Not Received

Not Subject

We saw last week, that the Tower of Babel event was one that was marked with direct disobedience to God’s command which constituted the Babelites rebelling against God, trying to make a name for themselves based on their own knowledge, strength, partnership and communication which resulted in them wanting to display their autonomous power. They came to the point of thinking that they were independent of God and no longer needed Him. We saw that even though man was disobedient, God worked through their disobedience by punishing them, by confusing their language. This resulted in the Babelites being scattered which fulfilled God’s original command of populating the earth (Genesis 9:1). The lesson we learnt was that no matter who you are or what you believe, the God of the Bible is in control.

Up to Genesis 11, we see that God works with mankind collectively to try and bring a solution to sin that entered the world through Adam and Eve, but after man’s selfish and futile attempts at the Tower of Babel, God now focuses on one man and one future people group to bring about salvation to the whole world. And that man is Abram and the future people group is the nation of Israel. The way Genesis 10-12 is structured is telling us that Abram and the nation he fathers, is the divine antidote/solution for the sinful calamity of man upto that point.

Genesis 11:27-32
a. FAMILY BACKGROUND
This paragraph gives us an account of Abram’s family members who were part of the Terah clan and it explains the relationships with respect to Terah when he lived in Ur and Haran.
– Terah leaves Ur of the Chaldeans, with Abram, Sarai and Lot, and moved to Haran.
v.31 is an important piece of information to explain to us why the genealogy of Shem (Genesis 11:10-32) is placed after the Tower of Babel incident.
– Both these stories involve the movement of a group of people from one place to another, and we see from the passages that the groups choose to settle in the second place.
– Both groups travel in an East-West direction
– The 1st migration (Tower of Babel) ends in frustration and then a dispersal.
– The 2nd migration provides the stepping stones that leads to the divine blessing of the divinely chosen Abram, which will ultimately result in bringing about dispersed people together, way in the future.
These verses are placed here to show us that all of the descendants of Noah’s sons, Ham, Japheth and Shem’s descendants including Eber’s son, Joktan’s descendants, were all out of the place of God’s blessing. The structure of the whole story in Genesis 10-11 is showing us that the chosen line God selected to bring future salvation to the world was through Shem’s line, through his descendant Eber’s son, Peleg.

To get a feel of the social and religious environment Abram came from, we can look at what his family members were known as and the history of Ur. Their names shed light to what kind of religious background or exposure Abram was exposed to.
– The name of the family’s head, Terah, has very close connections to “moon” and “lunar month” which is related to the moon-god, Sin. A possibility that has been suggested is that Abram’s family and ancestors were moon worshippers.
– Sarai, means “queen” which is an Akkadian translation of a Sumerian name for Ningal and Ningal is the partner of the moon-god named Sin.
– Milcah is the same name as the goddess Malkatu, who was the daughter of the moon-god, Sin.
– Laban means “white” or “the white one”, which is a poetic term for the moon.
– In addition, both Ur and Haran were, archaeologically and historically, moon worshippers.
So with all this evidence, it is safe to assume that the culture in which Abram was steeped in at the time of his call, was that of moon worship and Abram might have been immersed in it, might have been comfortable in it.
b. CITY
Abram might have been born in Ur, and he certainly lived a good part of his life there and from archaeological findings, Ur was a magnificent city in all the world, which was a center for manufacturing, farming, trading and shipping. It was so to speak the center of the known world at that time. Something like present day Dubai.
The most conspicuous building of the city in Abram’s day was the Ziggurat, or the temple tower, which was most probably fashioned after the Tower of Babel. The city had two main temples: one dedicated to Sin or Nannar, the moon god and the other to his wife, Ningal.
c. ABRAM
– The passage tells us that Abram and Sarai were not able to have children (Genesis 11:30). They might have been in a challenging place in their life and going by the cultural norms back then, it was something looked down upon when a husband and wife could not have any offspring. So they could have been facing issues with their society. They could have been depressed that they had no one to pass on their legacy to. No one to inherit what they had. No one to care for.
– Genesis 12:4 tells us that Abram was not a young man by any measure. He was 75 years old. So he might have been facing challenges not only physically but physiologically. He might have not been a man who was looking for adventure.
END OF INTRODUCTION

With all this as a background, God came to Abram—out of the blue and told him that God needs him to pick up and move and God would tell him where to go later. Imagine his difficulty explaining this to his wife, parents, and friends. They might have looked at him as though he was crazy. They would protest. They would doubt that he really talked to God. They might have done their best to talk him out of it. Yet Abram obeyed.

