Explore the Bible
Assistant Professor of Christian Ministries, University of Mobile
SCATTERED
Genesis 11:1–9
United by a Sinful Purpose (1–4)
This story presents a unified humanity using all its resources to build a city that is the antithesis of what God intended when He created the world. The tower is a symbol of human autonomy and the builders of the city see themselves as determining and establishing their own destiny without any mention of God.
Moses’ description of humanity’s settlement is brief but informative. All of the earth had one language (literally, “one lip”). This common language ought to have promoted a God-honoring oneness of faith but sin was alive and well among Noah’s descendants.
As people wandered eastward from Ararat they settled in Mesopotamia on the broad, flat plain of Shinar in what the Talmud calls “the valley of the world.” Moses’ statement that they settled there is not incidental because settled is the opposite of dispersed. Their settling was in direct opposition to God’s post-flood command to “fill the earth” (9:1).
They are going to come together and build for themselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens. They want to make a name for themselves. The Babel enterprise is all about human independence and self-sufficiency apart from God. They do not believe they need God. Their know-how and social unity give them confidence in their own ability and they have high aspirations.
Contrary to God’s plan that people should fill the earth, the purpose in building the city and the tower is to prevent the people from being dispersed over the face of the whole earth. Its builders supposed that God was localized, in direct contradiction to the teaching in Genesis. The people had created a god in their own image. Also their belief that man by his hard work could reach God betrays the fatal delusion of all man-made religion. This delusion is at the heart of every religion apart from the gospel because the world’s religions all teach that works result in pleasing God. We must always preach to ourselves the truth that God’s pleasure in us is not based on our performance for Him but rather on Christ’s performance for us.
The city and tower builders were a broken people. The fact that they feared being scattered is proof that their fellowship with God and their unity with each other had been shattered by sin.
Reviewed by God (5)
Moses is utilizing irony as he writes that the Lord has to come down in order to see the city and the tower. It’s as if God stoops down like a man on His hands and knees and lowers His face to the earth to see the great tower. In comparison to the Creator God, the tower was microscopic. The psalmist writes: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (Ps. 2:4).
Scattered by Confusion (6–9)
Acknowledging the potential danger of a unified, self-confident, sinful humanity, God goes down and confuses their language so they cannot understand one another. God was not threatened by a unified, sinful humanity. He was troubled by what would happen to humanity if the human rebellion was left unchecked. They would build up a delusion of self-sufficiency through their false religion, corporate security and political uniformity. They would attempt to throw off God and seek to rule the earth for themselves. And in their delusion they would never turn to God.
The hammer falls and God’s judgment is swift. God confuses their language. This has the desired effect of dispersing the people throughout the world.
Share with others: