God’s Purposes Eclipse Human Pride - Feb. 1st, 2026

Session 10: February 1st, 2026

God’s Purposes Eclipse Human Pride

Background Passage: Genesis 10:1–11:32

Lesson Passages: Genesis 11:1–9, 27–32

Introduction

The neighborhood around the church was changing. It no longer was the affluent area it once had been. A majority of the church members felt God was leading them to reach out and share God’s love with those in the community who were hurting. Josh felt such outreach was not realistic. He recognized the people in question needed God’s love, but he argued the church didn’t have the resources to help them. He suggested the church should focus on attracting wealthy prospects to help with the congregation’s monetary struggles. Otherwise he felt the church would not be able to meet its financial obligations.

Josh confidently asserted that if the congregation did not do what he proposed, the church would be forced to close its doors in less than a year. The church, however, chose not to focus on Josh’s bleak prediction. Instead its members aggressively reached out to those in need. That church didn’t die. Instead it continues to share Jesus and His love.

Ignoring the clear teachings of Scripture, multitudes are convinced they know what is best for them and others around them. They stubbornly chart their own courses through life. They view as nonsense the notion that God has purposes He wants to accomplish through them. Or they arrogantly conclude whatever they decide to do is God’s purpose for their lives. Their approach to life is basically self-centered and pride-driven. Nevertheless, God is sovereign and will carry out His divine purposes whether people resist Him or obey Him. However, He desires people to organize their lives around His purposes.

The Scripture passages in the lesson for this week are about the Tower of Babel and Terah’s [TEE ruh’s] moving his family from Ur [UHR] to Haran [HAY ran]. The emphasis is on the Lord’s working out His purposes through people who resist Him as well as through those who obey Him. The lesson challenges adults to organize their lives around God’s purposes. Studying these passages from Genesis will help you discern God’s purposes and then organize your life around those purposes.

Genesis 10:1–11:32

1.Human Expansion (Gen. 10:1–32)

2.Rebellious Pride (Gen. 11:1–9)

3.Ongoing Hope (Gen. 11:10–32)

The Background

The spread and increase of human sin had brought divine judgment upon the world God created. The earth had been devastated by a flood. It wiped out every living thing except the animals and people that God had secured in the ark. When the floodwaters subsided, God commanded Noah and his family to come out of the ark, and Noah released the animals to restore animal life to the planet. Likewise, God instructed Noah and his family to repopulate the earth.

Initially the eight survivors of the catastrophe rejoiced in their deliverance and worshiped the Lord. But the destruction had not removed sin from human existence. Humanity’s inclination from youth remained evil (Gen. 8:21). As people began to obey God’s edict to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (9:1), that inclination to evil erupted into open rebellion.

People had no problem with being fruitful and multiplying. The point of contention was God’s demand for humanity to fill the earth. Obedience would require dispersal. Spreading out was risky. It entailed leaving the comfort of that which was familiar in order to venture into the unknown. So the earth’s inhabitants persuaded each other they could accomplish more by living and working together.

While the people’s conclusion was logical and seemed prudent, it violated God’s clear directive (9:7). But God works out His purposes through people who resist Him as well as through those who obey Him. Those who resist, however, miss out on the blessing of obedience to Him.

Chronologically, chapter 11 comes before chapter 10. chapter 10 records a dispersion of people and their having different languages (see 10:30–32), and Genesis 11:1 refers to a time when everyone spoke the same language and resisted dispersing according to God’s purpose. This reversal in order seems to be for a specific purpose.

Chapter 10 confirms that humanity ultimately did spread out and repopulate the earth as God intended. chapter 11 focuses attention on humanity’s sin problem and God’s choice of a man through whom He would establish a line from which the Messiah would come. This chapter begins with a specific example of human depravity and ends with the movement of Abram from Ur in lower Mesopotamia toward the land of Canaan. The move from Ur to Haran marked the beginning of events that ultimately would culminate in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s solution for humanity’s inclination to evil.

1. HUMAN EXPANSION (Gen. 10:1–32)

Genesis 10 is commonly known as the Table of Nations. In this chapter the account of Noah’s sons is presented in a genealogical format. No parallel to this table exists in other ancient literature. It’s inclusion in the meticulously written historical narratives of Genesis accentuates its uniqueness.

