Sermon Tone Analysis

Thursday October 27, 2005

Genesis: Genesis 11:8-9-The Results of Divine Intervention at the Tower of Babel

Lesson # 51

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 11:1.

This evening we will study Genesis 11:8-9, which records for us the results of divine intervention at the Tower of Babel.

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.’”

Genesis 11:5, “The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.”

Genesis 11:6, “The LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language.

And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.’”

Genesis 11:7, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech.”

Genesis 11:8, “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.”

A comparison of Genesis 11:7-8 clearly indicates that the nations of the earth with their vast diversity of languages and cultures are the direct result of God intervening at the Tower of Babel and confusing the universal language of the human race.

Genesis 10 records the result of this divine intervention at the Tower of Babel.

Instead of being centralized in one location, the human race is scattered or dispersed throughout the entire earth as a result of this divine intervention at the Tower of Babel.

“Scattered” is the verb puts (JWP) (poots), which expresses the concept of dispersion, moving from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration, thus indicating that the Tower of Babel in Iraq went from being an area where there was high concentration of members of the human race to an area where there was a low concentration of them.

Instead of being centrally located in Babylon in Iraq, the human race was through this miracle dispersed throughout the entire earth.

The hiphil stem of the verb puts is a “causative” stem indicating that the omnipotence of the Lord is the “Cause” for the dispersion of the nations throughout the entire earth and the diversity of languages and cultures among them.

Therefore, the building of the city of Babylon was brought to a complete halt because people could no longer understand each other.

The scene in the city of Babylon that day must have been comical with workman getting into arguments with each other because they thought their fellow workers were mocking them when they know longer could understand what each other was saying.

Imagine, the frustration of foremen of the various work crews when their subordinates could not understand their orders and consequently, could not carry them out.

Nimrod would find it impossible to get his servants to carry out his commands.

Chaos reigned throughout the palace in the city streets.

Only in the homes, was their peace since each family could still understand each other and we know this since God does not destroy the institutions, which He has established such as the family!

Eventually, each family moved away from each other, leaving the city unfinished.

The process of migration throughout the earth would be rapid where the entire world would be inhabited within a few generations.

Henry M. Morris, “As each family and tribal unit migrated away from Babel, not only did they each develop a distinctive culture, but also they each developed distinctive physical and biological characteristics.

Since they could communicate only with members of their own family unit, there was no further possibility of marrying outside the family.

Hence, it was necessary to establish new families composed of very close relatives, for several generations at least.

It is well established genetically that variations take place very quickly in a small inbreeding population, but only very slowly in a large interbreeding population.

In the latter, only the dominant genes will find common expression in the outward physical characteristics of the population, reflecting more or less average characteristics even though the genetic factors for specifically distinctive characteristics are latent in the gene pool of the population.

In a small population, however, the particular suite of genes that may be present in its members, though recessive in the larger population, will have opportunity to become openly expressed and even dominant under these circumstances.

Thus, in a very few generations of such inbreeding, distinctive characteristics of skin color, height, hair texture, facial features, temperament, environmental adjustment, and others, could come to be associated with particular tribes and nations.

Since earth’s population was still relatively young and since, before the Flood, there had been a minimum of environmental radiations to produce genetic mutations, there was as yet no genetic danger from inbreeding.

After many further centuries had elapsed, however, the accumulation of mutations and the associated danger of congenital defects had become sufficiently serious to cause God to declare incestuous marriages illegal (Lev.

18:6-14)” (The Genesis Record, page 276).

Eventually, as time went on, people could learn each other’s languages.

Henry M. Morris, “The confounding of languages applied only to the phonologies, not to the underlying thought processes which are part of man’s uniqueness” (The Genesis Record, page 276).

Therefore, mankind retained his uniqueness but now was divided into a multiplicity of nations and languages and cultures.

Obviously, the Lord’s omnipotence was the cause for this confounding of the languages and was therefore a miracle.

During the millennial reign of Christ, the nations will be united in worshipping the Lord (Micah 4:2; Zech.

14:9, 16-19).

Genesis 11:8, “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.”

Genesis 11:9, “Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

The city referred is Babylon.

Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is parodying the Akkadian bab-ilu meaning “gate of god,” with its Hebrew phonological equivalent babel, meaning “confusion.”

“Babel” is located in modern Iraq, about twenty miles south of Baghdad, near the modern city of Hilla, on the Euphrates River, south of where the Tigris and Euphrates approach.

“Confused” is the verb balal (ll^B*) (baw-lal), which means, “to confuse” or “confound” in the sense of to mix or mingle and is used of God lampooning or parodying the name Babel, which means, “gate or residence of the gods.”

God is making fun of the efforts of the human race to make a name for themselves by the building of this temple-tower.

The name “Babel” has no connection with the Hebrew balal, “He confused” and its meaning is in fact patent in its Assyrian form, Bab-ili, “gate of god.”

The final syllable, `el in Hebrew, is common to all Semitic languages and means, “god” while bab is well-known in Assyrian, Arabic, Aramaic and late Hebrew.

In Genesis 11:9, Moses is indulging in a play on words, meaning a verbal irony.

Babel, therefore, became a synonym for the confusion caused by the language barriers, which God imposed on the human race because of their pride and arrogance in attempting to establish a one-world government and state religion that would honor mankind rather than God and would be independent of Him.

The phrase “because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth” gives us the “reason” for the division of the nations and multiple languages and dialects and cultures that were in the world in the day of Moses and Israel, which continue today in our day and age.

The building of the city stopped with the establishment of multiple languages, which led to the departure of her inhabitants but when the population increased again, the building of the city continued, with the result that Babylon ultimately became the greatest city in the ancient world.

Ever since, the Lord intervened at the Tower of Babel, Babylon has been a source and center of confusion in the world in the sense that the complex religious system established there by Nimrod and his wife was carried into all the nations by those who were dispersed from the city.

It appears that at least one member of each family had been indoctrinated into the Babylonian religion and these eventually became the spiritual leaders in each heathen family.

Thus, the Babylonian religion with its occupation with the occult and astrology and polytheistic pantheism was established throughout the entire ancient world.

Henry M. Morris, “The Babylonian pantheon, with its array of heavenly gods and goddesses, was equivalent to the corresponding pantheon in Assyria, Egypt, Greece, India and others.

All followed the astrological emblems of the zodiac and all were idolaters.

Furthermore, every one of these religious systems in one way or another communed with the evil spirits who were associated with the idols” (The Genesis Record, page 278).

But even though the world’s inhabitants were immersed in this Satanically inspired Babylonian religion, God had put in each one of them an awareness of the true and living God and Creator (Jn.

1:3; Rm. 1:18-32).

Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”

Romans 1:19, “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Romans 1:21, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Romans 1:22, “Professing to be wise, they became fools.”

Romans 1:23, “and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

Romans 1:24, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.”

Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen.”

Romans 1:26, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural.”

Romans 1:27, “and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

Romans 1:28, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”

Romans 1:29, “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips.”

Romans 1:30, “slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents.”

Romans 1:31, “without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful.”

Romans 1:32, “and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”