It was a moment of folly, a church in Northwest Iowa prefers to forget. Busting at the seams, they broke ground on a new building in the early eighties. Their sanctuary and parking lot would double in size. Featured too were a large kitchen and fellowship hall and many a classroom and extra nursery space. It was the talk of the town and members felt rather good about themselves. Months later, with a preliminary structure in place, the building committee wet the town’s appetites with a series of night tours. Indeed, it was going to be a grand building boasting the tallest steeple in town.
And the members came away thrilled from their first looks - that is until the old widow spoke up - I really like the looks of this – but where are the organ and piano supposed to go? Suddenly there was a lot of babbling – some of it was rumored in the local paper to be quite loud. In all their efforts and pride to build the ultimate church building – They left no consideration for the organ, its pipes, and the piano. The story is painfully true. Blueprints were redrafted. Part of the structure taken down and rebuilt – all because they had forgotten why the building was there in the first place – to worship God – rather than be a monument to themselves.
The Labor Day Holiday Weekend we celebrate holds similarities – a pause to celebrate human accomplishment and what the worker has done. The basis for this holiday came in 1882 as the government sought to quell the work riots spreading across steel mills and factories. To soothe the conflicts – After much brainstorming, they declared a holiday to honor the accomplishments of workers – shutting down the seven day a week factories. Clearly God’s design for the Day of Rest was clearly long rejected by society at large.
On the one hand, it was a win. The riots stopped. In time, worker’s rights, child labor laws, and the 40-hour work week were legislated. But on the other hand, it was a loss - forgetting in our pride our ultimate provider and sustainer. Having just recited Question and Answer 1, consider its reminder that rather than live for ourselves and our achievements, we live in service to Christ whatever our calling.
That is why Babel is such a fitting story to consider. It also helps answer recent questions coming up in pastoral care visits. It came up at our last Shepherding Elders meeting with hopes of finding Scriptural answers to questions like - Why is our world coming apart at the seams? Why is there this collapse of simple decency in society? What happened to my neighbor’s loving neighbor? Babel is a good place to begin. And in the weeks ahead we will discover more answers when we study Exodus.
Now Scripture does not mention by name Babel’s founders in Genesis 11. But in Genesis 10:8, we meet Nimrod. He is the grandson of Ham, Noah’s son, making Noah his great-grandfather. That makes Nimrod the fourth generation of post flood humanity. The flood wiped out humanity except for God mercifully sparing Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives.
Genesis 9 ends the flood story. Genesis 10 offers the listing of Noah’s descendants. But chronologically, we have many reasons to believe Genesis 11 happened first. That means Genesis 10 takes place after the Tower of Babel event. And our takeaway is God shames those who try to build a name for themselves at God’s expense. He is the reason we have our giftings to work and to celebrate the fruits of our labors. But too many forget this.
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, God commanded them in Genesis 1:28 “to be fruitful and increase in number; to fill the earth and subdue it.” Nearly word for word, God repeats this command in Genesis 9:7 to Noah and his family: “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it. And first all is well. Genesis 11:2 reveals their obedience by extending their reach on the earth. Verse 2: “As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.”
That brings us to the era of Nimrod and his folly.
In Genesis 10:10, we read, “The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erect, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Ninevah, Rehoboth, Ir, Calah, and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah, which is the great city. Nimrod and his immediate descendants held a leading role in founding these future cities.
But Nimrod and his extended family like the way things are in Babel. He probably holds some ruling power as well. The generations of ark survivors are together - they speak one language – life is good – why mess this up? Verse 4 – “Let’s 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.”
If you have not caught it yet, here is the problem. This desire to settle down runs counter to God’s plan for humanity to fill the earth. Their plan to make a name for themselves is not God’s plan for them. God’s plan for them is to scatter and spread out. While most Bibles offer passage headings like the Tower of Babel – the tower is but a symptom of a greater issue. The diagnosis is humanity’s attempts to do things outside of God.
History repeats itself again and again. Our story is not new. Neither is the progressive rot dividing and breaking down society today. And in a moment, we will see how God preserves his will and save them from themselves.
But before we hear God’s response, understand The Tower of Babel exists today. Brick upon brick, our hearts are hardened whenever we try to make a name for ourselves. The Tower of Babel exists in churches with Kingdom building to do what we think is better over God’s will.