For Further Study

Read the article entitled “Table of Nations” on pages 1552–1553 in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

The account describes the ethnic makeup of antiquity. Occasionally special information is included about specific individuals listed in the Table of Nations. The table lists 70 distinct ethnic groups that composed the known biblical world. Despite a lack of information about some of these groups, clearly the list reflects the historical basis for events recorded in Scripture. This straightforward presentation of facts sets it apart from the myths and legends of other ancient Near Eastern literature.

The chapter contains three basic divisions. The people and lands of the known world were traced back to the three sons of Noah. Every person born since the flood is a descendant of Noah and his three sons. The three sons represent three spheres of influence that met in the ancient Near East.

Japheth means “may he have space.” He was Noah’s eldest son and was the progenitor of the Indo-European peoples who lived to the north and west of Israel, farthest from Israel. Thus they had the least impact in the subsequent narratives in Genesis.

Ham means “hot.” He was the ancestor of the Egyptians, Canaanites, and other inhabitants of northeast Africa and southwest Asia. His descendants would play a significant role in the later history of Israel. Cush has been located in the upper Nile River region. Put was the area along the North African coast, including Libya.

Cush was the father of Nimrod. Nimrod is remembered for personal ability and political power. He was “the first powerful man on earth” (10:8). The Hebrew word translated “powerful man” refers to a particularly strong or mighty person who carried out great deeds, surpassing all others in doing so. It was used especially of military heroes, but can also be used of other professions as well. The term may have a political allusion, and therefore have the sense of military conqueror or political tyrant. In this context, the descriptive phrase “a powerful hunter” (10:9) probably implies he was a mighty hunter of people. The inclusion of meat in the human diet after the flood resulted in humanity’s developing skills for hunting animals. Nimrod applied these skills to intimidate and coerce people so that he could rule over them. His kingdom began with his subjection of Babylon (10:10). Babylon, as the beginning of the world of imperialism, has become the synonym of imperialism through the ages. The hope of the world for peace hangs on the fall of what it symbolizes (Rev. 18:1–19:21).

The Egyptians would play a prominent role in the formation of Israel as a national and ethnic identity. Indeed, the Book of Genesis ends with Israel living in the land of Egypt. It was there the events of the exodus transpired. The names in the list of Egypt’s children are in the Hebrew plural (10:13), indicating they are people groups.

The earlier narrative about the curse Noah placed on Canaan foreshadowed the hostility between God’s covenant people and the indigenous population of Canaan. The enmity between the two groups would span the entirety of Old Testament history. We are not sure why the Canaanites were included in the family of Ham. Linguistically and ethnically the later Canaanites appear to be Semitic. Some scholars have explained the inclusion of the Canaanites as being on a geographic and political basis. Others have proposed that the original Hamitic peoples who settled in Canaan yielded to racial amalgamation and became predominantly Semitic.

Archaeological evidence supports such blending in the ancient world. The people who inhabited the Nile Valley were of varying complexions, from the light Mediterranean people of northern Egypt, to the light brown of Middle Egypt, to the browner skin of Upper Egypt, to the darkest shades of the Nubians and Cushites in the First Cataract region. There was a definite process of racial and ethnic intermingling with neighboring populations in ancient Egypt. If this intermingling occurred in a relatively stable region such as Egypt, the likelihood of similar transformation in an area that was constantly being overrun by invaders is highly feasible.

The personal name Shem means “name.” He was the ancestor of the Semitic peoples who inhabited Mesopotamia and Canaan. Among his descendants was the nation of Israel. He also was the ancestor of the Assyrians, Arameans, and Elamites.

For Further Study

Compare the genealogy in Genesis 10 with the earlier genealogies in Genesis 4:17–5:32. Apart from the obvious difference of recording the names of different people, list as many differences as possible between the two passages. Then list as many similarities as you can find.

2. REBELLIOUS PRIDE (Gen. 11:1–9)

Chapter 11 concludes the history of the earliest ages of the world and human existence. It marks the beginning of salvation history and puts Abram, later known as Abraham, in his proper perspective. Abram lived around 2000 b.c. Beginning with his life, the events of the Bible may be dated. God created man and woman without sin. In the garden of Eden sin entered into the human existence. chapter 11 reveals that sin was still on the march. The story of Babylon’s tower reveals the depth of human sin and illustrates how sin divided humanity.

Verse 1: And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Genesis 11:1 KJV

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

The phrase at one time refers to a time immediately after the flood. The length of the era is not specified but involved numerous generations. Consequently the earth’s population was significantly larger than the eight people who came out of the ark.

