'The Tower' (Genesis 11:1-9)

Backstory: As God’s images, Adam and Eve were to be God's representatives on the earth. They were to extend God’s reign on earth by filling the earth with images of God. However, Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were expelled from Eden. Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Yet, Cain murdered Abel and the descendants of Cain built cultures that stood in opposition to God. The record shows that mankind opposed God’s reign and the world was full of violence. As a result, God judged the world by means of a universal flood. All mankind had become corrupt but Noah found favor with God. God warned Noah of the flood and Noah built an Ark to preserve Noah, his family and two of every animal. God made a covenant with Noah to preserve mankind and the earth in order to redeem it. God also promised a stable environment in order for His image to do God’s will on the earth. God blessed Noah and his sons telling them to multiply and fill the earth.

 Genesis 11:1–9: Man moved eastward and sought to build a city on the plain of Shinar with a tower reaching to the heavens. They sought to ‘make a name for themselves’ and not be scattered over the whole earth as God intended. They failed to submit their gifts, talents and abilities before God in submission to God’s purposes and instead they worked together in opposition to God’s will. They used their God-given ingenuity to glorify themselves and so God confused their common language and scattered over the face of the whole earth.

Speaking one common language enabled mankind to collaborate together to build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens. We are told that they did this to ‘make a name for themselves’. Adam and Eve were to fill the earth with images of God (Gen.1:28).  After the flood, Noah and his sons were ‘to be fruitful and increase in number, and fill the earth’ (Gen.9:1-2). However, mankind was unified but they were working together in opposition to God’s purpose of filling the earth with ‘images of God’. The question for us today is essentially the same. Will we submit ourselves to God and do His will or will we seek to do our own will in order to make a name for ourselves?

The Lord ‘came down’ just to see the futility of their building a city with a tower to the heavens. They opposed God’s will and sought to do their own will in order to make a name for themselves. The Lord concluded that their common language enabled them to be unified in their opposition to God’s purpose. Moreover, if this is how they were to use their God-given abilities then all manner of evil would be possible for them. Men working together are capable of tremendous achievement, but here the achievement is driven by the desire to exalt their own reputations. Fame, reputation, and selfish-ambition are driving them to use their talents and abilities to glorify themselves and defy God’s will.

They opposed God, so God opposes them. They determined to work against God’s purpose so God determined to work against their purpose. God confused their language so that they couldn’t communicate which stopped the construction. The Lord confused their language and scattered them over the face of the whole earth. God wanted the earth full of images of God doing His will but they settled together to build a city to ‘make a name for themselves’. But, there God stopped them by confusing their language and this is why the city was called Babel.