Part 5: Tower of Babel

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. ²It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. ⁴They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. ⁹Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. Genesis 11:1-9

In our last lesson of this five-part series, we look at the Tower of Babel in the same three regards. What are the superficial aspect (shell) and inner content (seed) of their lives? What is the devil’s temptation? What are the lessons to be learned from human relationships?

From the outside, people living in the time of Babel spoke one language. They were incredibly organized and showed great teamwork. When something needed to be done and a problem solved, they put their minds and hearts together and worked toward executing their goals. Sound familiar? We are the same way. When we need to accomplish something, we are cooperative, stress the importance of teamwork, and work efficiently. However, this is just the “chaff” unless we complement it with the proper inner life.

What is the inner life, the core that will transform this into a whole grain? Build the Tower of Babel through teamwork and cooperation, but build it with God! Work hard toward a common goal but don’t eliminate God from the picture. While they built the Tower of Babel, they forgot about God. In our lives, while we work toward a common goal through cooperation, teamwork, and being on the same page, we must not forget about God. In whatever movement (civil, social, religious etc.), we must ask ourselves, “Is the voice of God present in that movement? Are they consulting God?” If not, they’re building the Tower of Babel and are headed for destruction.

What is the devil’s temptation here? When looking for a solution and a way out, people in the time of Babel ignored God. They relied on themselves and “sticking together” to weather storms and create solutions. When our family meets an impasse, we stress “sticking together.” When our company confronts difficult times, we stress being on the same page and unity. Yes, these things are all important and the “shell” of solving problems, but God must stand firm at the core of all these endeavors. The devil tempts us by having us rely on group strength and unity instead of relying on God.

Regarding human relationships, the Tower of Babel teaches us there can never be true understanding between people without God. Genesis 11 says, “‘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.” You may have the tightest knit family in the world. You could work at a place with amazing teamwork. You could have a loving relationship with your partner. It doesn’t matter. Without God, two minds never think alike. True unity only exists through Jesus’ blood, Holy Spirit, and Truth.

Summary