The Tower of Babel

This last week was VBS, so we are doing a re-cap on VBS.

We learned about the tower of Babel. How at that point in history is where we get all the languages, that was also the time that all the people were dispersed across the globe.

Genesis 11:1-9

building a large tower, this wasn’t the problem.

v.4

A Tower to the Heavens

Sin is cosmic rebellion against a sovereign God.

Sin is also the belief of autonomy.

They believed that they could do things without God.

They could build a tower, with it’s top reaching to the heavens.

This was a way of showing what they could do, almost a challenge to God to show that they were autonomous of God.

Make a Name for Ourselves

Become famous.

Leave their stamp on the world. Show everyone how great they are.

They are being driven by their pride. Their desire is to be known in all the earth.

The Westminister Catechism states:

Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.

Our highest end is to bring glory to God, but we desire to have the glory for ourselves.

This is called pride.

This is why Satan fell from grace. Why he was cast from heaven.

Isaiah 14:12-15

Isaiah 14:12–15 ESV

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Consider babel when you decide to build your empire.

When your thought is to do something for your own glory, and not for God.

Lest we be dispersed

The desire was to unify them.

Gen 9:1

Genesis 9:1 ESV

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

The command of God was to “fill the earth.”

This means to spread out.

Rather than being united by serving God, and obeying His commands to spread out across the globe. Begin cultures with God as the focal point.

They desired to be united, by this tower, this thing. Not obeying the explicit command of God.

Once again, this comes from pride, from desiring to make your name great.

Still happening.

Rather than people being united by our unity in Christ, we are united by other things.

The problem is the things that unite us are usually the things that we find our identity in.

Football, NASCAR, Fishing, Some are even united by their sin.

We see people uniting under the banner of homosexuality, or celebrating getting to make up what gender they are.

They take pride in their sin…not trying to hide it, they call it pride.

They desire to be great, to live autonomous to the commands of God.

What about us? Are we any better?

Do you live to make Christ known? Living according to His commands as expressed in His word?

Finding your identity as one In Christ.

Or do you live for your own enjoyment and glory?

v.5

The Lord Came Down

I get the picture of God looking at this large tower, and seeing the futile attempts of man.

Psalm 2:1-4

Psalm 2:1–4 ESV

1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

God looks at futile attempts to overthrow His omnipotent will, and laughs.

Nothing will stop what He desires.

v.6

Nothing Impossible

God isn’t looking at the exploits of man and saying that now they will be able to make advancements in the medical field, and will soon discover electricity.

God is looking at the impact of sin that they will have.

They are already directly disobeying God. God is looking at what will continue if they stay united.

God confusing their language was an act of grace to slow down the progression of sin and have some turn back to Him.

v.7-9

God Dispersed Them

The plans of God will always come to pass.

He told them to move around the globe, they didn’t. He changed their languages.

Now they are different, some are probably prejudice against others and they begin to move around the world.

Note: Before hand it was one family, the family of Noah, they grew. Now they are all together in one place. After Babel they moved around the earth.

They separated in groups, probably based upon what language they spoke.

Today, all of the cultures that we look at around the world. All the different people groups.

I use the term people groups not race,

A race is a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities.

for we are all part of the same human race. People groups because we are separated into different cultural groups around this world.

But we are all part of the same family.

Acts 17:26

Acts 17:26 ESV

26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

God made from one man, every tribe and tongue and nation.

He determines where we live, what our culture is.

Why do we let things like, our language, the color of our skin, whether they are from California or not.

Why do we let these things divide us, God doesn’t.

There is one physical race, but two spiritual races.

Two Spiritual Races

John 8:44

John 8:44 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The first are the children of the devil.

Eph 1:5-6

Ephesians 1:5–6 ESV

5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Those whom God adopted, out of the family of Satan, into God’s family.

According to the purpose of his will.

To the praise of His glorious grace.

We Must Love

If we call ourselves Christians, we must love.

1 John 4:11

1 John 4:11 ESV

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

If God has loved us, we should also love one another.

This means that among believers, racism should be gone.

We see everyone being special and created in the image of God.

Because of this love, we should have a desire to see the gospel preached, and people saved.

Our focus needs to start with our families, then our communities.

Reaching the lost where God has placed us.