“1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

These verses are packed with so much meaning in the way it is written. We see here that there is an introduction followed by two parts of God’s speech. Each part begins with a main statement followed by 3 expressions.

v.1a
“Now the Lord said to Abram”
At the Babel event man was trying to make a name for himself but God came and His words were that of divine judgement. He punished them for their rebellion. But here we see a contrast, where God chooses to do something positive in a man’s life by interacting with him. Where God provides the solution to the mess that happened in the earlier chapters.
This reminds us that it was God who began to act way before Abram had begun to do anything in response to God.
God may be quick to point out the mistakes in our lives or to discipline us, but at that same rate He is always quick to provide the solution to the problem.

Verse 1b-2a

““Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great,”

v.1b
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”
– The main statement begins with, “Go” or in some translations, “Leave”. God commanded Abram to do something. To go to a land that God would show him.
When God calls Abram, He instructs Abram to move away from the common spheres of life that had most influence on him, and God lists them from the broader influence to the specific one: (i) “your country” (tribe), (ii) “your kindred” (clan) (iii) “your father’s house” (family).
So we see here a not only a command of DIRECTION but also SEPARATION required by God.
God’s instructions to Abram was not explicit directions; it did not have specifics to follow but it did point Abram in the right direction. God does not tell him to go to a specific land but He does tell Abram to go “to the land that I will show you”.

v.2a
“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great.”
After the main statement or command, you find the 3 clauses. This verse focuses on the blessings that God presented to Abram.
– God promises Abram a numerous population, a nation. Of all the promises, this is the most surprising one because at the age of 75 years, Abram had no children and Sarai, his wife, was barren (v.30).
In everything else, Abram could be successful. He could have had property, houses, wealth, fame etc. but in the one aspect where he was lacking, children, there was nothing he could do but depend on God’s provision/blessing
God makes a promise to Abram that the childless couple would enter God’s promise of making Abram a “great nation” which ultimately points to Abram having a son.
Abram himself did not realize or come to see the rapid growth of the nation but he still trusted God’s revelation to him. He trusted and expected God to fulfill His word, and this underscored everything that Abram did.
– Next, God offered to bless Abram with prosperity. Over the course of Abram’s life, we see God fulfilling this promise as we see Abram becoming a wealthy man obtaining livestock, precious metals, slaves etc. That was how wealth was measured back then. [everything will be added unto you]
– Last, God promises that Abram’s descendants will have a great name and reputation. It would be so great that Abram’s influence would be widespread, even across generations. The term “name” brings to mind all the events in Genesis 1-11 which culminates in the tower of Babel event. In Genesis 1-11, it shows us the failure of human efforts to obtain wisdom, fame and name by unlawful means. But here the patriarch achieves his name because it was divinely bestowed upon him. This promise might have been received by Abram as being applicable to that moment in history but Abram’s future name change to Abraham tells us that God had an even bigger plan for him, where he becomes a father of future nations and kings (Genesis 17:5-6).

Verse 2b-3
Then we come to the second half of God’s words to Abram. In most modern English translations, we are not able to see this structure but in Hebrew it is clear that this second part is grammatically parallel to the previous section of having a main statement followed by 3 expressions.
“so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
v.2b
“You will be a blessing” is structured to parallel the first main statement, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you”. This verse, although is not a command, it is a statement made by God which impress the idea of a surety. Where it shifts the attention away from Abram receiving blessings to God’s promise that Abram will be a blessing or a channel of blessings to others. God will work through Him. It is God’s promise.
This is why we see the success in Abram’s life, because God promised it to Abram. It was all in God’s hands because He is in control.

v.3
Like the previous section, the main statement is followed by 3 expressions.
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This verse explains how Abram will become a blessing to others. It is expressed as the Lord’s actions (“I will”). This verse puts in context that it is the Lord and not Abram who is the dispenser of blessings for the nations. The source for these blessings is God.

CONCLUSION:
And so you begin to see certain types of patterns/pictures as to how God begins to work in Abram’s life and how it relates to our lives as believers. 3 pictures that asks a question about our lives in 3 ways, “What underscores our lives?”

