12/27/2023 0 Comments Tower of babel scriptureRemember, they were supposed to multiply and fill the earth, but this group of people had decided to stop, put down roots, and show off how smart and skilled they were. Their pride was bad enough, but that’s not what got God really upset. ![]() They wanted to be the envy of everyone across the land. Their goal was to create something that represented their great abilities and establish a famous reputation among the other tribes. Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens. Why would they build such a tall tower? Let’s look at Genesis 11:4. Though they knew they couldn’t actually build such a tower, their intention was to make it as tall as humanly possible. So, these villagers are talking about creating a tower that reaches to God Himself. If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, then you already know that when we say “heavens” we’re talking about three different heavens, the highest one being the holy throne of God. One day while the people were building the village, someone (perhaps Nimrod himself) suggested they build a tower that reached to the heavens. According to the Bible, it was Noah’s curse that created the Canaanites because all of Ham’s family was then considered disobedient. If you remember, Ham was the son Noah cursed for teasing and making fun of his dad after he found his dad drunk and naked one night (Genesis 9:20-27). Nimrod was the grandson of Noah and the son of Ham. In the middle of nowhere in the land of Shinar (historical Babylon and currently Iraq, about 60 miles southwest of Baghdad), a group of migrants under the mighty leadership of Nimrod decided to stop and create a village. It was during one of these migrations that a certain group of people found a great place to build a tower. So, while many were claiming territory, still many other people continued spreading across the earth and filling it. With the passing of each generation, each son’s family eventually established their own tribe and claimed their own nations. They were so prolific that all of Genesis 10 is dedicated to listing all their children and grandchildren by name, and there were quite a few. Noah only had three sons, but his family had no trouble fulfilling God’s command. Sandwiched in between God thinking about His new covenant and then telling Noah’s family about it, God tells Noah and his sons to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1).” God then tells Noah and his sons about the new covenant in verses 9-15 including the telltale sign of His covenant-a rainbow. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:21-22 Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. He was so pleased with Noah’s burnt offerings that God decided to never flood the earth again. But to fully understand what’s going on, we need to turn back a page or two to the part when God established a new covenant with His creation, the earth.Īfter Noah and his family leave the ark, Noah builds an altar that melts God’s heart. The story of the tower of Babel occurs just after Noah’s death in Genesis 11:1-9. It’s all about pride, rebellion, and the importance of being obedient to God’s word. ![]() The tower of Babel isn’t just about a tower some people built. It must have been the Holy Spirit nudging me because, although I knew a lot about it, I had totally missed the main point. I told him what I thought I knew, but then I thought I had better look at it again. My husband and I were talking about this story this week, and he asked me what it’s about. Take the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, for example. Or maybe we unknowingly misunderstand the lesson of the story. From Abraham to the prophets, sometimes the Bible can be downright confusing. Many stories in the Old Testament can be difficult to understand. “Come, let us build ourselves a city and tower.” Genesis 11:4
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