In The Beginning | The Tower of Confusion
In The Beginning (Part XI):
THE TOWER OF CONFUSION
Genesis 11:1-9 ESV
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.”
So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”
Please watch following video for background on the Tower of Babel: https://answersingenesis.org/tower-of-babel/
When Robert Treat led the Connecticut Puritans in 1666, they founded Newark as a new colony. A preacher named Abraham Pierson adopted the word “Newark” from the biblical concept of “New Ark” or “New Ark of the Covenant.” That’s why for the first 70 years, the Puritans led the town in a theocracy or governance under God.
After a few years of establishing the town, the Old First, the third building that the Congregationalist built a stone tower. Accordingly, Old First’s “tower was the tallest in town and recognizable all over the village” (knowingnewark.npl.org). Almost always, the first religious site in every city has the tower-like structure in the middle. Why is this?
If you study ancient cultures, there are similar stories on a “tower” made by someone or some people for “reaching the heavens,” but the gods ended up destroying the structure. But Genesis is very different because it presents the story of the Tower of Babel from a strict view of one God and creator of mankind.
Usually, at the center of the city is the “totem pole” or the religious high ground, just like Cathedrals with spires in the plazas of our modern towns and cities.
As present readers of God’s Word, we can go back to the past and rediscover important lessons on the story of the Tower of Babel.
I. THE DESIRES OF MANKIND (vv.1-4)
Taking a look at the story, we can learn a lot about common inclinations in human nature regarding life. Is this you?
A. A SETTLED LIFE: Everybody wants to have a better life.
“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there” (v.1).
Remember that Noah and his family spoke one language. With his children and great grandchildren, it is likely that that the whole known city-states or “nations” (Gen 10:1-32) at that early time spoke “one language and the same words” or common speech.
Since the Garden of Eden is “in the east” (Gen 2:8), the land of “Shinar” cannot be far from it, even if this city is unknown somewhere the ancient Babylonia or Mesopotamia, aka “The Cradle of Civilization.” The people are still nearby the region of the Garden of Eden, where they “settled” or dwelt, lived, and stayed with the intention of staying for a longer time.
B. A SECURED LIFE: Everybody wants security and growth.
These ancient people expressed their common desires to be safe by protecting their lives together.
So they decided: “And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city” (v.3-4a).
In the ancient Near East, cities are brick-walled fortresses for the purpose of securing themselves against invaders and other threats. It is likely that bitumen or “asphalt” was first discovered here as a form of cement or adhesive.
C. A SPIRITUAL LIFE: Everybody worships someone or something.
Indeed, human beings are spiritual creatures. But after the Fall, people worship many gods. Noah’s children are still sinners. As these families built villages into towns, and towns into cities, it is not impossible that spirituality can be distorted into idolatry.
Just like any other city, the purpose why these places were built was more than just for collective security and economic prosperity. Cities are also built for spiritual purposes. Most, if not all, cities are centers of spiritual significance or strongholds.
“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves…a tower with its top in the heavens’” (v.4b).
The people decided to build a “tower,” meaning a watchtower or mounds. In Hebrew language, a tower is not just for defensive or offensive elevation, it as spiritual meaning (In fact, in Neh 8:4, the word “tower” is used for pulpit, a spiritual platform).
Ancient temple, like the ziggurats, are culturally known as the “axis munde,” the middle place between two “worlds” (the heavens meet the earth or the secular meets the sacred). The foundation is on the earth while the peak is on heaven. So this tower is spiritually significant.
D. A SUCCESSFUL LIFE: Everybody wants the success to leave a legacy.
When people want a better life, it is normally evident that they want success. After all, nobody wants to be a failure or loser. As a group, they wanted more: “…and let us make a name for ourselves” (v.4c). Was it impossible for them to build a successful reputation?
The truth is this: together, they are safer. Together they can do greater. Together they can worship at their religious center. Now they want to reach further. They want to outlive their lives by making a brand for themselves. They want their success to be remembered forever. They want to be famous and glorify their own selves. The builders desired to make a name for themselves.
Most likely, these city-builders wanted the city and the tower as monuments or memorial for themselves, something to show off to the next generations.
E. A STEADY LIFE: Everybody wants to stick and stay together.
These people wanted to live a fixed and well-supported life. In this city life, they want a continuing development and progress. So they wanted to stick together and do greater. This is also seen in their desire to stay together, as they said, “lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (v.4d).
Spiritually speaking, if you look at it from the point of view of God’s mandates for mankind, the bottom line is this: disobedience. God said several times:
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion” (Gen 1:28)
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1)
“And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it” (Gen 9:7)
The biggest challenge for every person’s desire is that God sees the real issues inside. Humans can make plans, but God’s purposes will prevail. Are the “desires of your heart” pleasing before God?
II. THE DECISION OF GOD (vv.5-7)
How did God respond to these self-centered ambitions and subversive culture?