1. The first picture that you see is that God’s relationship with Abram is based on God’s grace alone. We see this right from the first verse, “Now the Lord said to Abram”.
These words remind us that God entered into Abram’s life way before Abram even knew anything was happening or before he had done anything in service to God.
What’s interesting about Abram’s call is that, it came when he wasn’t a young man. So he had a good majority of his life lived out and we do not know how he lived. He could have either been an upright man or just the opposite. We don’t know because the Bible remains quiet on the topic. And what this tells us is that God chooses to act in someone’s life not because of who they are or what they have achieved but because God chooses to do so. It pleased God to be gracious to Abram.
As Christians today, we can understand or have a better picture of grace looking at the cross. Where we “were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ,” Ephesians 2:12-13. We all know the importance of grace in our lives because without it we would be where we started out from, “dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked, following the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1b-2a).
BUT thank God for grace, because “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
To survive, have peace and have an identity we need God and His grace in our lives. The same way the OT people needed God’s grace and that’s why this passage is in scripture. Not only was it penned to draw the attention of the wilderness-bound Israelites to God’s grace but also to us present day believers. That God’s grace is not an old concept that ceases to exist but is one that continues to this day as reminded by the cross.
Do we live our lives exhibiting the fact that God’s grace is what dominates our lives? Do we live showing the world that my God is in control? Do we live lives that exhibit actions and decisions that are centered around God? Do we show that God’s grace underscores our lives?

2. In addition to God’s grace in Genesis 12:1-3, we see the picture of Abram’s Loyalty. Abram responds with faithful obedience. God showed mercy and grace, but Abram responded. Genesis 12:1 stresses Abram’s responsibility to be faithful to the Lord. God commanded him, “Go”, “Leave your country”. How did Abram respond?
“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him”. He did not talk, he walked. He acted on what God told him.
How many times do we ask for God’s guidance or for Him to reveal to us what we are to do and the moment, in His grace, He does speak to us, we question God? “God is that what You really want me to do? Is that where you want me to go? Is that what I should give up? Should I spend time doing what you showed me?”
As followers of Christ, though grace is a free but expensive gift from God, God expects us to show our gratitude to Him by obeying His commands. God’s grace to Abram led Abram to be loyal to God. This is a reminder to us of God’s grace and our responsibility because we are prone to forget the importance of faithful living before God, who directs and guides through His indwelling Holy Spirit.
We are prone to complacency, that we are happy with all that we achieved and so we want to be where we want to be. Not where God wants us to be. We are happy that we are safe and secure in God’s salvation, we are happy with all that he has provided for us to sustain ourselves, happy with the family and friends we have been blessed with. And that’s it. We want to sit on our laurels and God’s providence and that’s the end of our Christian lives.
We fail to realize that living Christian lives is an ever changing life-long journey. That the only constant in a Christian’s life is change. Change in the people you meet, change in the responsibilities that you are graced with, change in the setting you may be placed in etc.
Does our lives show that it is underscored by loyalty to our God who prompts us through the Holy Spirit? Do we respond like Abram, do we walk or do we talk?

3. Third Motif is the blessings that God had bestowed on Abram.
First, God said that Abram would become a great nation. And that his descendants would be a grand nation. But Abram didn’t have any children of his own. Yet, God promised Abram that his descendants would be innumerable like the stars in the sky.
Second, God told Abram that He would bless him. We see from the Bible that Abram was blessed with great wealth and everything was in abundance for him.
Third, God said that His name would be great. It would surpass generations and they all would know of Abram. He would be honoured. His influence would be widespread. And we know how great his name becomes because he becomes a father of future nations and kings (Genesis 17:5-6).
Looking at the blessings that Abram was bestowed with reminds me of the innumerable blessings God has bestowed on our own lives. How He has saved us from many embarrassing situations, made sure we have enough money to pay rent/mortgages, buy groceries or fix our car when our bank balances are empty. How He has met not only our needs but how He has surpassed our wants.
In all that sometimes like the Israelites, we forget the God whom we serve. The God who is in control. The God who sustains and blesses us. Are our lives underscored by the fact that we are blessed by God?

Abram’s life and response to God’s call serves as a reminder to us of God’s blessings in our own lives. Most importantly it reminds us of how God reached out to us, redeeming us from the slave-market of sin, to make us “sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26). But in our current lives:
– Do we show that God’s grace underscores our lives?
– Does our lives show that it is underscored by loyalty to our God? Do we respond like Abram, do we walk or do we talk?
– Are our lives underscored by the fact that we are blessed by God?

