Babel:
Let Us Make A Name for Ourselves
Genesis 11:1-9
James R. Davis
A few months ago I visited a graveyard where
the remains of my parents, grandparents and other relatives are buried.
I went around reading the tombstones noticing who had died since I had
last visited. I noticed a very, very large tombstone, it was the largest
tombstone in the cemetery, and it was a new tombstone with the name etched
across it in very big bold letters. I knew the name and the people; they
were actually distant relatives. As a child we often visited them. The
amazing thing was that their tombstone was so big. They had the tombstone
erected before they died. I was surprised to see such a large tombstone.
They lived relatively simple lives and lived in a very modest house. I
always thought of them as all but recluses. The tombstone seemed to be
saying, "Look I was here, don't forget me."
A young 26 year-old stewardess lost her job
because she posed for Playboy Magazine. The tragedy was not her loss of
job. She learned that she needed lung surgery and the outcome might not
be good. She decided to pose so that the world would remember her.
There is something about walking across the
stage of life only once and knowing that we will never return this way
again that makes us feel very insecure. I guess we all have a tendency
to fear anonymity and this gives us an inclination to erect something that
at least says that we were here. It is like an inscription that was found
all over Europe after World War II. Someone kept inscribing on bridges
and buildings "Kilroy was Here".
Much of what we say and do is directed toward
building a self-image. By that I mean that we endeavor to project an image
for others to see and remember us by. We buy certain brand name clothes
for ourselves because these clothes project an image of success. It is
ironic that the first clothes made by man were to cover his shame, now
we use them to build a name for ourselves. What was originally a curse
we turn into our glory in an effort to build a name for ourselves.
We buy a car because of what it says about
the one who is driving it. How much of our finances go into building an
image for our selves. How much of our energies go into building monuments
to ourselves? You have probably experienced driving down the road behind
a $113,000 Mercedes on one side and a rusty old rattle trap on the other
side with a bumper sticker that says, "Don't laugh its paid for!" That
really says a lot doesn't it?
The flood in Genesis did not deter man's sinfulness
for long. The people in the land of Shinar or Babylon seek to become famous
by building a magnificent city and tower. Their ambitions consume them.
Notice their hortatory statements beginning with "Let us": Let us make
bricks and burn them thoroughly (vs. 3); Let us build ourselves a city
(vs. 4); Let us make a name for ourselves (vs. 4). (John T. Willis, Genesis,
The Living Word Commentaries, Sweet Publishing Company, 1979, p. 196-197.)
When we come to Genesis chapters 11 &
12 we see two opposing views of man's existence. In the outset of chapter
11 we see the people of the earth coming together to erect a tower in order
to make a name for themselves. In the beginning of chapter 12 we see God
calling Abram and promising to make his name great. Our desire to make
a name for ourselves stands in sharp contrast to God's promise to make
Abram's and ultimately our name great (12:1-4). David Atkinson wrote in
his book, The Message of Genesis 1-11, "The prerogative of making a name
belongs with God." (David Atkinson, The Message of Genesis 1-11, The Bible
Speaks Today, p. 177.)
There is nothing sinful in and of its self
in building a city and a tower. The real sin is the self-centered attitude
of the heart that often motivates such activity: Let us make a name
for ourselves. Many worldly-minded individuals have been driven
to long and hard work and to impressive achievements by the desire to become
famous. (John T. Willis, Genesis, The Living Word Commentaries, Sweet Publishing
Company, 1979, p. 197.)
Does Fear and Insecurity Rule Your Life?
Much of our efforts and accomplishments are
directed toward building monuments to our insecurities. Robert Deffinbaugh
wrote, "Behind the facade of achievement, accomplishment, bravado and self-assurance
is the haunting spectra of leaving this life with no certainty of what
is to follow. That in my estimation, is the real reason for the building
of the city of Babel and its tower. The people of that day were willing
to make nearly any sacrifice to have some hope of immortality." (Robert
Deffinbaugh, The Book of Genesis, The Biblical Studies Foundation, http://www.bible.org/)
Genesis 11:1-4
Now the whole world had one language and
a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and
settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake
them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower
that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and
not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
God investigates the situation in the Valley
of Shinar and gives us His appraisal of the situation. "But the LORD came
down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD
said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do
this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.'" (Gen
11:5-6.)
It seems as though Moses stresses the insignificance
of the tower. God had to descend to scrutinize the city that was being
built. This is not a statement about God's omnipresence but about the insignificance
of man's accomplishment through which he seeks to immortalize himself.
