Genesis 11:1-9 The Tower of Babel
The first half of chapter 11 talks about the tower of Babel.
At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. As the people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began to talk about the construction projects. They built a great city with this tower that reached the skies with great piles of burnt bricks and collected natural asphalt to use as mortar. It was a monument to their greatness. The tower would bring them together and keep them from scattering all over the world.
The brick used to build this tower was man made and not as hard as stone. Just to give you an idea what the brick was made out of.
The Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. "Look!" he said. "If they can accomplish this when they have just begun to take advantage of their common language and political unity, just think of what they will do later. Nothing will be impossible for them! Come, let's go down and give them different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other."
So basically, the Lord didn't like what he saw. The people were so focused on building this tower that they forgot about God. They built this tower as their own achievement. So God did what he had to do. He changed their language to many different kinds of languages so that the people couldn't build the tower and to be together.
That is why the city was called Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the people by giving them many languages, thus scattering them across the earth. (Genesis 11:9)
Picture this.
The tower of Babel was most likely a ziggurat, a common structure in Babylonia at this time. Most often built as temples, ziggurats looked like pyramids with steps or ramps leading up to the sides. Ziggurats stood as high as 300 feet and were often just as wide; thus they were the focal point of the city. The people in this story built their tower as a monument to their own greatness, something for the world to see.
You might be asking yourself, "What does the tower of Babel story have to do with me?"
Let me answer your question with a question. "What great achievements have you accomplished in your life?"
The tower of Babel was a great human achievement, a wonder of the world. But it was a monument to the people themselves rather than to God. We may build monuments to ourselves (expensive clothes, big house, fancy car, important job) to call attention to our achievements. These may not be wrong in themselves, but when we use them to give us identity and self-worth, they take God's place in our lives. We are free to develop in many areas, but we are not free to think we have replaced God.
What "towers" have you built in your life?
At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. As the people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began to talk about the construction projects. They built a great city with this tower that reached the skies with great piles of burnt bricks and collected natural asphalt to use as mortar. It was a monument to their greatness. The tower would bring them together and keep them from scattering all over the world.
The brick used to build this tower was man made and not as hard as stone. Just to give you an idea what the brick was made out of.
The Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. "Look!" he said. "If they can accomplish this when they have just begun to take advantage of their common language and political unity, just think of what they will do later. Nothing will be impossible for them! Come, let's go down and give them different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other."
So basically, the Lord didn't like what he saw. The people were so focused on building this tower that they forgot about God. They built this tower as their own achievement. So God did what he had to do. He changed their language to many different kinds of languages so that the people couldn't build the tower and to be together.
That is why the city was called Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the people by giving them many languages, thus scattering them across the earth. (Genesis 11:9)
Picture this.
The tower of Babel was most likely a ziggurat, a common structure in Babylonia at this time. Most often built as temples, ziggurats looked like pyramids with steps or ramps leading up to the sides. Ziggurats stood as high as 300 feet and were often just as wide; thus they were the focal point of the city. The people in this story built their tower as a monument to their own greatness, something for the world to see.
You might be asking yourself, "What does the tower of Babel story have to do with me?"
Let me answer your question with a question. "What great achievements have you accomplished in your life?"
The tower of Babel was a great human achievement, a wonder of the world. But it was a monument to the people themselves rather than to God. We may build monuments to ourselves (expensive clothes, big house, fancy car, important job) to call attention to our achievements. These may not be wrong in themselves, but when we use them to give us identity and self-worth, they take God's place in our lives. We are free to develop in many areas, but we are not free to think we have replaced God.
What "towers" have you built in your life?
I really like this story and tho I've understood it, I've never thought about it like this before. Thanks for raising the interesting question of my 'towers"!
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