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Genesis Chapter Eleven
Preface
This chapter of the Bible is not so much about building a tower or the capabilities of man. It is about the corruption of man’s nature. One would think that the account of the Flood and the reason for it would be distinct in the minds of the human race during this time in history, that everyone at that time would be taking precautions to never let such a verdict by God happen again. But this was not then, is not now, and will never be the case with man.
When Adam chose to disobey God in the Garden of Eden, he immediately brought upon himself and the entire human race both spiritual and physical death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 3:23; 5:12; 6:23). Spiritual death was immediate, and it is resident in every human being at birth. It is simply the result of the resident sin-nature that is passed on down through the blood line of the male to every human throughout history, the only exception being Christ Jesus who was born of a virgin without the involvement of a human male. Although a person is born physically alive, he contains within his cell structure the process of physical death. As soon as a person is born, he is on an ever-accelerating track toward his physical demise. Eventually, everyone physically dies.
It is the sin-nature that steers a person away from God from “time of cognizance” (self-awareness) until his physical death. It is always successful unless a person is spiritually born again by faith alone in Christ alone (John 3), thereby acquiring the occupancy of the Holy Spirit resident within him, and then continues to utilize the faith principle (Colossians 2:6) in overcoming his resident sin nature and lives a life pleasing to God.
The sin nature is the center of man’s rebellion toward God and is variously designated in Scripture as “sin” (a singular noun—Rom. 7:13), “flesh” (Gal.5:16), and “old man” (Eph. 4:22). The old sin nature was acquired by Adam at his fall and is subsequently transmitted genetically by the male through procreation (Gen. 5:3). With the exception of the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ, it is an integral part of every human being that resides in the cell structure of the body (Rom 6:6, 7:5, 18). At the moment of physical birth when God imputes soul life, He also imputes Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed old sin nature (Rom. 5:12). Therefore, every person is born physically alive but spiritually dead. The sin nature is sovereign over human life (Rom. 6:12). The old sin nature is composed of an area of weakness, the source of temptation for personal sins (Heb. 12:1); an area of strength, which generates human good (Isa. 64:6; Heb. 6:1); a trend toward legalism, which is self-righteousness (Rom. 7:7), or antinomianism, which is licentiousness (Gal. 5:19-21); and a lust pattern, which is the motivation toward either trend (Eph. 2:3). (Old Sin Nature vs. Holy Spirit, Robert B. Thieme, Jr., 1977)
The sin nature cannot make a person sin; it is only the source of temptation to sin. A person’s volition is the source of his sin. When a person chooses to succumb to the sin nature, he sins. Whereas the lost person has no resident power to do other than succumb to his sin nature, the saved person has the ability to choose (or yield to) the Holy Spirit within himself to overcome it.
Because man by himself has no ability to defy the sin nature, he will always follow a path away from God’s plan and purpose for his life. This is most evident in the opening verses of this 11th chapter of the book of Genesis. Genesis 11:1-4 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
It is interesting to note that the Bible here utilizes two distinctly different Hebrew words to describe the process of communication of the entire human race at this time in history. One is dabar, which may mean “the content of what is being communicated” (the mind-set); and the other is sepheth, which is also translated “lip” or “language” and refers to the actual linguistic signs, symbols and words utilized in such communication. So not only did man at this stage of his development use the same language, but all humans were of one accord in their intent and purpose upon earth.
It cannot be determined precisely the time that passed between the exodus from the Ark to the time that these events took place, but it may be assumed that sufficient time had elapsed for a significant increase in the population. In time this population, however large it may have been, moved from the area of Ararat (a high plateau on the far east border of modern Turkey, north of biblical Haran and southeast of the Black Sea) to a place in the “land of Shinar”—the Old Testament name for the alluvial plain between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers commonly known as Babylonia in ancient times. They (the “whole earth”) moved in unison, all having the same mindset and all communicating with one language—a condition in which they found themselves comfortable, and a condition in which they decided on their own to perpetuate.
In so doing they were in direct defiance of God’s explicit purpose and plan for their live, which is found in Genesis 9:1 wherein God commands those who were saved from the Flood to disperse and populate the entire earth. In direct opposition to God’s explicit direction, they chose to stay together in their “comfort zone.” By so doing they placed the emphasis more on themselves and less upon God—the growth of pride.