A. God came down to see what these puny humans desired and did.
The Bible says, “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built” (v.5). Ironically, what these people thought was a big and high project, it was actually too small for God that he has to figuratively “come down” and take a look at it.
However, have you observed something odd in the phrase “the children of man”? Some translations use men (plural), but ESV used “man” (singular). Is this referring to someone who is so powerful and instrumental in building the city and the tower? This phrase could beg the question: Who founded Babel?
In the previous chapter, we read an interesting passage. “Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar (Gen 10.9-10).
Nimrod’s lineage from Noah’s three sons was also interesting. He came—not from Shem or Japeth but—from Ham, who was cursed by Noah in Gen 9:25. According to other Hebrew traditions, Cush raised Nimrod, a son who is evil and tyrant, leading his people against God.
B. God also commented on their potential abilities—as well as their culpabilities.
The Bible says, “And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them’” (v.6).
The description of this city dweller as “one people” is a powerful concept of unity—perhaps it could mean uniformity if they were led by a tyrant. The unity is also empowered all the more because they have “one language.” But there seems to be a troubling idea why God has to do something drastic. It has something to do with “what they will do.”
What were they “proposing” to do? Interestingly, the word “propose” does not just mean “to plan,” “consider” or “purpose.” These are positive meanings. But it’s negative definition is “to plot” which is usually embedded with “evil intent.”
So this observation from God is not about his opposition to human potentials, like having the sense of security, the desire for unity, the abilities to invent and build. God is not against self-development or the betterment of people’s lives. He is opposed to everything that has evil motivations, intents, purposes, and plans.
Many scholars believe that the “evil intent” of establishing the city was to form a one or universal government and religion that would rule everyone who speaks the same language. And with one language, it is not impossible to do so.
True. Let us be united, but it’s not on anything with any evil intent. Unity is a powerful idea. But when it becomes a means to an evil purpose and plan, it becomes detrimental to anyone. The church is called to have unity as a community, but it is not at the expense of the well-being of Christ’s body and the core teachings of the Bible as the Word of God. Unity is good until it becomes idolatry.
What God would do, then, for these potentials gone wrong?
C. God confused the means of human communication.
When God saw the evil plot, He said, “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech” (v.7). Some scholars use the phrase “let us” [plural] as proof for the doctrine of the Trinity, but this is only possible if you use and interpret it with the New Testament.
Here, God decided to “confuse” the people by mixing up their language. This is the likely concept of Babel (from balal which means “to confuse,” “mix” or “mingle”). Because of the “mixed messages” people have misunderstandings. To “understand” (or hear) has something to do with their spoken words where people rely heavily on what they hear.
Have you ever experienced in your life where your commitment to a better life ended up in confusion? Do you remember those times where you dreamed of becoming better, but you ended up bitter? How those times you want to build and build more, but you reached a point where you’re broke and broken?
If we’re not learning from the past, then we will repeat the same mistakes. We cannot just build and climb the ladder of success without thinking about the spiritual core of God’s purposes and plan.
III. THE DISPERSION OF THE NATIONS (vv.8-9)
There is nothing wrong with maximizing your human potential, but when it becomes idolatry, that’s where things go bad to worse.
In the end, it’s still about God. People can pursue their ambitions, but God’s purposes will stand. This lesson is clear in the story.
“So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth” (vv.8-9).
The tower of Babel is likely a “skyscraping temple” designed to consolidate worshipers in the “gate of gods.” However, God’s ultimate purpose on earth is not to make monuments for ourselves and to worship idols.
Instead, God wants us to be part of building His kingdom-city and worship Him. We need to be careful that our ambitions will not force God to lead us to confusion. Why? God’s vision leads to clarification, not confusion.
The truth is God’s plan was to disperse the people and replenish the earth. God might have deeper reasons why He did what he did, but the result is clear: miscommunication and confusion led to dispersion.
Currently, you might be amazed that the Philippines, small as it is, has 170+ languages spoken. But Papua New Guinea has 840, Indonesia 710, Nigeria 524, India 453, and USA 335. According to Ethnologue, a research center for language intelligence, there are 7,117 spoken languages today, of which 40% are endangered (meaning, each has less than 1,000 speakers remaining). But in all these diversities in language, I’m very hopeful about the future.
CONCLUSION
In the prophecies of the Bible, the final city of evil that persecutes God is synonymous with Babel, called Babylon. But this wicked city, prosperous and idolatrous in many aspects, will fall in God’s time because of His judgment (Rev 17-18).
Then, a greater city emerges—the eternal city of God. Christ will be exalted and will see Him who he is.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-10)
Resolve this. Is your vision in life in line with God’s vision? Will your desires for a better life stand the test of God? Will your dreams stand tall before God or it will fall?
Setting ourselves is good, but if we disobey God’s call, it becomes terrible. Security is good, but if our source of security is not God, that’s going to be a problem. Spirituality is good, but when it embraces idolatry, it becomes evil. Success is good, but don't ever make it the only preoccupation of your soul.
-Dr. Glenn Plastina