Monday, November 21, 2016

Treats, Towers, and Testimony - Gen. 11:1-9

As everyone prepares for meals with family over the holiday season, I am reminded of the only time I tried my hat at cooking brownies. I was about 11 or 12 years old and asked my mother if I could show off my baking abilities by treating our family to one of my favorite desserts (all on my own). She reluctantly said “yes” and tried to offer her advice as I began—“be sure to read the directions carefully,” “did you add such and such?” etc. I quickly shrugged these off and, to be honest, shrugged her off as I wanted to prove that I was capable of baking BY MYSELF. I preheat my oven, put the ingredients in the bowl, mixed them thoroughly, poured it into the pan, placed it in the oven to bake, set my timer, and anxiously waited. “Oh my family would be so proud of me!” I thought to myself. Soon, I could smell the delicious treat baking inside. Surely, everyone was in for a real treat. As soon as the timer went off, I retrieved what was inside. Everything looked great on the surface and smelled great too until I went to cut a piece and put the brownie squares onto a plate. What was beneath the top layer of crust could only be described as greasy hot goo. My brownies looked more like hot chocolate soup! Swallowing my pride, I asked my mother what she thought went wrong. “Did you add all of the ingredients?” “Of course!” I said, believing that this concoction could not have been a result of my own oversight. Hesitantly, I retrieved the brownie-mix box out of the trashcan and read—this time more thoroughly. “Sugar? Check! Mix? Check! Milk? Check! Eggs?...Eggs!”

This story of pride and self-sufficiency getting the better of me in the kitchen is not unlike what we witness as our Genesis 1-11 series comes to a close. In Genesis 11:1-9, we witness mankind, once again, trying to emerge autonomous and, as a result being humiliated. In our world that celebrates the individual and praises self-sufficiency, the three directions of activity taken in this passage speak volumes as to how we are to live and for whose name as God’s people.

Image result for Tower of Babel

1. The People Build Up-11:1-4

As chapter 11 opens, a unified picture of humanity is painted—“Now the whole earth used the same language and the same word” (11:1). Words like “whole” and “same,” indicate inclusiveness and togetherness. This sentiment forms and antithetical inclusio with what will eventually be revealed in verse 9. However, for now, it is important to understand what the state of the world was like—people were together and very few barriers, if any, kept them from direct communication with each other. Though some argue that “whole earth” may be hyperbole and that Moses is merely speaking of the world that he knew about with this phrase, there is nothing to suggest that this phrase means anything other than what is denotes on the surface, especially when one considers how all humanity began again in one area following the flood. By this time in history, Ham, Shem, and Japheth had done their job to propagate the human race (see Genesis 10). However, inasmuch as a relatively short time had passed since the flood waters subsided, most of these people were relatively near the site of the ark’s landing.

Next, Moses reveals that this group of people “journeyed east,” and “found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there” (11:2). Though this might sound like little more than a geographical factoid, I imagine that the original audience was already shifting in their seats upon hearing this. Why? “East” is reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. After all, when Adam and Eve were expelled, cherubim were placed on the east side of the garden to protect entrance from that direction. Later, Lot departs Abraham and journey’s east (13:10-12) where he runs into calamity at Sodom and Gomorrah. Also, Abraham’s sons (by Keturah) are dispersed “to the land of the east” to separate them from Isaac (the chosen son of blessing) (25:6). Thereafter, Jacob, Isaac’s son, flees his homeland to live among the “eastern peoples” (29:1). All of these episodes indicate that, at least in the book of Genesis, to move east means to move outside the will of God and/or His place of blessing. Used here of the Babelites, this literary indicator means that the people were slipping away from God, thereby setting themselves up for some kind of failure.

Another literary parallel might also be intended. Verse 2 seems eerily similar to what happens to Cain in 4:12-24. Like the Babelites, Cain “settled” for urban life (4:17). Also, both Cain and the Babelites settled in an urban situation after both migrated “east” (4:16-“Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled I the land of Nod, east of Eden.”).