The reference to the whole earth does not imply that there were people in every part of the planet speaking the same language. In fact at the time much of the earth was uninhabited by human beings. Rather than spread out and populate the uninhabited regions, the vast majority of people clung together and lived in the same place. Therefore it is not surprising that at this point in time everyone spoke the same language. Verses 1–9 of Genesis 11 explain what led to the scattering of the population. The scattering was to be done in order to accomplish God’s plan to repopulate the earth after the flood (Gen. 9:7). The people’s staying together demonstrated their rebellion against that plan.

Verse 2: 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.

Genesis 11:2 KJV

2 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.

The descendants of Noah first migrated to Shinar [SHIGH nahr]. In the Old Testament the name always identifies Mesopotamia. After the flood, Noah’s descendants moved out of the mountain range and south along the Caspian Sea until they entered the country between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They eventually stopped and settled in Babylon (11:9), which is in modern Iraq. Their refusal to disperse in obedience to God’s command demonstrated confirmation of the human inclination toward evil (8:21).

Verse 3: 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.

Genesis 11:3 KJV

3 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.

Note the use of the first person plural pronouns in the inhabitants’ speech (11:3–4). Rather than obey God, the people decided to “do their own thing.” So they built a permanent place where they could all live together. The Bible does not reveal what kind of housing they had lived in prior to stopping at Babylon. But the reference to stone as a building material suggests some type of historical memory, either of life before the flood or of life in a different geographical region. Rocks were not plentiful in the vicinity of Babylon. Therefore a different building material was necessary. The development of brick reveals the adaptability of humanity. The indigenous mud was shaped into rectangular blocks and baked in kilns to produce brick.

Verse 4: 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.

Genesis 11:4 KJV

4 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.

Pride resists God’s purposes. Noah’s descendants, in their pride and rebellion against God’s command to spread over the earth, decided it was to their advantage to stay together and build for themselves a city marked by an impressive tower. The tower was to have its top in the sky. The phrase could mean simply an exceptionally tall structure. Or the expression may be more sinister and imply they were attempting to replace heavenly sovereignty with human authority. The tower usually is identified with a ziggurat. A ziggurat was a unique piece of architecture common to the relatively flat terrain of ancient Mesopotamia. Ziggurats were artificial mountains, usually topped with a temple. They were made of rectangular tiers of brick platforms.

Verse 5: And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

Genesis 11:5 KJV

5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

There is a difference between the human perspective of self (11:4) and God’s opinion of humanity and its labor (11:5). The word down is an important descriptive term that denotes the separation of humanity from God. Ironic humor appears in this verse. Literally, the Hebrew phrase rendered men can be translated “the sons of Adam.” The phrase emphasizes the nature of fallen humanity. The specific sin here was similar to that of Adam and Eve: they desired to be like God. Humanity cannot make itself become like God. The difference between fallen mortal people and the holy eternal Deity is too great. Only God can bridge the gap. He would use a wooden cross, not a brick tower. Transforming sinful humanity is the redemptive work of Christ. Let us beware of allowing pride to lead us to substitute our purposes for God’s purposes.

Verse 6: 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.

Genesis 11:6 KJV

6 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.

This verse marks the first use in Genesis of the Hebrew word translated people. The word “nations” dominated chapter 10. The term people puts emphasis on the common unity or kinship ties of a group, whereas nation focuses more on a geographical location or political relationship. It is this unity that is at the root of God’s indictment of humanity. The problem is not the unity, but the basis for that unity. Jesus Christ would bring true unity to humanity. But the unity here is based on human haughtiness. The selfish nature of fallen individuals ensured that this unity must be temporary. Eventually greed, jealousy, and vanity would destroy it.

God’s response recorded in this verse has nothing to do with any fear that humanity might topple His preeminence. Rather it expressed His concern for the consequences of human behavior united in plotting evil. For example, humanity has evolved from the capability of one person killing another to the devastating capacity of nuclear and biological weapons of mass destruction that can kill millions.

Verse 7: Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Genesis 11:7 KJV

7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Once more the vast difference between God and humanity is stressed with the words go down. Here the words come, let Us seem to mimic and mock the words of Babylon’s citizens in verses 3 and 4. Twice the people proposed to each other, “Come, let us” and a third time they had used the phrase, “Let us.” God spoke once and nullified their proposal. Such is the futility of acting in opposition to God’s expressed purpose and plan.

