The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9
Several years ago, during the nuclear arms race, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops drafted a pastoral letter condemning the U.S policy. One sentence read: “Today the destructive potential of the nuclear powers threatens the sovereignty of God over the world he has brought into being” (Newsweek, 11/8/82, quoted from Steven Cole’s sermon, Man Versus God: God Wins).
These bishops either didn’t think through what they wrote, or they simply have bad theology. Imagine God’s sovereignty over His creation being threatened by the plans and programs of world leaders, as if God were sitting in heaven, wringing His hands, crying, “What can I do now? I never thought they’d build nuclear bombs!”
The biblical understanding is that “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men” (Dan. 4:17). Compared to God “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth” (Dan. 4:35). Proverbs 19:21 says, “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel–that will stand.” And Psalm 33:10 says, “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.” Thomas à Kempis put it succinctly, “Man proposes, but God disposes” (translation of the Latin phrase “Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit” from Book I, chapter 19, of The Imitation of Christ).
One of the best illustrations of this truth is the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11,
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Most of us are familiar with the story of the tower of Babel. But why is it important? I wonder how many after reading this story think to themselves, “what was God so upset about that He would respond by confusing the language of the peoples of the earth to scatter them abroad?” On the surface it might seem as if God is against all human progress—as if He was upset that man dared to cooperate with one another to build a city. Was God’s sovereignty threatened by man’s plans?
A careful reading of this text, especially when we consider it in the broader context of the story of Genesis and of scripture as a whole, reveals that there is more going on here. God was displeased, not with city building or tower building per say, but with the spirit of these sinful men who sought to live their lives, to build their city and their tower, independent of God and for their own glory.
This story is another literary masterpiece of the book of Genesis. This account is full allusions to previous accounts in Genesis and foreshadowing of future events. It uses several clever wordplays and parallels to emphasize irony. Like the flood account, it is an example of a perfectly balanced account where the second half is a reversed mirror image of the first half. It begins with an introduction in Genesis 11:1-2 leading to an account of arrogant human plans in Genesis 11:3-4. The hinge of the story is God’s awareness of their evil plans in Genesis 11:5. Then we see God’s reversal of their plans in Genesis 11:5-8 and the conclusion in Genesis 11:9.
1. The Arrogance of Human Plans (Gen. 11:1-4)
Genesis 11:1-2 introduce the story, “1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.” The Babel story begins with everyone on earth having “one language and one speech” (literally, “one lip and one word”). Remember that in Genesis 10 Moses gave us the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth in the Table of Nations. There Moses emphasized that everyone was “separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations” (Gen. 10:5; cf. Gen. 10:20, 31). In Genesis 10 Moses described the result; in Genesis 11, the cause. The reverse order serves to illustrate the absurdity of attempt of arrogant people to thwart the sovereign plan of God. We already know from the previous chapter that their scheme fails. Moses already told us that “the earth was divided” during the time of Peleg (Gen. 10:25).
The one language that came from the one godly family of Noah ought to have promoted a godly oneness of faith in the Lord God. But sin is pervasive in Noah’s descendants. Imagine a world where there was no such thing as a “language barrier”. People would be able to come together much more easily. People would be able to work together much more efficiently towards a common good. Or so you would think. The rest of the story describes what sinful and fallen men did with this blessing of a unified language. Instead of using it for good, they used it for evil.
Notice in Genesis 11:2 that after the flood, “they journeyed from the east.” This may already signal trouble. In Genesis, “east” or “from the east” suggests movement away from God. Remember how God placed cherubim “at the east of the garden of Eden” after God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden (Gen. 3:24). After Cain killed Abel Genesis 4:16 says, “Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.”
As they journeyed eastward they settled in Mesopotamia on the broad, flat plain of Shinar, “They dwelt there” (Gen. 11:2). Their settling all together in one place as in direct opposition to God’s command to Noah after the flood, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1).
Having set the direction of humanity’s rebellion, Moses records the words of their sinful resolve. Genesis 11:3, “Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.” Apparently there were no stones in the area to use in building their city and tower. So, they developed kiln-dried bricks and used pitch for mortar. Making bricks when there was no stone bolstered their pride and confidence in themselves. “We can do anything, overcome any hardship. The only limit on what we can do is our own imagination.” Like we saw in Genesis 4, it was progress; but it was progress without God.
Their next statement in Genesis 11:4 makes this clear, “And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The words “us” and “ourselves” are important. Their focus was on themselves. The repeated phrase, “Come, let us” reflects their willful autonomy. They did not consult God or seek His will. Notice the word “city”. These men desired to build a city. This city was not the city of God dedicated to the glorification of his name, but the city of man. Their ambition was to do what other city builders in the past had done in the line of Cain.