The manifestation of this “policy of pride” was to “take matters into their own hands” by constructing their own building materials and defying God in the following manner:
The tower of Babel was most likely a ziggurat, a common structure in Babylonia at this time. Most often built as temples, ziggurats looked like pyramids with steps or ramps leading up the sides. Ziggurats stood as high as 300 feet and were often just as wide, thus they were the focal point of the city. The people in this story built their tower as a monument to their own pride, something for the whole world to see.
The tower of Babel was a great human achievement, a wonder of the world. But it was a monument to the people themselves rather than to God. We may build monuments to ourselves (expensive clothes, big house, fancy car, important job) to call attention to our achievements. These may not be wrong in themselves, but when we use them to give us identity and self-worth, they take God’s place in our lives. We are free to develop in many areas, but we are not free to think we have replaced God. (Life Application Bible, NIV, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. & Zondervan Publishing House, 1991)
Genesis 11:5-9 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
In this passage the Trinity is once again established, “Come let US go down.” Man should have known from the beginning of time that God is always present, as the One who sees and knows all. But unfortunately man continuously takes the position of pride, determined to act alone and determined to create and perform with dependence on no one but himself. And all the while God sees and understands every aspect of man’s existence and self-promotion. Nothing escapes Him!
Because of the direction taken by man at this time and because God knew its ultimate outcome, He confused their language in order that they could no longer understand each other and scattered them over the entire earth. Whereas secular education will teach that the variance in languages throughout the world came from evolutionary development over a vast period of time, the truth is that God caused it in a brief moment of time.
Hebrew “balal,” “confound,” indicates that there was a distinct disturbance that left the people greatly confused. The word “Babel” is translated “Babylon.” The best Hebrew lexicographers claim that it could not have come from the Hebrew “balal,” to “confuse” or “mix,” but that it meant “gate of God.” Through a play on words it came to mean “confusion.” (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Press, 1962)
The provision of languages (“tongues”) at Pentecost (Acts 2:5-11) was a reverse of the confusion of languages at Babel. When man comes together in pride, God will confuse and divide. When on the other hand God’s Word is proclaimed, He promotes union, understanding and order.
Today in this age of scientific advancement, escalating communications and spectacular technological achievement; man is once again attempting to come together as one race (via the United Nations, the European Union and other agencies) to “make a name” for himself and bask in his pride. This only confirms that the earth is in its final days, and soon God will once again put an end to all with the Second Coming of Christ. Genesis 11:10-28 This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
In this passage the line of Shem to Abram is traced, which narrows the historical record from the human race to one branch of that race (the Semites) and then to one man (Abram), who becomes the head of the Hebrew nation. The remainder of the Old Testament is largely a history of this nation. What is also significant in this passage is the shortening of the life span of the human race, a natural result of the curse placed not only on man but upon the earth, which now exposes man to environmental effects that prove detrimental to his health. This shortening of the life span is seen in the following life spans of those mentioned in this passage.
Name Life span in years
Shem 600 Arphaxad 438 Salah 433 Eber 464 Peleg 239 Reu 139 Serug 230 Nahor 148 Terah 205 Genesis 11:29 Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
The name “Abram,” in the Hebrew means “exalted father.” He did indeed become the father of the Hebrew nation. When his name was changed to “Abraham,” in chapter 17, its meaning is “father of a multitude.” He is best known in the New Testament as a mighty man of faith (Hebrews 11, etc.). Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all venerate him. He is mentioned in 16 books of the New Testament.
Ur of the Chaldees. An ancient city of the early Sumerian kingdom, located about 125 miles from the present mouth of the Euphrates, 100 miles southeast of Babylon, 830 miles from Damascus, and 550 miles from Haran. It was the capital of Sumer. In Abram’s day it was a thriving commercial city, with unusually high cultural standards.
Haran (or Harran). An important city in ancient Mesopotamia. It was situated about 550 miles northeast of Ur and 280 miles north of Damascus. Principal routes converged there. . . Haran was one of the chief centers for the worship of “Sin,” the moon-god. . . . It still survives as a small Arab village. (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Press, 1962)
In conclusion, and as was said in the preface to this chapter, the focus of this chapter is about the nature of man, his bent for sin, his pride and his continuing defiance of the plan and will of God. Man never learns. It is only by faith alone in Christ alone will he ever have a chance to gain both knowledge and wisdom, to understand and follow God’s plan and will for his life while upon this earth and to enjoy union with God’s throughout eternity.
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