The Tower of Babel

 

Genesis 11:1-9

Greetings dear Saints around the world. It is such a sweet blessing to know that there could be listeners from various countries who tune in to this message, and when I ponder how small the world is getting because of technology, it’s still a wonderfully large and diverse planet.  At the moment I am living and serving in Gulu, Uganda, amongst the Acholi people.  I find the language here difficult to learn and I always wish to respond in Ateso, which is the language of the former tribe I lived in for ten years.  Thankfully I can speak a lot of English wherever I go, but sometimes a translator is needed.

Twenty years ago I was serving in the Philippines, in Southeast Asia, when I received an invitation to come and spend Christmas and New Year’s with a cousin who was living in Japan.  My flight was delayed leaving Manila, so that meant I would miss the overnight train from Osaka. When I arrived in Japan I had to take a tram, or small train, over to the Kyoto train station, which is a major transportation hub.  I got there at 11:15 pm, but the train I wanted left at 11pm.  The station was very cold, in the dead of winter, and only a few people were standing around the platforms.  I tried to talk to the staff or train conductors wearing white to see if they could tell me when the next train departed for Kochi, but the only English they knew was “Sorry Ma’am, you missed the train!”  I know, but when is the next train.  They would shake their heads and say, “You missed the train.”  I tried to think of other creative ways of asking and they just shook their heads and walked away.  The ATM like ticket machines were all written in Japanese characters, so I couldn’t even read the name Kochi.

I bundled up and sat against a wall in that cold, quiet station for about two hours. Then a tiny man motioned for me to follow him.  Sending up a few prayers to God, I followed this man through a door, down a long dark hallway, down some stairs, along another hallway, where he brought me to a warm computer lab with comfy couches.  He motioned for me to sit and then he walked away. A moment later a young man came up to me and asked me, in perfect English, how he could be of assistance. I felt incredible relief!! And from there I was able to reach my cousin;s home with a clearly laid out train schedule.

Today we are going to read a story from the Bible that shares a little about how various languages came about.  I’m sure the people were utterly confused as they wondered around trying to find someone else to speak the new language that rolled off their tongues. Ola. Jambo. Yoga. Apfwoyo. Dag. Hello. Bonjour…  And then that moment when they would meet someone whom they understood.  Wow. Imagine.

Let’s open our Bibles to Gen. 11:1-9.

11 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar^] and settled there.

³ They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

So far the reading of God’s Word.

This story happens not only near the beginning of the Bible, but also near the beginning of the story of man.  Adam and Eve were created.  They sinned.  The people just a few generations later had completely forgotten about God and Noah built an ark to save his family and some animals from total destruction, and then Noah’s 3 sons started all over again.  Shem, Ham, and Japheth began having children and spreading out.  At least, they were supposed to have spread out and fill the earth.

Ham gave birth to Cush. Cush gave birth to Nimrod and in Genesis 10 we learn that Nimrod became a mighty warrior on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Ninevah, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Ninevah and Calah – which is the great city.

Have you heard some of these city names before? Assyria, Ninevah, Babylon, and Canaan – these people groups were often against God’s people, the Israelites, but they were first built up under the leadership of Nimrod, the great Grandson of Noah. This family line of Cush, Nimrod, Canaan, and others forgot about God again. They were against God and seeking glory for themselves.  The glory and wonder of the Babylonian ruins and gardens can still be glimpsed to this day.  I’ve heard rumors that the hanging gardens around the current day Baghdad, Iraq, still reveal some of the ancient wonder. 

While preparing for this message, I also noted that many scholars and religions believe that Babel and Babylon are the same place.  Babel is a Hebrew word and Babylon is a Greek word – for the “Gate of God.”

In Gen. 11:6 Nimrod says “Come, let us build a great city for ourselves, with a tower that reaches the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered over all the earth.” This went against God’s command to spread out, go out, multiply, and fill the earth.

Going against God is never a good thing.  Noah’s descendants tried to make a name for themselves and God confused and scattered them. Noah’s sons, grandson, and great grandsons wanted to make a name for themselves and be united in doing wrong.  Whether, not covering Noah when he was naked, or uniting together to make a name for themselves with this tower that was supposed to reach the heavens.

