May 30, 2004 Genesis 11:1-9
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
On the eastern plains of Shinar, some twenty-two hundred years before Christ, men had a meeting of their minds. They talked about the plains that they had inhabited - a nice piece of land - and what they were going to do there. It was over this piece of land that they made decisions which were not pleasing to God - which caused God to change their languages and separate man from himself - giving us the story of the Tower of Babel.
Shinar literally means “country of two rivers”. It’s the ancient name for Babylonia, which is now known as our modern day Iraq. I find it somewhat incredible that four thousand years later we have another meeting of minds on what to do with the same plot of land. Do we build or do we destroy? Do we get involved or do we get out? This argument is leading to not only leading to a division of countries, but a division of people within countries. We are dealing with a modern day tower of Babel.
Yet God is in charge. He was in charge four thousand years ago, and He’s still in charge today. No matter how many plans we make, in the end, His will will be done - whether we like it or not. Today we’ll see that as we build our towers,
The Holy Spirit Builds a Tower that Will Never Fall
I. The gathering
Genesis 11 begins by telling us that “As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.” This was right after the Flood, where God had told man to specifically “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” (Ge 9:1) Genesis 10 tells how Ham’s descendants did this -
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in SHINAR.
However, Genesis 10 also tells us where Shem’s descendants lived -
The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
Here we have two groups of people going the same way - to the East. Moreover, Shem was a forerunner of the Savior, whereas Ham’s descendant - Nimrod - was more known for his hunting and killing. Is it, then, coincidence that Nimrod’s first kingdom happened to be in the middle of where Shem’s descendants were supposed to be living? Or was he in fact encroaching on the territory of the forerunners of Christ - where they were not supposed to be? These are all things to think about when Genesis 11 just gives us a blanket statement that “men moved eastward to the plain in Shinar.” There may be more here to this situation than meets the eye.
These “men” liked the land of Shinar. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Using their God given brains, it appears that these men came up with a new invention - a new type of brick that had never been used before - and a new type of glue to hold them together. When they put their minds together - they were able to build enormous buildings. The LORD even said of them, “nothing will be impossible for them.” That’s quite a statement to the ability of man, isn’t it? Ancient man wasn’t just a caveman. He was a very capable creature - one who was able to do some incredible things. Think about what we’ve been able to invent just in the last century. Atomic bombs, airplanes, space ships that can take men to the moon and send pods to Mars. It’s incredible. Another interesting fact about this text is that the word in Hebrew for “moved” in vs. 2 is literally NASA. Men were moving then, and men are still moving now.
However, notice what happened when they started having some movement and progress forward. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” It is these statements that make me sure that these are the words of Nimrod’s kind. With their new invention, what was the purpose of trying to build such a tower? 1) To make a name for OURSELVES. 2) so we WON’T be scattered over the earth. These two purposes in building were directly contrary to what God wanted them to do. God created man to give HIM glory - to spread HIS name. And God directly told Noah to fill the earth and increase in number. But the more ability these heathens were given, the more arrogant they became. The building of their tower wasn’t so they could get closer to God. It was so they could tell the world, “WE ARE GOD. We don’t need God to get to heaven. We can build our own tower that goes straight to heaven.”
A man by the name of Yamasaki, quoted in Paul Heyer’s "Architects on Architecture: New Directions in America," said, "The World Trade Center should, because of it’s importance, become a living representation of man’s belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his belief in the cooperation of men, and through this cooperation his ability to find greatness." Think about what he was saying. He was saying that the World Trade Center was evidence of the ability of man - his greatness. As you can see, this is still the way that man always naturally thinks about his inventions and accomplishments. It makes him think, “I can do anything.”
That desire for greatness drives people more than you’d think. Why do you think parents are so afraid to discipline their children today? They’re worried about what their children will think of them down the road. Why do you think sports stars aren’t satisfied with being great athletes - but need to win the Super Bowl or the World Series or the NBA Championship? They’re all consumed about the LEGEND they leave. When the Packers lost to the Broncos, Ron Wolf, the CEO of the Packers said, “now they’re nothing but a (pardon the expression) fart in the wind.” Many people are depressed because they feel like they aren’t making a difference - that they aren’t making a mark on the world. They’re angry with their lot in life as mothers, students, or blue collar workers because they don’t feel any greatness in what they’re doing.
