Genesis 10-11: The Birth of Nations

Prayer of Adoration

O Lord our God, We lift our hearts to You in worship, for You are love itself. From before the foundation of the world, You set Your affection upon a people for Yourself—redeemed from every tribe and tongue and nation by the blood of Christ. We adore You for the wideness of Your mercy, that Your love is not bound by borders or bloodlines, but stretches as far as the curse is found.

We thank You, Father, that even in the valley of sorrow, Your love does not let us go. You are near to the brokenhearted, and You uphold the weary by Your providence. In seasons of mourning, You do not abandon us, but provide every daily mercy, often unseen, until the day when all tears will be wiped away.

We praise You, Lord Jesus, for making the way by Your cross—when there was no way, You became the way. We adore You for a love stronger than death, a love that triumphs over sin, over Satan, and over the grave.

O Spirit of God, we bless You for pouring the love of the Father into our hearts, for reminding us that we are not orphans but beloved children. Keep our eyes fixed on the steadfast love of the Lord that never ceases.

So we say together: To You, O God of love, be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Gracious and sovereign Father, We come before You this morning to lift high Your holy name. You are the God who loved the world and gave Your only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. You are the God who gathers people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, redeeming a people for Yourself, and Your steadfast love endures forever.

Lord, as we rejoice in Your love, we also mourn. Our hearts are heavy with the passing of our sister Sandy. We thank You for her life, for the ways she bore witness to Your grace, and for the joy she brought to many. Father, we pray for her family—that in their grief You would draw near to them. Comfort them with the hope of the resurrection, that in Christ death is not the end. Be their refuge and strength, their very present help in trouble. May they know the nearness of Christ who wept at the tomb of His friend, and who promises, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

We also pray for ourselves as a church family. Teach us to weep with those who weep, to bear one another’s burdens, and to remind one another of the hope we share in Christ Jesus. Keep us from despair and anchor us in the truth that nothing—neither life nor death—can separate us from Your love.

And now, Father, as we turn to the preaching of Your Word, open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to believe. Speak, O Lord, through the reading and preaching of Your Word. Give power to Your servant who proclaims it, and may the Word go forth not in human wisdom, but in the power of the Spirit. Build up Your church, strengthen the fainthearted, convict the wandering, and comfort the broken. May Christ be exalted in our midst, and may we leave here more in love with Him and more eager to live for His glory.

We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our resurrection and our life. Amen.

Sermon

Scripture Reading

Genesis 11:1–9 ESV

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.

Intro

We live in a culture obsessed with names—not just the ones our parents gave us, but the ones we try to carve out for ourselves.

Some of us chase a name through career and success. We want the title on the door, the recognition at work, the sense that our life mattered because we climbed the ladder higher than others.

Some of us try to make a name through family. We want the “perfect kids,” the Instagram-worthy home, the family that proves we did it right. We want people to look at us and say, “They’ve got it together.”

Others build a name through money and possessions. Bigger house, newer truck, more comfortable retirement plan. If we can accumulate enough, then our name will mean something—it’ll carry weight.

For some, it’s about being liked and admired. The name is built on reputation. We live for the likes, the followers, the comments, the invitations. “As long as people think well of me, my name is secure.”

Others chase a name in achievements and talents—athletics, academics, music, art. We want to be remembered, to stand out, to be known for something.

And still others make a name through religion. Even in the church, we can build towers of self-exaltation. Look how much I serve, how well I pray, how much I know. Our good deeds can become bricks for our own tower if we’re not careful.

The truth is, every one of us is tempted to say with Babel: “Let us make a name for ourselves.” We want permanence, security, greatness. We want to be somebody.

But Genesis 11 shows us where that road leads: to scattering, confusion, and futility. Our towers crumble. Our names fade. Yet right after Babel, God says to one man: “I will make your name great.” The difference is staggering: Babel is about self-made greatness; Abraham is about God-given greatness. One ends in dust, the other in blessing.

