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