~*~

Genesis 10 & 11 follow the flood event, where the Biblical record tells us that when God saw that the wickedness of man was great and his every intention was evil, God intervened and rectified the problem. He decided to destroy all that was on the earth and start afresh by choosing one man through whom mankind would endure this judgement, and that man was Noah. The Bible says, “Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.” It was through Noah, that God gave humanity another chance, through whose children, Shem Ham and Japheth, we have the descendants of the modern world.

Once Noah and his family were rescued from the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and gave him commands to obey. Genesis 9:1, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” That is, Noah’s sons were to be fruitful and have children and equally important was to spread across the world and to fill it with their offspring. That was the account of God taking care of the increasing sin in the world and how He gave humanity another change.

Then you come to the next section (Genesis 10), the genealogical table, which begins by listing out the different nations that were descendant from Noah’s sons, as recorded in the genealogies of Chapter 10 and 11. And in the middle of those genealogies, is the Tower of Babel account in Chapter 11:1-9. The genealogical table (Genesis 10:1-32) and the narrative of the tower (Genesis 1:1-9) are to be taken together. We understand this by conducting a deeper lexical and literary study on these passages and amoung the many examples, some are the common refrains that are found at the end of each genealogical segment (Genesis 10:5, 20, 31-32). Another clue to why we have to take these two accounts together is the biographical details about Nimrod as the founder of Babylon (Genesis 10:8-12). The linkage between the genealogical table’s chief figure, Nimrod, the father of the great Mesopotamian cities, and the Tower of Babel incident culminates in the fact that God plays the same role of overseer in both cases: Nimrod’s actions were “before the LORD” (Genesis 10:9) and the LORD “came down to see” (Genesis 11:5) the city and tower.

In Jewish tradition, Nimrod is placed in the shadow of the infamous Tower of Babel incident, as the leader of this rebellion against God. Nimrod’s achievements as the founder of Babel often have been interpreted negatively as ungodly arrogance (Genesis 10:8-12). And the lexical connections between the Nimrod narrative (Genesis 10:8-12) and the tower event (Genesis 11:1-9) points the reader to interpret Nimrod’s activities in the same negative light the Lord saw the efforts of the tower builders.

v.1 – We see the unity of mankind, in the language and in their habitation.

- “The whole earth” talks about the inhabitants of the earth collectively.

Scholars debate “whole earth” refers to just a REGION or the WHOLE EARTH because in the OT, the Hebrew word could be used to denote both.

The main reason we can be sure that its the WHOLE EARTH is because the author has tied this account with the Table of Nations, which exceeds the boundaries of a given region.

v.2 – Location of this people/settlement – “EASTWARD”

Reminiscent of the Garden of Eden – Let’s Recollect the events:

The garden is in the EAST of Eden (Genesis 2:8)

a. Expulsion of Adam and Eve – cherubim is posted on the EAST of the garden to prohibit entrance (Genesis 3:24)

b. Cain – after killing his brother – left the Lord’s presence – Nod, EAST of Eden (Genesis 4:16)

c. Lot departs Abram – goes eastward (Genesis 13:10) – meets disaster in Sodom & Gomorrah.

d. Abraham’s sons by Keturah – sent “eastward to the EAST country” – to detach them from the elect Isaac (Genesis 25:6)

e. Deceitful Jacob – flees homeland – to live amoung “the people of the EAST” (Genesis 29:1)

When the author uses the term “East”, he uses it in a METAPHORICAL sense to convey to us as someone or something being outside of God’s blessing OR a detachment from God’s presence.

So what we see here is that the author is telling us that these Babelites are outside of God’s blessing. That they moved outside the place of blessing.

Why were they outside God’s blessing? Why did God scatter them? One of the reasons is, v.2 tells us, that they came to a place and settled there. This tells us that their actions were in direct opposition to what God commanded these people to do, through Noah and his sons. Genesis 9:1 says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth”. These people went against God’s command to fill the earth with their offspring. That is they were to spread across the world, make children and settle in the different parts of the world.

v.3 – The next 2 verses focus on the human effort of the Babel event. They say to each other that they need to make bricks and the communication is made possible because they had one language and the same words. They enjoyed a cooperative spirit because of their common language.

Another aspect is that they were advanced in architectural building, as they were using bricks and burning them thoroughly to make them stronger, as well as having brick for stone and bitumen for mortar.

The Babel enterprise is all about human independence and self-sufficiency apart from God. The builders believe that they have no need of God. Their technology and social unity gave them confidence in their own ability, and resulted in them having high ambitions, constructing a high tower.

v.4 – So the aim for preparing all these materials was to build for themselves “a city and a tower”.