And here’s the mission God is calling us into: Abraham’s greatness is never just for himself—it is for the nations. God’s glory is meant to be spread, His blessing carried to the ends of the earth. Our names are not made by our own effort, but by joining His mission, living for His glory, and pointing others to the One who gives true life. That’s the life that lasts, the name that endures, the blessing that reaches far beyond our own little corner of the world.

Let’s see this in the Word of God.

I. God’s Plan has always been bigger than one nation

The text opens by telling us in verse 1, “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” That sounds nice at first—humanity united, everyone on the same page. But very quickly we see what their unity was about. Verse 4: “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.”

So here’s the irony.

God had commanded humanity to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28; 9:1). This command is known as the “Creation Mandate” and it was given first to Adam and Eve, but it was also later given to Noah and his family after they stepped out of the ark. The image bearers of God were sent to spread the image of God to the ends of the earth.

But what do they do? They gather together in one place, dig in their heels, and say, “No, I don’t think so. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll stay here and make a name for ourselves because we see this as a good thing to do.”

This is human pride in full color. Not just personal pride, but collective pride—national pride, racial pride, cultural pride. “Let’s build something great. Let’s be remembered.” This is the heart of Babel: a kingdom of man, built for the glory of man.

And here’s what we need to see:

God’s plan was never to elevate one group of people over all others. His plan was never for one race, one nation, one culture to stand at the center of His purposes while the rest of humanity stood on the sidelines. Babel is exactly what happens when humanity tries to create a center for themselves. They wanted to be the nation, the people, the culture everyone looks up to.

And that’s not just an ancient temptation. In the 20th century, a lot of teaching got tangled up with an idea that God’s ultimate plan revolves around one particular earthly nation. That the main point is one ethnic group of people.

But Babel shows us that’s never been the point. Yes, God will call Abraham and Israel. Yes, they will have a special role in God’s story. But their role is not to be the end-goal nation—it’s to be a channel of blessing to all nations.

God’s heart has always been for the nations.

The very first verses of Genesis 12, the next chapter, makes that clear: God says to Abram, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Babel is not just a failure of human pride; it’s also a failure to embrace God’s global mission. Humanity says, “We’ll build a name for ourselves.” God says, “No—I will make my Name great among all peoples.”

The blessing is universal, and the mission is global.

History has shown us the danger of misreading this.

Nations can become Babelesque—centers of pride, seeking their own glory, believing they are the pinnacle of God’s plan.

And sadly, even the church can fall into this trap—thinking that one denomination, one nation, or one movement carries the attention of God’s mission.

Babel warns us that when glory is claimed for ourselves, God will scatter us. But When His glory is sought out, God will bless us.

The application to this should be pretty evident: our identity is not tied to any flag, any ethnicity, or any human institution.

Our hope is in Christ.

We are part of a mission that transcends borders, languages, and nations. God calls us to be agents of blessing, to carry His glory into all the nations, not to build our own names in buildings, in jobs, in politics, or in social standing.

So here’s the question each of us must ask: where are we tempted to build our own Babel?

our careers,

our friends,

our church communities,

even our family life?

Where are we digging in our heels and focusing on building up our own name instead of recognizing that there is a mission in which we have been called to participate?

The mandate given to Adam and then to Noah and all their offspring is to fill the earth, not congregate and build a city.

And all Christians have been given a mandate as well. We call it “the Great Commission” in Matthew 28.

We’ll even have a sermon over it when we get to the end of the series through Matthew sometime in the next hundred years or so.

Our mandate is to go and make disciples of every nation. Not to build our own towers of success. Not to build our own kingdoms, but to expand the kingdom of God.

Because the God of Genesis, is the same God in Matthew, and He is not content with one nation, one culture, or one tower. His plan has always been for the nations… and His plan still calls us to participate today.

So friends, no nation—whether Babel, Israel, or America—has ever been the point of history. The point has always been the glory of God spread among the nations. The point is not a nation rising up, but the Name of Christ lifted up.