This story strongly denounces humanism. At Babel, humanity was united in rebellion against God. Divisions of nationality and language are defined in terms of human sin, not sociology. Humanity has a problem of listening and understanding. Sin separates a person from other people. The rift only can be mended by the removal of the sin problem. Jesus made provision for the redemption of people from sin by His death, and resurrection. Therefore, in a very real sense, the miraculous phenomenon of different languages at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–12) announced the revocation of the divine decree of Genesis 11:7–8.

Verse 8: So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Genesis 11:8 KJV

8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

In contrast to the plans of men, the action of God is final. God determined to scatter the population of Babylon in order to complete His purpose of repopulating the entire planet. People who ignore God’s edicts in order to work on their own goals and projects ultimately experience devastating consequences. There are more than seven thousand known languages and dialects in the world. Each testifies to the futility of nonconformity to God’s will.

Verse 9: 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.

Genesis 11:9 KJV

9 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.

Many English translations of the Bible render the city’s name as Babel. Babel is a transliteration of the Hebrew word. This Hebrew word also is the Hebrew name of the ancient city of Babylon. The word literally means “confusion,” from a verb meaning “to mix.” In the Scripture Babylon became symbolic of human conceit and divine judgment.

The Lord has chosen to work through people to carry out His purposes in the world. He can achieve His purposes through both people who stubbornly resist Him and people who gladly cooperate with Him. The people of Babylon chose to resist His instructions. The Lord confused their language to stop their self-centered project and to scatter them as He had intended. Let us acknowledge and bow to the sovereignty of Almighty God.

3. ONGOING HOPE (Gen. 11:10–32)

The genealogy of Shem is given to prepare the reader for God’s call of Abram. No mention of the nation of Israel was made in the Table of Nations. The stage is set in chapter 11 for Israel’s beginnings by tracing the line of Shem from the flood down to the birth of Abram. Verses 10–26 of Genesis 11 record 10 generations between Abraham and the flood. This information was provided primarily to connect Abram (later known as Abraham) to the survivors of the flood. It reveals that Abram was a real human being. It also reminds the reader that Abram possessed humanity’s frailty. He was a sinner from a long line of sinners!

The length of life for Shem’s descendants gradually declined. Shem lived 600 years. Terah, Abraham’s father, lived only 205 years, less than half of Shem’s life span. Despite the phenomenal length of these men’s lives, in general they did not live as long as their ancestors prior to the flood had lived. The toll of sin continued to hasten the death of human beings.

Verse 27: Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

Genesis 11:27 KJV

27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

Terah’s life marks a significant change in the biblical narrative. To this point in Genesis, the story has been about all humanity. Henceforth the focus will be restricted to the family of Terah and the role his family will play in God’s plan. The story of their lives and of God’s plan unfold in the subsequent chapters of Genesis. Lot is named here because of his later importance in the narratives.

Faith cooperates with God’s purposes. Terah had three sons. One of these, Abram, would have a special role in God’s purposes. God’s plan of salvation, the solution to the sin that is destroying human life, is initiated by His divine call. It will reach its climax approximately two thousand years later with one from Abram’s line, Jesus of Nazareth, who was fully God as well as fully man.

Verse 28: And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

Genesis 11:28 KJV

28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

Terah lived in the ancient city of Ur. Ur was located in present-day Iraq about 220 miles southeast of Baghdad and approximately 10 miles west of the current course of the Euphrates River. In Terah’s time the city was on the river and served as an important port city. The city was the pride of the Sumerian culture that dominated Mesopotamia at the time. Its brick walls enclosed an oval area approximately 1,130 yards by 750 yards. Inside the wall tight-packed mud-brick houses, shops, and bazaars lined narrow, winding streets. A great ziggurat dominated the city’s skyline. It could be seen for miles. The ziggurat was viewed as a setting where the gods manifested themselves to the tens of thousands of people who lived in the city.

Uniform civil and criminal law governed conduct in the city and the region its king ruled. Marriage was among the institutions administered by this legal code. Contracts between a bride and groom, specifying the duties of each spouse and the penalties for divorce have survived. Compared with other ancient cultures, women, regardless of marital status, had important legal rights. They owned property, conducted business, and qualified as legal witnesses.