 “Shinar” is a region first introduced in Genesis 10:10. This area was originally settled by the descendants of Ham’s grandson Nimrod and the cities that belonged to this region were Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh. A relatively flat region is still present today in between the Tigris and the Euphrates river in Syria and Iraq—a perfect topography for an urban metropolis and grand tower.
This is where the people “settled”—the opposite of what will be the case later on in the story. For the time being, the people seemed to take up permanent residence here. The only other time this phrase “settled” is used in Genesis is of Abram who left Ur and made a home in Haran. There, Abram took up permanent residence in a particular land according to the will and direction of God. Here, the people of Babel took up permanent residence “east”—outside of the will of God and on their own accord (i.e. not in response to any command from on high).  

In verse 3, the human enterprise becomes the focus—again, without the prompting of the One who is really in charge and who has been the grand mover and organizer up to this point. This enterprise is indicated by the resolve the people show to build a grand tower. First, the people resolve to “make bricks and burn them thoroughly.’ And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar…” (11:3). In the Hebrew, the text reads “let us brick bricks (nilbena lebenim) and bake [them] baking (nisrepa lisrepa) and use tar for mortar (hemar homer).” In fact, the l-b-n letter sounds of “let us make bricks” (nilbena) are reiterated in the word “brick” (hallebena). This will be important later.
After resolving to use specific components for their structure, the people resolve to build a grand city and tall tower that will reach into heaven—“they said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven…”(11:4). The desire for this tower to “reach into heaven” indicates the people’s ambition not to depose God, but to reach Him on their own terms, thereby gaining some level of autonomy.

This is made clear by the third resolution the people make—“and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (11:4b). Here, the intention of the builders is two-fold: 1. They want to make a name for themselves, and 2. They want to avoid being scattered (hence the urban metropolis). However, what these people fail to recognize is that it the Lord’s name that they should be more concerned about and what He is trying to do on a global level.

Interestingly, the idea of “making a name” is also used later of Abraham when God promises to “make” of Abraham a great nation and to magnify his “name.” The differences between the two passages are alarming (see 12:2-3). In chapter 11, the reflexive pronoun “ourselves” and “for themselves” indicate self-interest and independent efforts on behalf of the people of Babel. However, for Abraham in chapter 12, the Lord bestows the blessing of reputation as a gift, indicating that all that is done for him and his family would ultimately glorify God. The different outcomes of these stories ultimately illustrate that only God can make a name great. Unfortunately, the people of Babel would have to learn this the hard way.

2. The Lord Comes Down -11:5-7

As the people of Babel “build up” in a misdirected effort at demonstrating their self-sufficiency and autonomy, the “Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built” (11:5). This statement of the Lord’s direction marks the midpoint of this passage ranging from 11:1-11:9. Here is what has been covered thus far.

 A. “The whole world had one language” (11:1)
                B. “There” (11:2)
                              C. “each other” (11:3)
                    D. “Come, let’s make bricks” (11:3)
                                  E. “Come, let us build ourselves” (11:4)
                                              F. “A city, with a tower” (11:4)
                                                       G. “THE LORD CAME DOWN…” (v. 5)

Though the implications of this passage are troubling, the story is told with an ironic tone and in an entertaining way. Though the people intended to show off their self-sufficiency and power with a great city and corresponding tower, God has to shrink down to inspect it. What was supposed to convey prestige and strength is puny and insignificant compared to God. “The frailty of the engineering is marked by the description of the builders: they are bene ha’adam—“the sons of mankind” (Matthews, 483). This indicates that the quality of the tower is just as mortal as the builders themselves. One thing is for sure upon God’s review of this building project—He is not impressed.

This is clear by the Lord’s comments in verse 6—“The 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,…”(11:6). God appears to be concerned most with the potential there is for great pride—“now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.” In other words, nothing mankind will set his fallen mind to is out of the realm of possibilities as they pursue autonomy and/or self-sufficiency. The shared language offered an efficient route to this aim/goal of being like God or, at the very least, capable of doing everything for themselves.
This indictment is similar to what is said in the Garden of Eden. God’s curse of Adam and Eve was intended, in part, to keep them from the tree of life. He understood that because mankind knew both good AND evil (because they did not follow the Lord’s command), they needed to be limited. Therefore, He cut off the life-giving tree, leading to their mortality and forever limiting mankind’s capabilities. Here, God does the same. Seeing what prideful pursuits mankind was capable of given their shared locality and shared language, God decides to humble mankind by limiting them further. This He does by making it harder for them to communicate.

