Confusion - Genesis 11:1-9

Confusion

Genesis 11:1-9

ãCopyright February 10, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

There are many questions the book of Genesis sets out to answer in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. We learn how we got here, how evil entered the world, God's drastic reboot that created continents and much of what we call majestic today, and how we ended up speaking different languages in different countries.

In order to understand what led to the Tower of Babel, sometimes called and the “confusion of tongues” we have to back up to chapter 9 and recall what God told Noah and his family (and their descendants to do. In verse 7 they were told to “be fruitful and multiply and repopulate the earth.” It was the same command given to Adam and Eve.

With that background we pick up the story,

At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

3They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

5But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6“Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

8In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

Editing the Commands of God

The people had been told to scatter and they began to do just that. This account is about a group that headed out and stopped in what would today be Iraq. They stopped, most likely, in a city that had been established by Nimrod, who was one of the descendants of Ham.

It is believed by many that the people started to scatter as they were told, arrived in the area and decided this was a place where they could thrive. They said,

“Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

God’s commands were pushed aside for the perceived chance at greatness. These people were not honoring God (the same God who had recently destroyed all the earth with a flood), they sought honor for themselves! They deliberately looked for a way to keep from being scattered all over the world as God commanded.

This is the same temptation Eve fell into in the Garden. She believed she had the chance to BE as God, so she ignored God’s commands. We know the rest of the story. It is the same rebellious story we hear repeatedly in the Bible and in our own day.

We also put things before obedience to the Lord when we:

Put sports before worship

Spend all our money on ourselves (ignoring God’s command to be generous) or we put our money into some risky scheme in the hopes of getting rich.

Water down the truth of Scripture to get more people into the church or turn the worship time into something not much different than any other secular gathering.

Forsake our marriage vows in order to find someone “better” for us.

Dabble in other religions to find something that “fits” us a little better.

Fill our minds with trashy TV shows or movies justifying it by saying, “I can handle it” or “It’s just the way life is today.”

There is enormous pride that motivates these kinds of decisions. At the naked core is the belief that we know better than God does what is best for us. That is a very dangerous place to be. We read the stories of those who embraced this mindset. The Bible tells that King Nebuchadnezzar became proud over the Kingdom he had built, and we read,

33“That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:33)

In the book of Acts, we read the story of King Herod Agrippa. The people praised Herod as a god and he did not renounce them. He apparently believed what they were saying and we are told,

23Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died. (Acts 12:23)

One wonders if great leaders fall today for the same reasons: confusing themselves with God!

I don’t want you to miss something else from the story: What these people did in building this tower was truly remarkable. It was an engineering marvel. One Bible dictionary writes,

The tower image in view in the biblical text is almost certainly the Mesopotamian ziggurat, an imposing “stair-tower,” usually of seven levels with a temple on its ground floor and a chapel-sanctuary at its peak. The famed temple of Marduk in Babylon, Etemenanki, was about 300 ft. tall. [1]

As people approached the city, they could see this marvel of architecture towering above the rest of the city. Generally, structures like this led to an altar of some kind devoted to some false god. They sometimes also became a fortress in which people could hide from enemies. We don't know much about this structure at all.

It is interesting that the people were trying reach to the Heavens yet God had to “come down” in order to even see what is going on. What man considered a god-worthy accomplishment was like gum on the sidewalk to the Almighty. We have inflated notions of our ability.

God decided to mix up the languages to the people to force them to scatter. This confuses many people. God's reason for the confusion of languages is: “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!”

By confusing their languages God is not trying to keep the people from advancing in skill and knowledge. God was not “threatened” by what He was afraid they would do. The Lord was protecting them from themselves much like when He kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden before they ate from the Tree of Life. By removing them from the Garden, the Lord made sure they would not live in the now corrupted flesh, forever. He kicked them out so they could be redeemed by His grace.

You only have to look around and you will see that the intellect of men can sometimes get us in great trouble. As the years have passed mankind has largely overcome the barriers of communication. We have found ways to work together for incredible advancements. The lesson is: just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. Think about some of the things taking place in our own society.

Gender selection (researchers are working on a way to control what sex of a baby you will have!)

People write in their wills for their bodies to be frozen in the hope they can be unfrozen and restored to life someday

Drugs that address one problem, create others. Does it worry you when you hear all the disclaimers at the end of a drug commercial? And these are the things they KNOW may happen.

Electronic Devices now monopolize our lives and destroy our social interaction in addition to our families.

There are Devices and programs that track your movement. Things that were meant to help us are now being used to better control us.

Robo calls clone local numbers in the hope of getting you to give money to something. Scammers are constantly working on new ways to steal from you.

We have developed weapons of mass destruction and one person, on a very bad day, could start a war that would destroy us all.