And the tower was to have its ”top in the heavens”. Elsewhere in the OT, we see this expression being used in Genesis 28:12, we read, “And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven”. And v.17 in Chapter 28 makes its clear that this was a stairway, “And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”” Not only biblically but also with the belief systems of many ancient near east religions, these towers or ziggurats were seen as stairways to the heavens where people would go up to the top to offer sacrifices to their gods and so in this case, these Babelites conceived to have a stairway that would give them access to the divine realm, to communicate to god as and when they pleased and to demand what they wanted from them.

In Isaiah, the word for “tower” is a symbol of strength and pride (Isaiah 2:15; 30:25; 33:18) and therefore, what this tower represents, is something detested by God. And so the idea is that these builders were trying to exercise their own power, fueled by their own pride.

Their motives were therefore based on prideful autonomy. That is they wanted complete control for themselves without any dependence on God.

We can see this being confessed by the intentions of the Babelites themselves:

a. They wanted to make a name for themselves b. And not be scattered.

They wanted to empower themselves through their own actions and merit.

v.5 – The Babelites wanted to build a tower with it’s top in the heavens, that is with its top amoung the gods. BUT even though they began building such a tower, it is so far below from heaven that God had to COME DOWN to see it.

Here, we see God’s reaction to the misguided and misdirected efforts of man.

Unlike the flood, God does not take extreme measures against the failings of man, but this event reminds us how he tackled the issues that arose in the garden. He dealt with a gentle hand, being concerned with the consequences of human folly, and intervened to stop the venture these Babelites set out to accomplish.

v.6-7 – As I mentioned earlier, we can see the parallel between the Tower of Babel and Garden event, not only through how God decided to deal with the people in question but there are also a few parallels in the literary structure of God’s speech with other parts of Genesis.

One such example is Genesis 3:22, “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—””

Comparing Genesis 3:22 to Genesis 11:6-7 we see the similarities in the “one of us/let us” dialogues which encourages us to read Genesis 11 in the light of the garden event.

In the Garden, the reason for concern was the new knowledge that man had acquired through disobedience and at the Tower of Babel, the people’s cleverness and their collective will looked like it would cause similar serious repercussions.

In both events, the concern was not that the divine realm would be troubled or shaken due to the actions of man but God was troubled over the consequences that would befall man if He did not keep mankind in check.

In the Garden, because of the new found knowledge of man, God did not want man and women to eat of the tree of eternal life which would result in them living forever in sin and have no way of salvation from their sinful state. To avoid this calamity befalling man, God had to keep them in check. He cast out Adam and Eve from the Garden, which we later learn was done in His grace.

God’s concern at the Tower of Babel incident is that such a prideful endeavour could result in becoming a precedent and stimulation for other schemes that fall outside of God’s plans, which would could end up being a severe tragedy for man.

And the way to keep these people in check was done in Genesis 11:7, which was for God to go down and confuse their language. This would mean that the people would not be able to understand each other anymore and in turn God’s act condemns the building project.

v.8-9 – In v.8 we see that God accomplished what He set out to do, through the confusion of their languages, the people dispersed and spread to the different parts of the earth because of not being able to understand their fellow people who used to have one language and the same words.

Here we see that God’s initial command to be fruitful and multiply and to fill all the earth (Genesis 9:1) has been fulfilled by man because of God’s intervention in their lives. God had a plan for man, and even though man disobeyed God, God saw to it that His plans were accomplished. As Job states in Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” and it was a hard lesson learnt by the Babelites.

And the name Babel came about, because of the divine act that was performed there. “Babel” means confusion and it was the confusion that was caused amoung people because God chose to confuse the language of all the earth because of their pride and want of autonomous power.

So it comes to a full circle in v.9, which presents the consequences of the tower event.

Conclusion:

Passage begins with the human deed of construction and moves to the divine deed that triggered deconstruction.

Literary Structure unveils the theological message of the passage, which indicates “reversal”.

A “the whole earth had one language” (v. 1)

B “there” (v. 2)

C “one another” (v. 3)

D “Come, let’s make bricks” (v. 3)

E “Come, let us build ourselves” (v. 4)

F “a city and a tower” (v. 4)

G “the LORD came down …” (v. 5)

F’ “the city and the tower” (v. 5)

E’ “which…children of men had built” (v. 5)

D’ “Come, let us … confuse” (v. 7)

C’ “one another” (v. 7)

B’ “from there” (v.8)

A’ “the language of all the earth” (v. 9)

And so this mirrored image of the narrative puts emphasis on the focal event, namely God’s descent (v.5). That is the focal point upon which men’s fortunes turn and which brings about the biggest irony in this passage. In man’s monumental efforts to build “a tower with it’s top in the heavens” (v.4), the Lord “came down” (v.5) to witness their insignificant efforts.The message was that human pride resulted in the Lord’s punishment.