II. Humanity’s Plan has always been self-exaltation

So the truth is that God always has had a plan for the whole world, through his image bearers going to the ends of the earth. And yet, what do we do with that truth? We fight it. We rebel. We try to make our own name for ourselves.

Where God’s plan has always been bigger than one nation, we see here that Humanity’s plan has always been self-exaltation.

Verse 4 tells us, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.”

Hear that language: “let us make a name for ourselves.”

Who are they focused on? Themselves! Though the tower is a great collaborative effort, it’s entirely about bringing glory to themselves, not God.

This is the same pride that has been at the heart of every rebellion in Scripture.

Remember Cain, building his city and naming it after his son after murdering his brother?

Remember the arrogance of Pharaoh, who thought his power could stand against God?

Babel is doing the exact same thing.

The whole of humanity is saying, “We don’t need God to make us great. We don’t need God to bless us. We’ll make it happen ourselves.”

And yet, there’s a deep irony here.

They fear being spread out, but God’s command was to fill the earth. They huddle together in one place, thinking unity in pride will bring security, when in reality, it is rebellion that makes them vulnerable to God’s judgment. Their unity is not obedience—it is sin disguised as ambition.

What’s striking is the language: “lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” They have twisted God’s command to fill the earth into a reason to resist it.

They fear, and reject, what God has commanded, and in doing so, they set themselves up for confusion and scattering.

Babel shows us that pride always misunderstands God’s plan.

And this is where we see the great contrast that is on the edge of the horizon. While we are coming to the close of this section of Genesis that focuses so strongly on the sinfulness of humanity, as we turn to the next chapter, we see that God calls Abram to leave his family behind to follow him.

Abram (who will be renamed to Abraham) will be called not to build a name for himself, not to secure glory for himself and his family, but to be a channel of blessing to all nations.

Where Babel is the testament to what humanity can build in their arrogance, Abraham is a testament to what God can build through humanity when they humbly submit to Him in repentance and faith.

Where Babel resists God’s command, Abraham obeys it.

Where Babel seeks to make a name for themselves, God promises to make a name that will endure.

So I ask you friends:

Where are we building our own towers of pride?

In our workplaces,

our churches,

our families,

our communities,

our reputations?

Where are we trying to secure glory for ourselves instead of obeying God’s call to be a blessing?

Babel reminds us that pride always miscalculates the payoff for the work being done.

It promises greatness and legacy but it ultimately delivers confusion and destruction.

It whispers of security and peace but brings scattering.

And the truth is, God’s ways are always higher than ours, His plans always bigger, and greater, than our shallow, short-sighted ambition.

And every time we seek to make a name for ourselves apart from Him, we are on the exact same path as the people of Babel.

But, as we have seen over and over again in these chapters, even in the darkest nights of sin there is hope.

God’s story doesn’t end with Babel. We’re not even a quarter of the way through the first book in His great story of redemption.

His plan for blessing is already in motion.

He has not forgotten the promised snake crusher, and that grand hope for the One who will overcome sin remains alive!

And we see that hope get just a little more clear in the person of Abraham, who believes God and is counted as righteous. Who is promised that through his offspring, his seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

But let’s get back to the story of the tower.

III. God’s Plan Cannot Be Thwarted

Verse 5 tells us, “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.”

Now, this should strike us as a bit humorous.

This tower that was supposed to get humanity up into the heavens, this tower that was the most impressive thing humanity could create, could not be seen from the heavens. The Lord had to “come down” from heaven in order to see it.

It’s all a matter of perspective, right?

My boys are really into getting mom and dad to watch them do “cool tricks” in the pool. “Mom, Dad watch!” then they proceed to spin in circles underwater in what feels to them like the coolest thing ever and then they pop up shouting “Was that amazing?! Was that incredible?!”

And the answer is objectively, no.

To them it seems incredible. To an Olympic diver, it’s cute at best.

But this little tower they’ve built for themselves here is far from cute. It’s a sign and symbol of the sinful arrogance of humanity.