Take a good look at yourself now. Do you find yourself getting upset because nobody recognizes you at home or at work? Are you constantly consumed with how appreciated you should be? Are you angry with your lot in life because you don’t feel you’re reaching your “full potential”? Then you need to ask yourself - what is your purpose in life? If you think that your life is worthless because you aren’t making any national recognition, than how different is it from Nimrod who just wanted to make a name for himself as a great hunter and builder? That’s NOT what God made you for. Life isn’t about how many people can notice your voice and your abilities and how big of a building you can make. It’s not even about displaying all your abilities. That’s all a form of work righteousness. He made you to give glory to HIM. Even if you’ve done great things for mankind - invented life saving devices or built modern day wonders - if you’ve only done it to make a name for yourself, what good are you? You might be good for man - but you’ll be no good to God. You’re nothing but another Nimrod.
II. The scattering
How did God respond to this gathering of man? The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. The LORD recognized the potential for man to do many great things if he was able to work together. The problem was that if man were able to be so successful in life, he would feel no need for God. He would in fact live to defy God - to be his own god.
Therefore, God had no other choice. He had to tear the tower down. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” Instead of using a bulldozer or a bomb blast, God had a different way of tearing down the tower - by attacking from within - and confusing their languages. Imagine the scene, it’s almost comical. Here they were, giving orders and carrying bricks, mixing tar and producing a great and mighty city. Imagine the foreman saying, “take these bricks over here,” and having his worker looking at him with a strange look and saying, “what?” So he probably yelled a little louder, “TAKE THESE BRICKS OVER HERE!” (?) It not only would have been confusing, but scary.
If you think about it, this judgment on man was in many ways worse than the flood. The flood killed millions of people in one fell swoop. But the confusing of languages has caused the deaths of many more millions of people throughout history. Consider the story of Jephthah in Judges 12.
Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. . . The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,” they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time. (Jdg 12:4-6).
Jephthah was able to use a difference in dialect to slaughter 42,000 Ephraimites.
This is just one of many examples. Think of how language still divides us today. Have you ever walked through Wal-Mart and heard someone speaking Spanish. If you don’t know Spanish, how do you feel? What do you start to think? “I wonder what they’re saying.” It immediately raises questions - causes suspicion. When you hear someone speaking Arabic, it’s only natural to wonder if these people are terrorists. I’m not saying they are, but you naturally have suspicions. Bill Cosby just recently caused a rift within the black community because he stated that black children don’t know how to speak properly. If you think about it, this curse on man has caused huge divisions in mankind throughout the ages and many more deaths than we’ll ever know.
This difference in languages has even caused divisions within religion. The fight over what people consider the right translation has caused good groups of Christians to split with one another. Both have a passion for God’s Word - but when they can’t agree on whether we should call God “you” or “thee”, a difference in wording has caused split ups and even spiritual death to the victims and children who were pulled from worship because of this. This isn’t God’s fault. It’s man’s. Yet nonetheless, it’s a result of this curse.
From that point on, what happened? So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. Without a bomb, without a bulldozer, but with an awesome display of strength over the tongue, God caused man to spread over the earth - whether he wanted to or not. When man wanted to play God, God played with man’s tongue. He would not be rebelled against. He would not come down from his throne. When God pronounces a judgment - no how matter how smart you are, how strong you are, or how united you think you are, your towers will fall.
Paul once warned in Ephesians 4, do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph 4:27) Don’t give the devil a foothold. One of the most brutal sports around is called Ultimate Fighting Championships. For the first three years of this sport a young man by the name of Gracy (I believe it was) was able to dominate the championships. He could enter the ring with considerably huge opponents, and yet win. How? He was the master of getting people in submission holds. At one time a huge wrestler at least twice his size was on top of him and seemingly going to win for sure. For about five minutes Gracy fought for his life from the bottom. Yet within one split second, he was able to use his feet to strangle his opponent and win the fight.
That’s the way the devil wins. Think about America. We thought we were strong after 9-11. But now more than ever our country is split down the middle over moral issues and what we ought to be doing against terrorists. The greatest enemy is not the terrorist, the dictators, or communists without - but the arrogance and fighting within. Unfortunately, this split has already happened to our families. When husbands and wives and children start getting in a power play - thinking about how I can get ahead instead of what does God want and what’s best for my family - the devil’s got the foothold. A key way he gets a foothold is in communication. Men and women speak differently. If a man wants to show his wife he loves her, he does stuff for her. He might clean her car, wash the dishes, work overtime, play with the kids, or buy her something. That’s the way men communicate. But women like to be communicated with touch and talk. They want men to say they love their wives and touch them and stare into their eyes. So while the husband is working, the wife can think he loves work more than her, they don’t communicate - and get angry with one another - because they speak different languages. Before they know it - there’s a rift from within. When you’re only concerned about what YOU’RE getting out of the marriage - it’s going to cause anger - and then a split up sooner or later. Two people that loved each other all of the sudden hate each other. Where was the enemy? It was within. Then all of the furniture they picked out, the home they bought together, and the relationships they had with their kids - it all comes crashing down like the tower of Babel - because of dissension within.