We are technologically savvy but are morally bankrupt. We congratulate ourselves for taking a stand, but we are drifting further and further from the truth as God declares it. This is what God was delaying at Babel: the inevitable arrogance of men.

I hope you recognize the practical nature of what we have been studying. We have applied Babel to our own lives but there are additional conclusions to be drawn.

Conclusions

First, we see God values obedience over ingenuity. We love things that are new. We worship at the altar of innovation. We love new gimmicks. We embrace programs that promise success. At times, even as believers we are drawn to churches that are good at responding to the demands of the consumer. We want to be cool. We are always looking for the next best idea and when we find it, we run to it.

The Lord is different. He is not looking for innovation, He is looking for obedience. He doesn't ask us to "find a better way," He summons us to do what He has told us to do. He wants us to trust His wisdom over ours.

There is nothing sacred about tradition, but generally, the traditional usually is more anchored. Several prominent Christian leaders counsel people to read the works of "dead guys." The reason is time has a way of sorting the wheat from the chaff; the significant from the novel. There are things that are true and timeless and other things that are only a passing fad. Only time sorts those things out.

The innovative sometimes refreshes our souls. But it can also handcuff us so we become addicted to innovation and experience turmoil with what is familiar. This can happen even in our worship! We should worship God because of who He is and not what He can do for us or how it makes us feel. WE are not the object of worship! He is. He is not looking for creativity,He is looking for obedience.

Second, God’s Definition of Success and Ours is Different. We define success as profit margin, gross sales, attendance increases, and awards gained. God views success as faithfulness. You can be a success in the eyes of the world and hear God say, "Depart from me, for I have not known you." By the same token, you may be someone who is "unknown" in the world, yet all of Heaven may rejoice over your faithfulness. The person who labors caring for a sick parent may be more successful in God's eyes than the person on the top of the Fortune 500. You may not be the star athlete or the valedictorian in your school, but because you are a loyal friend and a faithful witness (even if you are rejected by those to whom you witness) you are successful in God's eyes.

We must resist the urge to seek the applause of men and instead faithfully pursue what God has called us to do. The "great opportunities" of the world, are sometimes the subtle landmines of the Devil. Stay close to Him. Pay attention to what He says. Seek His will, and pursue it enthusiastically.

Third, the command to go and multiply still applies. Just as he told the descendants of Noah to be fruitful and multiply and populate the earth, so He has instructed us to "go into all the world and preach the gospel, making disciples of all men teaching them to obey all I have commanded you." (Matthew 28, 19-20)

God does not want us to gather in "holy huddles" and congratulate each other on being part of the Kingdom of Heaven. He instructs us to scatter and to proclaim the message of the gospel to anyone who will listen.

One of the principles of church growth experts is the principle of homogeneity. It has different forms, but the principle is: if you target a specific group and put all your energy into reaching that group, you will grow your church. You need to tailor your music, your form of worship, the topics on which you preach, your social and political agendas, and even your theological emphasis to this group and you will grow much more quickly. And for the most part these "experts" are correct. But what they don't realize is an attempt to build a structure that reaches to the sky instead of doing what God has told us to do! It is pursuing success in the world's eyes instead of being faithful to do what God calls us to do.

This is why churches are involved in missions. This is why we invest so much money in a radio ministry that is heard by people who will likely never come to our worship. This is why we want to be out in the world inviting our friends and neighbors to know Christ! Our job is not simply to get people into our church . . . it is to lead lost people to Jesus! These lost people come in various shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds. Our task is to be prepared to share the gospel with ANY of them at any time.

This is why it is important to have some non-Christian acquaintances. Though it is true we want to support our Christian brothers and sisters in business, how will we reach lost people if we refuse to spend any time or build relationships with them? And when we spend time with these people, it is essential that we remember what our role is. It is not to become like them, it is to love them, care for them, and introduce them to the Lord who died for them.

Finally, we are reminded there is coming a day when the languages will once again be one. This will not come about because of the legislation of Congress or the ruling of a High Court Judge or due to the innovation of Google, Apple, or Amazon. It will be the work of the Spirit of God making us one.

On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent to live inside of believers, the marvel of the day was everyone regardless of where they were from, heard the Word of God in their own language. Everyone understood.

And one of the features of Heaven will be our praise of Him with one voice. Paul wrote,

9Therefore, God elevated him [Jesus] to the place of highest honor

and gave him the name above all other names,

10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

And in the book of Revelation we read,

11Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—

to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing.”

13And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

belong to the one sitting on the throne

and to the Lamb forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:11-13)

In that day we will be united in our worship. The distractions, the detours, and all the bright ideas of will give way to the worship and honor of the One who alone is true; the One to whom we owe our lives and the joyful obedience of grateful hearts. We will lift our voices as One and praise Him. Until then we sing His praises as a prelude to that great and glorious day.

[1] Jeffrey S. Rogers, “Babel, Tower of,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 138.