heaven by their own efforts and thereby “make a name” for themselves for their own glory.

As God covenants with the people of Israel, it becomes the case that the people of Israel are called by the Lord’s name (2 Chronicles 7:14). For the people gathered in Shinar to propose that they might make a name for themselves was an indication that they had rejected the “named” condition of humanity given in Genesis 1:26-27 —image-bearer of God.

This building project is conceived as a means for the people to achieve heaven’s pleasures by human means and for human glory.

Our rebellious hearts turn us away from God and exclusively to ourselves. We become self-reliant and defiant, seeking to claim for ourselves what belongs only to God alone. Furthermore, we seek to define ourselves by our own standards rather than our Creator’s.

What are some ways we might “make a name for ourselves” in rebellion against God? (living for our reputation and fame rather than God’s; identifying ourselves by our sin rather than repenting of it; making plans for the future without regard for God’s will; doing “good works” so people will take notice of us)

There is a striking parallel between Genesis 11:6-7 and Genesis 3:22 that reveals to us a significant truth concerning God’s character.

Both stories (Adam/Eve & Tower of Babel) depict God’s action as having punitive and protective aspects.

God, who is holy and just, will not long endure the sinful rebellion of His image-bearers. From His throne on high in heaven, the Lord punishes rebellion, which is both a judgment and a grace that sin would not have its full effect upon humanity.

VOICES FROM CHURCH HISTORY — “Just as when holy men live together, it is a great grace and blessing; so, likewise, that congregation is the worst kind when sinners dwell together. The more sinners there are at one time, the worse they are. Indeed, when the tower was being built up against God, those who were building it were disbanded for their own welfare. The conspiracy was evil. The dispersion was of true benefit even to those who were dispersed.” — Jerome

Transition: Not only is God gracious to punish rebellion, He is also gracious to call people to repentance, even though they turn and run from Him.

POINT #3: REBELLIOUS HEARTS SEEK TO LIVE OTHER THAN GOD’S WAY (Isaiah 65:1-2)

Isaiah 65:1–2 “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, Unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, Which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;”

Toward the end of the book of Isaiah, the reader is pointed toward the eschatological, or end-times, hope of a new heavens and new earth (Is. 65:17), human rebellion is also shown for what it is: folly and self-harm. Recorded from the perspective of God’s plea to His rebellious people, Isaiah 65 introduces a section that demonstrates how wicked and foolhardy was Israel’s rejection of its Sovereign.

God was ready to be found, but the people persisted in their rebellious refusal to acknowledge their covenant God. The people known by Yahweh’s name had not called upon His name. Just like the people of Babylon, who showed their rebellious hearts by building a tower to their own glory, the people of Israel walked contrary to the good life of obedience to God.

Yet, God’s patience and grace shown to Israel serves to magnify their rebellion against Him. (applied to us) God’s patience and grace to sinners magnifies the evil of our rebellion against Him.

ESSENTIAL DOCTRINE #38: Sin as Rebellion. Because the Bible portrays people as responsible people as responsible beings, called to respond in faith and obedience to God’s revelation, the Bible often portrays sin in terms of defiance and rebellion toward God the King. Isaiah 1:2 is one of many passages that describes sin in terms of rebellion against God: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.” Seen in this light, sin is personal and willful disobedience, the raising of a clenched fist toward the One who made us.

How can we turn from the path of rebellion and instead walk the road that leads to life? (first, we must repent of our sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from our sin; believers must listen to the Holy Spirit in their lives, confess their sin, and obey in faith; we must choose to seek the Lord; we must recognize that going in our own way will result in death and hell; we must confess our sins one to another and be encouraged by the community of faith, the church)

Transition: Rebellion is endemic to post-fall humanity. The hearts of humans are wicked and deceitful, and the biblical record plays that out. From Babylon’s tower to Isaiah’s stiff-necked audience, humanity rejects God’s ways in favor of our own wisdom and discernment. Yet not all is lost. After Christ’s accomplishment on the cross, His resurrection, and His ascension, we see in places like Acts 2 and Revelation 7:9 that even the human languages that once served to illustrate divine judgement are being redeemed to serve as vehicles of gospel proclamation and praise.

Acts 2:1–6 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.”

Revelation 7:9 “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;”

MY RESPONSE

Through the historical accounting of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 10 and 11, we’ve seen that humanity has a proclivity towards rebellion that reveals itself in three distinct ways: 1) violating God’s commands, 2) robbing God of His glory, and 3) living other than God’s way.

But because of Christ, our rebellious hearts have been replace with hearts of love for God. We hence obey our calling with joy as we scatter throughout the nations, desiring to make God’s glory known to all.

Here’s our three-fold response:

HEAD:

At its core, sin can be defined as misdirected worship, or idolatry. Following Adam and Eve’s first sin, the first several chapters of Genesis demonstrate ways that subsequent humanity simply repeated our first parents’ failure to worship and obey God. As history progresses from Adam and Eve to Cain and Abel to Noah and his neighbors and to Babel, Genesis shows humanity pursuing ever-broadening expressions of the initial impulse toward self-worship.

What are some ways we see self-worship on display in our culture and even in our own lives?

HEART:

The desire to build something as a means of glorifying oneself has not subsided since Babel. We all desire to excel and to achieve success in the realms that are important to us. Such a pursuit can be healthy and good, but it can also arise from a desire to build our own name, fame, and reputation. Even in ministry and in the church, the opportunity for people to seek their own glory remains a human temptation.

How can we ensure we are seeking God’s kingdom instead of building our own name?

HANDS:

Having read Genesis 11, the multitude of languages spoken around the world reminds us of human rebelliousness. However, the New Testament also shows that human languages are being redeemed and repurposed to communicate the great forgiveness and redemption Jesus accomplished in the gospel. Furthermore, Revelation 7:9 gives us confidence that all of the world’s languages will one day be used to worship God.

How can you support missionaries and Bible translators who are taking the Word of God to the nations? More locally, how will you share the gospel with those around you who speak your language?