They not only intend to build a city, but also “a tower whose top is in the heavens.” Archaeologists have uncovered in this region a number of ziggurats, or religious towers, made of kiln-dried bricks and pitch. These may be modeled after this original tower. The tower that these men built was not just a tower, but a temple—a Mesopotamian ziggurat used to promote the worship of false gods.
Their motives are clear. First, they say “let us make a name for ourselves.” Their objective was to make a name for themselves. Arrogance, rebellion, and pride seem to be the root of men’s activities here. Rather than calling on the name of the Lord as Seth’s sons had done (Gen. 4:26) they sought to make a name for themselves. In Genesis 12 God blesses the faithful Abram and promised to “make your name great” (Gen. 12:2). Second, they say “lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” God had commanded that they multiply and fill the earth. He intended for them to disperse throughout the world. These men of old must have known of God’s command and of His covenant. Otherwise, why would they have feared being scattered? But rather than trusting in God, they put their trust in themselves and their buildings of bricks. They feared the very thing that God commanded them to do. They dreaded being spread out over the earth. They wanted to live in close proximity to one another.
This construction project was no innocent enterprise. Instead, the building of this city in a plain in the land of Shinar, and the construction of this tower-temple, was an act of rebellion against the God of heaven. The story shows that the same desire for independence and autonomy which drove Adam and Eve to take of the forbidden tree, for Cain to build a city and to name it after his son, and for the sons of God to rule corruptly, harshly and oppressively in the days leading up to the flood, was also present in the world after the flood. These people were living in all out rebellion against the God of heaven as they sought to develop their culture independent of Him.
2. God’s Awareness (Gen. 11:5)
Genesis 11:5 is the pivotal scene in this story, “But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.”
If you know anything about the God of the Bible, the Creator of heaven and earth, you know that he does not need to “come down” to see anything on earth, but is omnipresent and omniscient, that is to say, all present and all knowing. When Moses writes, “But the LORD came down” he is using irony and mocking their human achievements. They intended to build “a tower whose top is in the heavens” but it is so puny and God so far above it that it is like the Lord has to stoop way down just to see it. While the top of the tower may, from the vantage point of earth, seem to pierce the clouds, to the infinite, almighty God it was a barely visible dot on the earth.
It really is ludicrous to consider how much we make of ourselves. We humans think that we are so great and powerful, so intelligent and creative, so independent and supreme. But only God is great. Isaiah 40:21-23 says,
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
Psalm 2 says, “1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? … 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.” (Psa. 2:1, 4) God sees all the self-aggrandizing plans of man and laughs. Only the Lord God is sovereign.
That brings us to,
3. God’s Reversal of Human Plans (Gen. 11:5-9)
God sovereignly acts to bring about His own purpose in spite of man’s rebellion. Genesis 11:6 says, “And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” This statement from God reminds us of what God said about sinful mankind in Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil God sent them out of the garden, “lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gen. 3:22). God is not opposed to human potential or human progress, but because He loves us, God is opposed to progress that is Godless. He opposes Godless progress for it is neither to His glory, nor for our good.
The completion of this city would in no way threaten the rule of God. Obviously, it would violate the command of God for man to disperse and fill the earth. Genesis 11:6 explains the impact which the success of man’s plans to build this city would have on man. Men would conclude that since they were able to build this city despite many obstacles, they could do anything they set their minds to. In other words, they did not need God. They could do anything themselves.
It is this attitude of arrogant self-confidence and independence of God which God knew was inevitable if man succeeded. Because of this, God purposed to thwart man’s plans: “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Gen. 11:7). Clearly, this was an act of judgement. Because the people used their unity for evil, God cursed them with disunity. But this is not only a punishment but also a preventive. By confusing their languages and by dividing them God restrained the peoples of the earth from running headlong into sin. By pouring out this judgment evil was restrained.
God is exalted by the manner in which He so easily disposes of proud man’s efforts: He confuses their languages. The mechanics of the confusion of language can only be guessed at, but the outcome is evident. The project came to an abrupt halt, a monument to man’s sin. Genesis 11:8 says, “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”
Genesis 11 doesn’t take us any further than Genesis 10 did historically, but it does take us further as it pertains to our understanding of the spirit of this world and of God’s activities within it.
There are two kingdoms present within this world—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. God is Lord and king over both kingdoms. He is Lord and king over the kingdom of God, for that kingdom is made up of those who desire to live in obedience to him and for his glory. But he is also Lord and King over the city of man, for God is ultimately sovereign over all things. Even those who oppose and resist his rule are not outside of his sovereign control.