So, one answer to the question – Why is our world coming apart at the seams? Why is there this collapse of simple decency in society? The Tower of Babel is inside of us. We can then look around our country and world and see not just one Tower of Babel – but an infinite number of them present in every prideful heart. Babel has spread to politics and kingdom building with huge divides. Babel is in our social DNA to do as we want with disregard for others and disrespect for authority and law enforcement. It is no wonder basic decency in our world is hard to find. It is also beyond our power to dismantle these towers that are like skyscrapers. – But we seek God’s help. We can ask God to begin with our own hearts to dismantle the towers inside of us for God to make way with his plans for our lives.
In Genesis 11:5, God acts to save Noah’s descendants from themselves. They are all that remains of humanity. God’s response offers greater hope than anything we can find in ourselves.
Verse 5, “But the Lord came down to see the city and tower that the men were building.” Of course, God is already all knowing. He has no need to leave his throne in order to see. But in great care, God comes comes down to conduct an intensive investigation. I call it intensive because the entire Trinity is involved.
Verse 6, “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.” It is not that God feels threatened. Yet God knows his plans for humanity are endangered. With one language, pride, and ambition, God could foresee his plan for humanity would not occur. Evil will increase upon the world without a Trinitarian intervention. Notice what God does not do. He does not sit Nimrod and the city leaders down for a talk. He does not send an angel or a prophet to repent.
He immediately intervenes. Notice the plural pronoun in Verse 7. The plurality of the Triune God has not been seen since God created man. Verse 7 “Let us go down and confuse their language so they will not be able to understand each other. So, the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.”
Nimrod and the people sought to avoid scattering. God says, no way. I am going to scatter you. Chapter 10 reveals what the results were. Japheth and his sons moved westward toward Spain via the Caspian and Black Seas (10:2–5). The sons of Ham migrated southwestward to Africa (10:6–14). Finally, the Sons of Shem (10:21–31) occupied the area north of the Persian Gulf. Even Nimrod learns his lesson and scatters. He and his generations go to build the great cities including Babylon and Nineveh.
On Labor Day, we do not need to repeat the mistake of celebrating our accomplishments and puffing up with pride. We have no need to add layers of bricks to the towers already in existence.
With our names already on the list, it would only take a short time at at coffee to add modern-day Nimrods who in their folly are tower building. Yet even now these towers of divide and opposition are defeated towers.
The writing is on the wall for their dismantling. Just as God came down to view what was happening on the Shinar plain, Christ came down to act as God’s agent for salvation. Christ came down to save us from ourselves. He will clear any towers and divides that remain on his return to make way for his kingdom. Political parties, Brand Loyalty, one upmanship, and disregarding the needs of our neighbors. In the end, no tower will stand against God. Hardened hearts will soften because God sent his Son to die to save us from ourselves.
The towers of Babel are relentlessly attractive. They call us. Life revolves around them. Our heart’s desire is to fit in and gain access. Yet, they are temporary and nothing in comparison with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ day the primary tower of Jewish pride was Herod’s temple. Yet Jesus said to the people’s shock and anger, he would destroy the temple and replace it.
What pride-filled towers in our lives require demolition to make way for the best God has to offer us - HIMSELF! What worldly towers do we need to flee because they conflict with God’s plans for our lives?
Babel and Nimrod’s folly helps explain the Progressive Power of evil in this world today. It explains the worsening rot with things getting progressively worse. Yet in the end God shames those who try to make a name for themselves. Read the Beatitudes to ultimately find the ones Jesus says are blessed and happy. You won’t find tower builders in this list. You will however find the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted.
The tower builders hold to a completely different answer that question and answer one. Their faith is in themselves alone. And we see their victims frequently on the news. We encounter them at the pantry when they share their story. We know their dashed dreams of family members who feel let down again and again. They may not even realize what they are pursuing. We can be of help redirecting each other and others away from these towers that fail to deliver.
Only God can deliver – only his promises will hold true. And if you doubt this, keep reading. Compare Genesis 11 and 12. While Noah’s descendants presume they can make a name for themselves, God tells Abram I will make your name great. To do so, I am going to scatter you to a new land.
Family of God, It is not what we do or accomplish that matters. Jesus offers greater hope than anything humanity can find in towers or earthly achievements. At Babel, men said, “See what we can do”. To Abraham and to us his children, God said, “See what I will do.”
