1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

Genesis 11:1-8 (ESV)

When left to themselves, men seek their own glory. Anxious to gain power and be remembered, they build cities, fashion artifacts, and congratulate each other. But fame is fleeting. Memories fade, people scatter, and the achievements of today become tomorrow’s ruins.

Genesis 11 tells the tale of the rise of a great metropolis. Babel, founded by Nimrod the “mighty man,” enjoyed success as a cultural center (Gen. 10:8-10). One language and group thinking produced an impressive collective identity. As a result, it also gave men undue pride. Pride gave way to arrogance which led to the cheer “let us make a name for ourselves” (v. 4). The chosen mechanism for human glory was a tower or ziggurat. By building up and out, these Mesopotamians sought to preserve their own legacy and cultural power.

By building the tower and centralizing their cultural efforts, the denizens of Babel defied God. In the creation ordinance, God mandated that humans should multiply, spread out, and cultivate the earth (Gen. 1:26-28). The Lord intended that the globe be filled with representations of His glory; but men despised this desire, shunning dispersal (v. 4). Concentrating on Babel alone demonstrated contempt for the divine cultural agenda.

The architects of Babel quickly found themselves opposed by God. By seeking to exalt their own name, they elicited a divine response. God intervened in the midst of Babel’s self-aggrandizement, confused their ability to communicate, and dispersed them throughout the earth (vv. 7-8). God’s act of judgment was also an act of grace. Had the sons of Nimrod succeeded in their bid for human glory, they would have believed the lie that human beings are sovereign and not God. Under such conditions, no gross societal sin would be unthinkable or “impossible” for them (v. 6). God does not share His glory with men, but rather displays His glory among the nations for His own name’s sake (Isa. 42:8; 1 Chron. 16:24).

A society bent on esteeming itself will find its purposes at odds with God. The great nations of world history (Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome, et al.) all met their doom at the hands of Divine Providence. No language, culture, or civilization is inevitable when it seeks its own good to the exclusion of God’s good. George Frideric Handel, quoting Revelation 11:15, thus ended the second part of his most famous oratorio the Messiah with the following lines: “The kingdoms of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ: And He shall reign for ever and ever.”

The story of Babel holds a lesson which modern man needs to hear. When a culture becomes puffed up, God is able to bring it to an end. No nation enjoys privilege before the Almighty if it exalts itself and persistently forgets the Lord.
article adapted from Kairos Journal

First Baptist Church is located in Perryville, MD  on Rt. 40.