Then they said, “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. Genesis 11:3-4 (Genesis 9:18 through chapter 11)
These chapters are the genealogies from Noah to Abraham. In the middle of this ancestry is the story of Babel.
Noah’s ark settled on top of Mt. Ararat, some 500 hundred miles from its origin. After Noah and his sons disembarked, they gradually returned to the land of Babylonia, long known as “Land of Nimrod.” Nimrod was a powerful, warrior leader and built two cities, Babylon and Nineveh. 100 years after the flood, man is firmly entrenched in their rebellion once again. Determined to worship themselves, pride was the driving force. God said to fill the earth, but the people of Babylon want to remain in one place and become powerful.
This attempt to build a tower to the clouds was the foundation of a greater sin against God. These men have set themselves up to go knocking at heaven’s door so they can meet their gods on equal terms. Some say they built the pyramid like tower for worship, others believe they sought to become godlike. God is God and this action and others like it is not acceptable. God separated them, making it impossible to create a conversation, much less a megapolis. These citizens, at the center of the known world, separated according to their languages and went their merry way. The skyscraper remained forever unfinished.
Babylon is synonymous with the world’s greatest evil and wickedness, but many times God used this nation to accomplish His greater purpose.
God’s love for man perpetuates His every action. Our response should be enthusiastic, unashamed obedience and unrestrained worship and joy. There is judgement and consequence for sin, but this is not the fate of those who choose to follow The One True God.
Have a Great Thursday,
Gretchen