The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1:9)

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different languages around the world? Without an interpreter or technology could an English-speaking person communicate effectively with a Chinese-speaking person? In the book of Genesis, we have an account of what happened.

After the massive flood that killed everyone except Noah and his family, God blessed Noah and his sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their three wives) and said, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” Noah lived 950 years and his descendants lived many hundreds of years as well. As new generations were born their life spans would be shortened.

A few generations after the flood, there was still one language among all the people. As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and decided to settle there. They decided to build a city and a tower whose top would be in the heavens. They were not building it for the glory of God, but instead, to make a name for themselves and not be displaced around the earth. The Lord saw what was going on and said, “Behold, the people are one, and they all have one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”  The Lord scattered them abroad based on their separate languages and the building project ceased. The name of that place became known as “Babel” or as we know, the Tower of Babel, which means “confusion.”

There are two interesting points about this story. First, what was the motive behind the building of the tower? The people wanted to erect this structure for themselves. One of the sins that God abhors is the sin of pride. It was the motivation behind Satan's fall as the chief archangel of the Lord. Satan wanted to be like God and be worshiped. Proverbs 8:13 states, “Pride and arrogance…, I hate."

The other interesting point is what God said to Noah and his sons. He told them to multiply and fill the earth. Instead, the descendants of Noah decide to stay together and build the city and tower. God said, “Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”  Their knowledge of building may have been far more advanced than we know. They had the ability to do whatever they could imagine as a united group, even though they were not obeying God’s instructions.

The takeaway is to follow God’s instructions and be humble. Give God the glory in all you do. Whatever we can imagine, we can accomplish it if it is God’s will. And we know God’s will through the Word of God by believing and receiving the promises that are written. Find your promise for your dream, but remain humble in your journey. God loves you so much and He has a great plan for your life. (John 3:16; Jer. 29:11-12)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/