So, how does God respond?

He doesn’t ignore sin; He observes it, evaluates it, and acts in both justice and mercy.

Verses 6–7 show His response: “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Now, it may be hard to see it, but here we see the interlocked nature of judgment and grace.

God gives Judgment, because pride must be humbled or it will lead to great and eternal destruction.

God also gives Grace, because scattering prevents humanity from realizing the fullness of their rebellion and gives the opportunity for obedience and blessing to take root elsewhere.

The scattering fulfills God’s original command to fill the earth, but in a way that humbles human pride.

The one city they built to immortalize themselves is broken apart.

The tower, their symbol of self-glory, is abandoned.

God’s sovereignty ensures that His plan for the nations is not thwarted by human ambition.

This is also where we see the lines of the nations become significant.

Genesis 10 shows the genealogies of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

You may notice a pattern as you read through these: many of Israel’s historical adversaries arise from Ham’s line—Canaan, Egypt, Babylon—all nations that repeatedly resist God’s covenant people.

This is not arbitrary. In Genesis 9, we saw the curse on Canaan and the blessing on Shem and Japheth. These lines show how God’s moral and covenantal ordering carries forward through history.

The scattering of Babel is a concrete illustration of God’s plan to distribute humanity while preserving His covenant promises.

So friends, even in human rebellion, God’s plan for the nations unfolds. Where humanity builds towers for themselves, God builds nations for His glory.

Where humanity resists, God forces redirection.

In the book of Acts the Jewish disciples were hesitating in following Jesus’s command to go to all nations and be the blessing bearers who proclaim the good news to all people. They remained around Jerusalem.

So what did God do? He scattered them by allowing persecution to ramp up. And as the followers of Jesus fled, they carried the gospel with them. Their hesitation was not the final word. God’s plan would happen whether they liked the way it happened or not.

Friends, hear me clearly, we cannot build lasting glory apart from God. Our pride, our desire to “make a name” for ourselves, will ultimately be scattered. When we hesitate to obey we will again ultimately be scattered so that we may become faithful again.

God’s plan is steady, unfolding across generations.

Our calling is to participate in that plan—not to centralize glory around ourselves, but to allow God’s glory to spread through the nations.

Babel reminds us that human schemes fail, God’s plans endure, and His promise to Abraham, to bless all nations, is the trajectory toward which all history moves. We now see that the snake crusher will come through Abraham’s specific family line and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

The scattering at Babel is not the end—it is preparation for the fulfillment of blessing through God’s covenant people.

IV. God’s Mission Is for the Whole World… Including Us

Now, the story is turning: in calling Abraham God begins to show us the solution to Babel’s rebellion.

Verse 3 of Genesis 12 declares, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham is chosen not to be an end in himself, not to build a name for his own glory, but to be a conduit of God’s blessing to the world. The blessing of one man, one family, one line, is designed to reach the nations. This is the opposite of Babel: instead of man lifting himself up, God lifts His people so that they can lift His Name up.

And the story does not stop there. Centuries later, Jesus Christ fulfills this promise in his death and resurrection and then in giving the Great Commission to his disciples. Matthew 28:18–20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Notice the continuity.

The Creation Mandate of Genesis 1 and 9,

the scattering at Babel,

the call of Abraham,

the Great Commission

—all of this points to the same mission: God’s glory extended among all nations. And now, in Christ, that mission is entrusted to us. We are called to participate, not to build our own names, not to consolidate glory for ourselves, but to proclaim the Name of Christ to every people, every tribe, every language.

Brothers and sisters — Genesis 10–11 does not just give us ancient history. It gives us the foundation of everything!

Who God is

Who we are

What the great problem of our lives is

Where our hope lies

and what our purpose on earth is!

It shows us God scattering the nations in judgment — and then in the first few verses of chapter 12, calling Abraham to be the father of a people through whom blessing would come to all those nations.