III. The building
In the midst of these trying times, we need something to bring us together. We need something to get husbands and wives talking again. We need people to start forgiving one another, getting along with one another - we need some bonds - some unity again. Everyone has that desire - to have some kind of fellowship. But the sad thing is that we’re finding unity around hatred and sin. Politicians find unity in hating other politicians. Gays, perverts, and adulterers find unity in their immoral behavior. Men and women find unity in a common sexual attraction that unites them for a night - bodily - but that’s it. Greedy entrepreneurs find unity in common goals to make it rich. So we see Americans unite and say, “we’re the Cheeseheads, we’re Democrats, we’re queer and we’re here, or we’re with the Legion!” What do they really unite around? Nothing but bricks and mortar! In the long run, it does no good. We need a stronger glue, a tighter tar - something that can’t fall from within.
Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection - the disciples were in a house in Jerusalem - not preaching - probably scared for their lives. That was when the Holy Spirit descended on them. Through a tongue of fire - the Holy Spirit rested on each of them. Then the Holy Spirit changed their tongues - so they could speak in different languages. It “just so happened” that many people from all over the world were in Jerusalem at this time - from Media, Egypt, all over the place for what was called the Feast of Weeks. They came to give the Lord the first fruits of their grain harvest. With this miraculous ability, the disciples made use of it, by telling all who came that Jesus Christ indeed died on the cross for their sins and rose from the dead. With this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit - thousands of people heard these disciples speaking in their own tongues. It was a reversal of Babel! On this one day the Holy Spirit testified to the truth and in so doing united 3,000 people together in one day!
In hymn 190 - We Now Implore God The Holy Ghost - we sing and pray -
O sacred Love, grace on us bestow,
Set our hearts with heav’nly fire aglow
That with hearts united we love each other,
Of one mind, in peace with ev’ry brother. Lord, have mercy!
The gift of Pentecost - the gift of the Holy Spirit - is the only thing that can truly unite us to one another in true Christian love. When we all know that we all are sinners who have deserved God’s wrath - and yet were saved by the blood and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - it unites us. It makes us realize and say, “If God could be so merciful to send His only Son to die for me - and send His Holy Spirit into my once dead soul - then I can forgive you. If God can be patient with me, then I can be patient with my spouse and my children. If God can tells me He loves me, then I can tell others that I love them. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit I can say, “I forgive you. I love you. I don’t hold a grudge. I’m here to serve you.” It’s those kinds of words that unite us - that make us tighter than any Republicans, Cheeseheads, Germans, or any Societies could ever be. We aren’t united around hatred but by love. We have a common faith in a common and forgiving God. The Gospel of Christ and His forgiveness is the only thing that can truly bond husbands and wives together - even when they speak different languages. It’s that faith that keeps children from running away, even when they have the meanest parents in the world. It’s the Holy Spirit that builds this congregation and the Invisible Church higher than any tower of Babel - because our speech is united. We all say together, “I believe in Jesus Christ.”
Mr. Yamasaki thought that the World Trade Center was a symbol of how great man could be when he cooperates. When two planes flew into the Twin Towers, I don’t think anyone knew they would actually crumble. But crumble they did. With the fall of the Trade Center, and the fall of the Tower of Babel, isn’t that also symbolic of how far man’s cooperation will get him? It shows us how far faith in man will go. We may be able to unite and do seemingly great things. But we are also very able to self destruct and do terrible things.
With our own self destruction, God bids us go to a Building that can never fall. We have a greater builder and designer than any Nimrods. The Holy Spirit has built our family and congregation on a stronger foundation than rock and a stronger bond than tar. He has built His Church on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Building, built on the gospel - is constantly under attack. But through faith in Christ - we will not fall. We will not be split apart. As long as we stay in the Gospel - this building - the Holy Christian Church - will last into eternity. On Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit builds a tower that will never fall. Amen.