Laws were recorded on clay tablets using the cuneiform writing developed centuries earlier to preserve information needed for business. In cuneiform writing, a triangular-shaped reed was pressed into moist clay to form the characters. When the clay tablet dried the writing was preserved in a durable document. And although reading and writing seem to have been the prerogative of the city’s wealthy citizens, every adult apparently learned to write his or her name.

During the last dynasty of Ur, Semitic nomads began migrating into the region. They infiltrated Sumerian society and for a period the two groups peacefully coexisted. Terah was one of the Semites living in Ur. He reared his family. The details of his family life are sketchy. He fathered children by more than one woman (Gen. 20:12), but the circumstances and reasons are unknown. Was it because his wife died and he remarried? Or did he practice polygamy? Despite our curiosity, the Bible does not say.

The birth of three sons must have produced tremendous joy and hope in Terah. However, it seems that only Haran initially had children. The failure of two sons to provide male heirs must have been disappointing. Any disappointment soon was eclipsed by tragedy. Haran died. The death of a child always is grievous for a parent. Haran’s death must have been doubly so. In addition to the sorrow his death caused, it pointed out the tenuous nature of Shem’s line. Its survival seemed contingent on Lot. If he died without a male heir, Terah’s family apparently would die out.

For Further Study

Read the article entitled “Abraham” on pages 10–14 in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Verse 29: And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

Genesis 11:29 KJV

29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

Terah’s two surviving sons both took wives. Both women were from Terah’s family. Abram was married to his half-sister and Nahor [NAY hawr] to his niece. Both men eventually would have male heirs. Marriage within the family remained common among Terah’s descendants for several generations. Marriage within the family was not unknown in the ancient world. Later, under the law given to Moses, such practices were forbidden. Here the candidness of the biblical narrative has a twofold effect. First it shows that the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) were real men who were influenced by the customs of their historical era. Second, it reminds us they were less than perfect men. Their place in our spiritual heritage rests on God’s grace, not on their merit.

Verse 30: But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Genesis 11:30 KJV

30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

As a barren woman, Sarai [SEHR igh (eye)] could not fulfill her most important social function of providing the family with a new generation. She faced the prospect of having no children to carry on Abram’s name. Ironically Sarai means “princess” and Abram means “exalted father.” Yet for the present their names did not seem to fit. However after God worked out His purpose in their lives, the names would become inadequate and God would later change both names. The revelation of this fact heightens the suspense of how God will achieve His purposes with such inadequate people. And the longstanding knowledge of Sarah’s inability to conceive children establishes the context for the question God later puts to her, “Is anything impossible for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14).

Verse 31: And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

Genesis 11:31 KJV

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

After the death of Haran, the family moved from Ur to the city of Haran (the Hebrew names of the man and the city are not identical). The family’s original destination was Canaan. According to Acts 7:2–4, the relocation came as a result of Abram’s call from the Lord, implying Terah’s move to Haran was initiated or at least confirmed by Abram. The call was repeated while he was in Haran, as Genesis 12:1–3 makes clear. The Bible offers neither explanation nor condemnation of the family settling in Haran rather than continuing on to Canaan. Although it is not stated here, the entire family settled in Haran, but it is unclear if Nahor migrated with his father or moved to the city at a later date. What is known is that when Abraham sought a wife for Isaac, he sent a servant to the city of Nahor, probably located southeast of Haran, to find a wife from Nahor’s family (Gen. 24:10). Nahor’s granddaughter Rebekah was chosen.

Like Ur, the predominant deity in Haran was the moon god. Furthermore the family of Terah was not immune to the influence of the city’s idolatry. Generations later the Bible records his descendants maintained family idols. Furthermore, at the end of his public service, Joshua referred to the family’s idol worship in his challenge to Israel (Josh. 24:14).

Verse 32: And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11:32 KJV

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

The statement of Terah’s death in Haran announces the end of an era and of the initial section of Genesis. Hereinafter the narrative will focus on Abram and his calling from God. God’s initial purpose for humanity after the flood was the repopulation of the earth. When people resisted His purpose, He acted by confusing their language and destroying the superficial unity their pride had instilled in them. God then moved to produce a unity based on people’s relationship with Him. His design for achieving this unity demanded the removal of human sin. His plan involved generations, but it began with a single man, Abram. Initially Abram responded to God’s call and began following God’s call. For a period he paused in Haran. God would soon intervene and restart his journey. Let us cooperate with God’s purposes like Abram rather than be rebellious like the citizens of Babylon.