The story provides a striking contrast between human opinion of it’s self-achievements and God’s viewpoint of such endeavors. Human cooperation, when it is fueled by autonomy and directed toward self-interest, is shown by the story to be nothing but shallow, powerless self-confidence.

Contrary to God’s plan that people should fill the earth (e.g., 1:22, 28; 9:1, 7), the city-building project is designed to prevent the population from being dispersed over the face of the whole earth (11:4). By showing God’s continued interest in his creatures, this episode provides the setting for the call of Abram out of this very region, to be the vehicle of blessing to the whole world.

- As the recipient of God’s blessing, Abram will be instrumental in accomplishing a unified mankind for the “families” of the earth (12:3).

- This we see from observing Abram (exalted father) becoming Abraham (father of a multitude of nations) (17:5) and God using him for His glory.

The nation Abram fathers, therefore, is understood as the divine antidote for the sinful calamity that befell the postdiluvian offspring of Noah’s sons.

The Ironies of the Babelites’ Futile Efforts:

1. Their unity caused them to believe that they could be ambitious in their own endeavour. They were under the false notion that it was their partnership with their fellow men that would make them ultimately successful in what they set out to do. In turn it was that very partnership that ultimately resulted in their division. Their biggest fear was the loss of security if they were to be scattered. And through their disobedient actions, that is exactly what happened, with God’s interference.

2. Their architectural goal of building a tower that would reach the heavens was their way of expressing their deep desire to have autonomous power, that is independent from God. This building up to reach heaven was frustrated by God “coming down”. They stopped building because of their own incompetence, brought about by God’s interference.

3. They wanted to “make a name” for themselves (v.4) and in the end they got the humiliating name “Babel” which means “confused” which was a result of God’s interference.

4. Their dispersal (v.9) fulfilled the divine command of “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1; 1:28), which Genesis 10 shows (v.5, 18, 20, 30-32), which was the result of God’s interference.

It’s so easy to live a life that revolves solely around a single agenda: our own.

The mantras of today’s world are what we see echoed on the pages of God’s Word, talking about the Babelites.

“You are your own master”, “Ambition is the path to success”, “Teamwork is the key”, “You have to find your own identity in yourself”, “I/We have to make my/our name great”, “You have to seek praise for yourself”, “You are in control”.

Everything in the surrounding culture encourages us to create the life that we want, to see the fulfillment of our own goals as the ultimate prize, to stand apart from the crowd by being truly selfish.

Of course, Christianity suggests the contrary. It tells us that meeting our own desires is not the path to godly success. Jesus quotes from the ancients in Deuteronomy and Leviticus when He reminds His audience precisely what we ought to value most: to love God with all of our energy and passion, and to love others as much as ourselves.

True Christianity—to be near the kingdom of God, to understand the very fibers that hold together the essence of Christianity, to put our faith into bold practice—means handing over our own agendas in place of serving God and in doing so, serving others. It might not be cool, hip, or culturally on-message, but it’s there, in plain and simple truth. It may not be stated explicitly but we can see it implicitly taught in the Bible that:

You are not your own master – God is our master

Ambition is not the path to success – God is the path to success

Teamwork is not the key – God-work is the key

You don’t have to find your own identity – We find our identity in God

You don’t have to make your name great – God makes our name great.

You don’t have to seek praise for yourself – We have to give praise to God.

You are not in control – God is in control.

Lesson To Be Learnt: Who is in control? The question is to be seen as one that convicts a person and as a rhetorical question.

A question to convict us whether we live our lives that demonstrates that something/someone else is in control of our lives other than God.

A rhetorical question to tell us that no matter who the person is or what they believe in, the answer is always the same. Who is in control? God is in control.

Having a name for yourself is not what matters. It is how that NAME IS ACHIEVED that matters.

The Babelites chose to make a name based on their strength, resources, pride and their want of power and wanted to be as far away from God as possible.

On the other hand, God calls Abraham and makes his name great, because, as we are going to see, Abraham depended on God for the most part and was not self-interested and independent but was God-interested and God-dependent.

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