Next the Lord says, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech” (11:7). From this point on, barriers would exist between different people groups, rendering it difficult for people to understand one another. Limited already in mortality, the human race was now limited in its communicative capacity.

I mentioned earlier (as we looked at 11:3) the l-b-n letter sounds of “let us make bricks” (nilbena). Here, the letters are inverted in “let us confuse” (nabela)—n-b-l. While the human race sought to work together to build themselves up, God made sure they were confused instead. The Lord’s name alone ought to be built up and every activity/pursuit ought to give Him glory. The people of Babel failed to remember this until they perceived their new lot.

3. The Nations are Scattered Out-11:8-9

Verses 8 and 9b reveal what transpired as a direct result of God’s intervention—“So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city,…and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.” Babel’s culture of power and unity under the banner of pride was disrupted beyond repair, leaving the construction project incomplete, people confused, and the nations dispersed.

God’s actions here reiterate mankind’s purpose in the world—“to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.” Such a mandate taken alongside the command to exercise “dominion over the world” is not easily satisfied in the context of a centralized metropolis. Therefore, the scattering of the nations and the confusion of languages, brought along by this display of pride and self-centeredness, speaks to God’s heart for the world. God’s people are at their best when they are going out and cultivating culture for His glory, not staying at home and growing more complacent. The diversity created here would not only limit humanity, it would pave the way for the glorious diversity of culture throughout the world, allowing each nation to enact dominion over its respective corner of the planet in a variety of ways.

Though people had tried to assert themselves, establish their own name, and achieve autonomy, God asserts Himself, establishes His superior name, and demonstrates His own autonomy by naming this city—“Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth…” (11:9a). The name babel is related to the word “confused” (balal) and itself means “muddle.” We use this word today to speak of nonsense or incoherent muttering. To “babel on” is to speak in an indiscernible way. What began as a proud collaborative effort ends in confusion and disarray.

Here is a presentation of the passage’s chiastic organization:

A. “The whole world had one language” (11:1)
                B. “There” (11:2)
                                C. “each other” (11:3)
                                                D. “Come, let’s make bricks” (11:3)
                                                                E. “Come, let us build ourselves” (11:4)
                                                                                F. “A city, with a tower” (11:4)
                                                                                                G. “THE LORD CAME                                                                                                          DOWN…” (v. 5)
                                                                                F.’ “The city and the tower” (11:5)
                                                                E.’ “That the men were building” (11:5)
                                                D.’ “Come, let us…confuse” (11:7)
                                C.’ “each other” (11:7)
                B.’ “from there” (11:8)
    A.’ The language of the whole world” (11:9)

This chiasm indicates that what began as a unified body of people became diverse and varied pool of nations. What made the difference? The Lord’s presence—“the Lord came down”—and subsequent judgment upon the people’s pride (chiasm taken from Matthews, 468).

So What?

Ultimately, this passage demonstrates that anything done with the ultimate aim of glorifying any one person or mankind in general, even if done with majority and/or overwhelming support, will inevitably lead to humiliation. God’s desire is for Himself to be glorified and any enterprise that takes glory away from Him and carries it elsewhere will ultimately be undermined. Whether personally or corporately, we must acknowledge the supremacy of the Lord’s name, not our own, and stand in awe of His power, not human capabilities. Have you convinced yourself that you are self-sufficient in general or in any one area of your life in particular? Is your hope in the majority rule of our country? Do not be fooled. “Pride comes before the fall” (Prov. 16:18).  

    However, what is great about this passage is that God doesn’t leave the human race humiliated. Following the discipline He dishes out to these people, He paves the way for His will to be executed. The confusion of languages was a curse AND a blessing as now people were forced out, scattered throughout the planet to go and do what God had originally envisioned. What made things harder also provided the potential for more beauty. Therefore, this passage is a warning as well as an encouragement. The warning is “do not think too highly of yourself” (Rom. 12:3). The encouragement is, go out and cultivate culture for God’s glory. Complacency is antithetical to these two principles.


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