Genesis 11.1-4-Motives for the Tower of Babel Rebellion
Thursday October 20, 2005
Genesis: Genesis 11:1-4-Motives for the Tower of Babel Rebellion
Lesson # 47
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 11:1.
This evening, we will study the motives behind the Tower of Babel rebellion, which is recorded in Genesis 11:1-4.
Genesis 11:1, “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.”
Genesis 11:2, “It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.”
Genesis 11:3, “They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.’ And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.”
Genesis 11:4, “They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’”
Inspired by Satan, Nimrod’s ambition at the Tower of Babel was to build a one world government and religion that was independent of God and brought glory and honor to men rather than God.
In order for this ambition to be realized two factors were essential:
(1) Geographical: Nimrod needed a center where the people could meet to express their unity of purpose to build this one world government and religion, thus, we read, “come, let us build for ourselves a city.”
(2) Psychological: Nimrod needed a motivation to encourage and inspire his followers and this would be supplied by the phrase “let us make us for ourselves a name.”
The Tower was “not” built as protection against another flood since if the people wanted to avoid another flood they would have settled in a mountainous area but rather, the people built the tower to bring glory and honor to themselves, to deify themselves and to express their independence from God.
The prepositional phrase “into heaven” expresses the people’s desire to compete with God just as Satan has attempted to in eternity past.
Isaiah 14:13, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.”
The ambition of the people is not to honor and glorify the Lord but rather to glorify and honor themselves as indicated by the phrases, “come, let us build for ourselves a city,” and “let us make for ourselves a name.”
Satan promotes creature worship rather than Creator worship.
The phrase “let us make for ourselves a name” expresses the people’s desire to acquire fame or a reputation in the sense that in building this city and tower, they would find significance, security and fulfillment and immortality.
Instead of finding their significance, security, fulfillment and immortality in a relationship with the Lord, they chose to pursue these things in the building of this city and tower.
Believers find their significance, security, fulfillment and immortality in life from their eternal union, relationship and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:29, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Romans 8:30, “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
Romans 8:33, “Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies.”
Romans 8:34, “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Romans 8:35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Romans 8:36, “Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’”
Romans 8:37, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers.”
Romans 8:39, “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
One of the reasons for the building of the city and the tower was the desire to cling together as indicated by the sentence, “otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
The Tower of Babel rebels did not want to be scattered because they were fearful since the post-diluvian world was yet unexplored and drastically changed.
Genesis 11:4, “They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’”
Now, we must remember that the Flood changed the face and features of the earth drastically.
Climatologically and topographically the post-diluvian world was dramatically different from the antediluvian world.
The mountains must have grown higher and more uninhabitable.
The antediluvian world had a uniform and comfortable temperature but the post-diluvian world did not but the post-diluvian world had storms and extreme temperature differentials.
The curse of the ground must have let itself be felt more severely.
The earth was a frightening place and it would take faith in God to venture out into it and the people did not have faith in Him.
The people feared that they would not survive if they would moved out of the fertile valley of Shinar, thus they feared that God would no longer take care of them.
They did not trust the Lord’s covenant that He not only made with Noah but his descendants that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood.
Genesis 9:11, “I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Therefore, the tower of Babel rebels built this city and tower in unbelief meaning they did not trust that God would take care of them and they did not trust Him because they did not know God or understand who and what He is.
Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
They did not want to honor His Name, but wanted to replace it with their own, and they had no thought of trusting Him to keep them alive.
By attempting to build this city and tower they were attempting to find their own security rather than finding it with God.
Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”
Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”
The Tower of Babel rebels believed that they were completely on their own because they did not have faith in Him.
Hebrews 13:5, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU.’”
Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
These people thought that if they did not take care of themselves, then nobody else would and certainly not God, who had destroyed millions of people in the flood.
Therefore, they entered into fear worry and anxiety and acted upon their fears by building this city and tower.
They built the city of Babylon and the Tower of Babel because of fear, which is a great motivator and is a tool used by Satan to enslave people to his cosmic system.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver the human race from this bondage.
Hebrews 2:14, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
Hebrews 2:15, “and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Believers are prohibited from entering into fear, worry and anxiety since it is an expression of unbelief.
Matthew 6:19, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:20, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.”
Matthew 6:21, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:22, “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.”
Matthew 6:23, “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”
Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Matthew 6:25, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”
Matthew 6:27, “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”
Matthew 6:28, “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin.”
Matthew 6:29, “yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”
Matthew 6:30, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!”
Matthew 6:31, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’”
Matthew 6:32, “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
The sin of these builders of the city of Babylon and the Tower of Babel was “not” disobedience to the command in Genesis 9:1 and 7 to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, which are more blessings providing capacity to procreate in great numbers rather than commands.
The filling of the earth would take place by having offspring in great numbers and not by scattering or in other words, putting geographical distance between oneself and one’s family.
Scattering is not equivalent to filling and so the builders of the tower of Babel and the city of Babylon were not disobeying God by failing to scatter throughout the earth.
The great sin of the builders of the city of Babylon and its tower was evil, which is independence of God and originated with Satan in eternity past.
It was their lack of trust in Him and their desire to find fulfillment, security, significance and immortality apart from Him that displeased God!