Gen 11:1-9 | KingComments | STEP | According to some, there are about 30,000 people on earth at this time. They are all still together. Together they head east. It is the direction in which Cain went ( ; cf. ). It is the direction that here speaks of leaving God. In the east, they find a plain, which here speaks of complacency. Abraham later seeks the mountains ( ), which speaks of wanting to be close to God. The plain is in the land Shinar. There lies the origin of Babel ( ) and idolatry ( ). Here people want to make a joint effort: they want to build a city with a tower that serves as a bridge to reach the sky. There seems to be interest in God. It is remarkable that the first builders of cities, both in the old world ( ) and here in the new world, are not men of the best character or the best name. Tents are the homes of those who fear God, while the first cities are built by those who rebel against Him and apostatize from Him. We see that also here. The people want to build this city with the tower to their own honor and name. They want to make a name for themselves on earth. They also build with self-made stones. This is in opposition to God’s actions. God does everything to the honor of His own Name ( ; ). The material they use, bricks, is made of clay from the earth and is therefore fragile and vulnerable. It suits man in his earthly, fragile existence ( ). Because man is not aware of this, he dares to build such a building. God builds His city with quite different materials: precious stones ( ; ). He builds his spiritual house with living stones ( ). What is happening here is the contemporary professing Christianity to the core. The nominal Christians want to be included, they want their opinion to be taken into account in political issues and decision-making. And do they not have great names in their history to boast of, theologians of name? But having a big name on earth does not automatically mean that that name is also written down in heaven. In the building of the city and the tower of Babel it is in any case a pursuit of unity and power. This is what we see in the ecumenical movement, the churches’ unity commitment led by the roman-catholic church, the spiritual Babylon, become reality.

‏ Genesis 11:1-9

The Tower of Babel Built

According to some, there are about 30,000 people on earth at this time. They are all still together. Together they head east. It is the direction in which Cain went (Gen 4:16; cf. Gen 3:23-24). It is the direction that here speaks of leaving God. In the east, they find a plain, which here speaks of complacency. Abraham later seeks the mountains (Gen 12:8), which speaks of wanting to be close to God.

The plain is in the land Shinar. There lies the origin of Babel (Gen 10:8-10) and idolatry (Zec 5:5-11). Here people want to make a joint effort: they want to build a city with a tower that serves as a bridge to reach the sky. There seems to be interest in God.

It is remarkable that the first builders of cities, both in the old world (Gen 4:17) and here in the new world, are not men of the best character or the best name. Tents are the homes of those who fear God, while the first cities are built by those who rebel against Him and apostatize from Him. We see that also here. The people want to build this city with the tower to their own honor and name. They want to make a name for themselves on earth. They also build with self-made stones. This is in opposition to God’s actions. God does everything to the honor of His own Name (Isa 63:12 ; 14; Jer 32:20).

The material they use, bricks, is made of clay from the earth and is therefore fragile and vulnerable. It suits man in his earthly, fragile existence (Job 33:6). Because man is not aware of this, he dares to build such a building. God builds His city with quite different materials: precious stones (Isa 54:11-12; Rev 21:18-21). He builds his spiritual house with living stones (1Pet 2:5).

What is happening here is the contemporary professing Christianity to the core. The nominal Christians want to be included, they want their opinion to be taken into account in political issues and decision-making. And do they not have great names in their history to boast of, theologians of name? But having a big name on earth does not automatically mean that that name is also written down in heaven. In the building of the city and the tower of Babel it is in any case a pursuit of unity and power. This is what we see in the ecumenical movement, the churches’ unity commitment led by the roman-catholic church, the spiritual Babylon, become reality.

The Confusion of Language

God’s response to this endeavor will not take long in coming. People have said to one another: “Come, let us …” (Gen 11:3-4). In Gen 11:7 the LORD says: “Come, let Us …” – “Us” is the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To involve man as it were in His considerations the LORD comes down to take note of their works. It is to convince man of what He knows as the Omniscient. After His conclusion God judges. He pronounces the verdict and carries it out. He does not do this by a new flood or by opening the earth, but by a confusion of language.

Through the judgment of the confusion of language, God breaks man’s striving together. A large and powerful stronghold is being demolished. The confusion of language is being undone on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11), when the Holy Spirit is poured out. Baptism with the Spirit creates a unity that is according to God’s thoughts. This unity, the unity of God’s church, is based on the work of Christ as the Lamb. Christ will receive the honor for this from the mouth of those whom He has purchased for God with His blood “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev 5:9; Rom 15:6). In the realm of peace there will also be a unity among the nations of the earth in serving God (Zep 3:9-10).

The unfinished city is named “Babel”, which means ‘confusion’. This city will be the leading power in the world. It is a concentration of ungodly powers. At the same time it becomes clear that the unity that has been pursued and that has been seen as power by man is judged by God with a confusion of languages. What they wanted to prevent by their efforts, scattering (Gen 11:4), is exactly what happens by God’s judgment.

With this, the story of the early history of man on earth has come to an appropriate conclusion. She describes how the generations of the earth have become hopelessly scattered and wandering around on earth, with no view. The solution comes in the next section. From the scattered nations God builds a people that will become the channel of His grace. God does not yet deal with humanity. The following section prepares us for God’s work for and with His people.