And then we trace the story forward: that blessing is Christ. That blessing is the gospel. That blessing is God’s glory spreading not by human pride and towers of rebellion, but by His faithfulness to His promises.

And here is the great wonder: you and I — this little local church in this little corner of the world — are caught up in that same story.

We are Abraham’s offspring by faith. We are heirs of the promise. We are those who have received the blessing of Christ, and we are those commissioned to bring that blessing to the nations. The scattering at Babel is being reversed in the gospel of Christ, as men and women from every tribe and tongue are gathered into one family.

So what does this mean for us, practically, in our everyday lives? It means we cannot settle for a comfortable Christianity that hides inside its own tower. We cannot simply guard our schedules, protect our routines, or maintain our traditions while the nations remain in darkness. We are called to go — into our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our schools, our families — and bear witness to the Name of Christ.

We are called to pray — for those who have never heard, for missionaries on the front lines, for our neighbors, friends, and coworkers — and to let those prayers move us into action.

We are called to give — to inconvenience our own towers by investing in the spread of the gospel and supporting the work of the church at home and abroad.

We are called to send — whether it’s someone who goes across the globe or someone we disciple in our own city — releasing people to participate in God’s mission.

We are called to risk —to sacrifice comfort, convenience, and sometimes reputation — so that the glory of God might be known in every place and every life touched.

This is not a side project.

This is the story of the Bible, the heartbeat of God, the purpose of our salvation. God is faithful. He promised Abraham, and He has not failed. He promised Christ would build His church, and He is building it. He promised that His glory would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea — and that day is coming.

So the question is not whether God will finish His mission. He will.

The question is whether we will be faithful in our generation.

Will we be a people who pray for the nations?

Who send workers into the harvest?

Who raise up our children not for safety, but for sacrifice?

Who see our money not as security, but as a weapon for the gospel?

Who see our lives not as our own, but as a gift to be spent for the glory of Christ among all peoples?

Or will we dig in our heels and build towers trying to make our own names great?

Church, the faithfulness of God compels us.

The greatness of the gospel demands it.

The glory of Christ is worthy of it!

Let us not shrink back. Let us not settle for towers of comfort and self-preservation. Let us be a people who gladly lay down our lives, so that men and women in every nation, tribe, and tongue might bear the image of Christ and join us in praising His name forever.

Because this is our mission. This is what we were created for! This is what we were saved for!

This is our joy. This is our calling. And this is our God, who is faithful to the end.

Confession and Repentance

Our gracious Father, We come before You humbled by the truth of Your Word. We confess, O Lord, that too often we have heard Your voice and hardened our hearts. We have trusted in ourselves when You alone are our refuge. We have sought comfort in this world when true rest is found only in Christ. Forgive us, Father, for our pride, our wandering, and our unbelief. Wash us clean by the blood of Jesus, and renew our hearts by Your Spirit.

Thank You that in Christ there is full pardon, that the cross declares, “It is finished,” and that Your mercies are new every morning. Thank You for the reminder today that Your promises stand firm even when our faith falters. Lord, let the Word we have heard not fall on hard ground, but take root and bear fruit in our lives.

Strengthen us as we go from this place to walk in obedience, to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Guard us against the evil one, and keep us in the joy of Christ until we see Him face to face.

We ask all of this in the strong and saving name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scriptural Assurance

Brothers and sisters, at Babel, God scattered humanity because of their pride and rebellion. They sought to make a name for themselves, building a kingdom apart from Him. But God’s plan is always redemptive. In Christ, what was broken is being restored. Where humanity’s pride brought division, God’s Spirit brings forgiveness and unity. Listen now to His promise: those who repent and trust in Jesus are gathered into His people, forgiven, and given the gift of the Spirit.

Acts 2:38–39 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The Lord loves the nations! The Lord loves us and offers us forgiveness in Christ! Praise the Lord!

Benediction

May the God who confuses the proud and gathers His people in mercy

strengthen you to glorify His Name, walk in humility, and share His blessing with the nations.

Go in His peace and power. Amen.