Babel Series

May 28, 2022

Today we continue our series: BIBLE STORIES

Coming to Genesis 10, we find another set of Genealogies, which follows the 3 sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth

• Genesis 10:2-5 - The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras….

• Genesis 10:6-20 - And the sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan…. 8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD {had superior strength} …. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah ….

• Genesis 10:22-32 - The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram…. 24 And Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. 25 And two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

The Genealogy of Shem’s family continues in Genesis 11:10-26, which we will look at more closely next week, but for today we are going to focus on the little story that was placed right in the middle of Shem’s Genealogy - the story of the Tower of Babel.

Genesis 11:1-9 - Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 And it came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they 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. 4 And they 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; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And 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. 7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore 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.

John helped me with a little math - as he does - to come to a rough idea of the size of the population at the time of our story. We came to a # of approximately 500,000 people. Now, as of 2020, the size of San Jose was 1.01 million people, so we are talking ½ the population of San Jose. Not a massive #, then.

Everyone spoke the same language and had an aversion to leaving home. Great cities had been built and the rainbow covenant had been forgotten.

Remember….. Every time they saw a rainbow it was to remind them of God’s unconditional promise to never destroy the world again with a global flood. Yet, it didn’t take long for them to look inward to their own genius and choose to try to outsmart God. The structure - a tower - would be a symbol of their pride and arrogance and rebellion against God as well as their united power and self-sufficiency.

They didn’t need God to rule over them—they could rule themselves; they could reach the heavens on their own terms, with their own hands, by their own means, using their own skills - not to the honor and glory of God, but to the honor and glory of themselves.

Sound familiar?

• Isaiah 14:13-14 - But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.

• Daniel 4:28-31 - All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?' 31 While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying…. '