God might not scatter us anymore through language, but we as human beings still try to go against God.  We want all the attention and the glory.  We want people to look at us. It’s sometimes easier to be united in evil than in good or truth.  In today’s society, we try so hard to get noticed by driving the best cars, building fancy houses, showing off our degrees, carrying titles for the sake of pride and arrogance.  We show off the things that we’ve acquired and can easily forget that it is God who gave these things to us. It may not feel like we are going against the Lord, but when we live on easy street and forget the Lord and His provisions and guidance, it’s the same thing. We, too, try to make a name for ourselves.

And the Bible is filled with stories of people who drew together for the wrong reasons and displeased God. Nebuchadnezzar wanted people to worship him. The children of Israel combined their gold and jewelry to create the golden calf. Jonah teamed up with a whale because he went against God. Adam and Eve partnered with the Serpent and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Even Herod and Pontius Pilate united together to send Jesus to the cross. God saw that when the descendants of Noah started gathering and building, nothing would be impossible, because they were working with such unity. But they were united against the Lord, not FOR God. So God confused their languages and scattered them.

A few authors even suggested that Nimrod and these warriors wanted to get their revenge on God for destroying the whole earth. They were going to build a tower to reach God. They wanted to be worshipped. Nimrod was definitely a proud, selfish, arrogant man who was building a large name and city center for himself.

God saw all this happening! He didn’t like what was happening in that beautiful city, but he couldn’t destroy them all because He was keeping His promise. Instead, God humbled the people by confusing their language and sending them out across the world. He wanted the people to focus on HIM and His plans for them. Once again, the people had to turn their eyes back to God.

We too focus on ourselves quite often. We could even say that people think “I can do all things” but forget the rest – “Through Christ who strengthens me.” We can be just like Nimrod. People build a name for themselves rather than glorifying the name of the Lord. How often do we build ourselves up to receive all the honor and take great pride in our towers of success, possessions and other worldly treasures?

God stopped the work of Nimrod and the other warriors as God desired for the people to obey and remember Him and to spread out, just like He had commanded. God wanted His name to be known instead of Nimrod’s name. Or the Babylonian people. It’s not about what the people could do, it’s all about God.

God wanted the descendants of Noah to go out and spread the Good News of what God had done – to go forth and multiply, not only in number, but also His message of Hope. God hoped His people would obey Him and remember His Holy name. Trust me, when I found that young Japanese man, deep in the train station, who could speak English and show me train schedule, I could do nothing but praise the Lord.  With the language being confused, it actually drew me closer to God, knowing that He was the one guiding my footsteps, looking over me, and I praised Him for how He lead me through that journey in a foreign country.

God today, gives us grace and offers instruction through His Word. And he stops our plans by humbling us and turning our eyes back to Him. Life is meaningless if we don’t have Jesus.

James 4:6 says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore, let’s humble ourselves and place our trust and focus back to Jesus.  Jesus is the Name above all names.  He is the strong and mighty tower! He alone is the gateway to God, not the Tower of Babel, where people thought they would find the gates of heaven.

So, what does God want from us today then.  Well,

1.    We need to take our plans and requests to God.

2.    We should thank Him for all He has done and for all that we have been blessed with in this life.

3.    We need to use our bodies, knowledge, and possessions for His glory.

4.    We must tell others that Jesus is the Good News, because His name is the Name above every other name, and the only Gateway into the New Jerusalem. It is not our ways or works that will get us into heaven, only Christ.

My friends, the story of the Tower of Babel tells us that Nimrod was a man who united the people to be against God and to focus on themselves.  They wanted to reach God with their strong tower, to build a name for themselves, but God confused and scattered them. We too need to stop being selfish and be united in worshipping, trusting, and obeying in God, Jesus – the Name above all names.

“Jesus, Name Above All Names.”

“Trust and Obey”

Heavenly Father, we thank you that your Word is alive and active in our hearts and lives today.  We are sorry for the times when we take our eyes off of you and do things for selfish gain or recognition. Lord, forgive us for choosing to go our own way, sometimes down a slippery slope, and other times out of clear disobedience to Your plan for our lives.  Lord, thank you for confusing your people, stopping them in their tracks and bringing them back to You.  Jesus, our Gateway to heaven, we cherish your grace and desire to seek your will and purpose for our lives. Humble us Lord and use us to share your Good News in our community, for the glory of Your name. Amen.