Moses may very well be teaching that man's thoughts and efforts, no matter
how lofty are insignificant to God. This is portrayed by God having to
come down and observe what man was doing. While the top of the tower from
earth's vantage point may have seemed to pierce the clouds, to the infinite,
almighty God, it was barely visible. (Robert Deffinbaugh, The Book of Genesis,
The Biblical Studies Foundation, http://www.bible.org/)
Imagine for a moment viewing the Empire State
Building from ground zero. You are looking to see the top and it seems
to pierce the sky. But imagine seeing it from the Space Shuttle as you
orbit earth. It seems mighty insignificant from the heavens. It really
couldn't be seen. What a mighty feat man accomplished in building it but
it is as insignificant as an anthill in the scheme of things.
Psalm 2:1-6
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples
plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather
together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. "Let us break their
chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in
heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion,
my holy hill."
Are We Building Monuments to Our Shame?
Cemeteries have always fascinated me. I guess
that it is the realization of knowing that is where I am going to eventually
end up that makes them so fascinating. Several years ago I visited an old
cemetery that I used to play in as a child. I noticed the tombstones that
were placed there since I was a child. There was a particularly prominent
family in that town where I lived. Some of them of them had died since
my childhood. Their gravesites were more elaborate than the rest. Huge
slabs of granite were placed over their graves. Yet I noticed that the
roots of a giant oak tree had already begun to push the huge slabs aside.
It was another reminder to me that however elaborate the monuments we build
to ourselves, they will eventually become monuments to our shame.
God's command was that they multiply and scatter
out over the earth and populate the whole earth. "Then God blessed Noah
and his sons, saying to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill
the earth . . .. As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply
on the earth and increase upon it.' (Genesis 9:1,7.) But the people chose
to rebel. The People said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a
tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves
and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'" (Genesis 11:4.)
We just took a vacation and while traveling
I noticed a large building that was partially built. The building looked
big enough to be a huge warehouse or even a large department store. But
there was evidence that construction had stopped on it a long time ago.
I was amazed at how much had been built before the construction stopped.
Trees and bushes were growing up all around it and the blocks were very
weather beaten. It was a monument to someone's failure. The tower in Genesis
that was intended to be a monument to their ingenuity and industry turned
out to be a monument to their plans thwarted by the hand of God. As long
as the remains of that tower stood, it reminded them of their failure to
make a name for themselves.
Man's worldly accomplishments are superficial.
We tend to think that the work of our hands will assure us of some kind
of immortality beyond the grave. I watched an interview of one of the older
country western singers who had recently been inducted to the Country Music
Hall of Fame. He was asked how he felt about this honor; he said, "They
have immortalized me through this recognition of my work."
Can We Replace God As The Center of Our
Lives?
This tower is sort of an architectural symbol,
a means for them to assert their greatness. If men were allowed to build
this city, despite the many obstacles, then men would erroneously conclude
that they could do anything they set their minds to. A bit of that mentality
was evidenced when man first set foot on the moon. If you recall what was
said, "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind." When man's
ingenuity was successfully employed to overcome the many barriers to reaching
the moon's surface, man felt that no problem was beyond human solution.
(Robert Deffinbaugh, The Book of Genesis, The Biblical Studies Foundation,
http://www.bible.org/)
Noah's descendants placed their confidence
in bricks and mortar and the work of their hands. In our time we are just
a bit more sophisticated. We trust in transistors, integrated circuits,
and technology. We feel that if we can put a man on the moon and play with
mobile probes on Mars, nothing can keep us from solving any problems. (Robert
Deffinbaugh, The Book of Genesis, The Biblical Studies Foundation, http://www.bible.org/)
In this story God had been banished from their
midst and they no longer have anything that binds them together. It is
always true, wherever God is deposed some substitute has to be created
to bind men together in some fashion or other. (David Atkinson, The Message
of Genesis 1-11, The Bible Speaks Today, p. 177.) God was no longer the
center of gravity for their lives. They sought another cohesive force and
so they turned to the superficial. They began to look at the work of their
hands as the cure rather than the curse.
Governments are good at creating the superficial
in an effort to pull people together. Perhaps, you start a war in order
to divert attention from internal political dissension and thus create
a new solidarity by making people feel that they are facing a common threat.
Or you build a tower of Babel in order to concentrate people's attention
upon a new center by rallying them to a united and enthusiastic effort
and this way the dispersive elements of society will ban together. Or you
can use propaganda in order to generate the feeling of community and you
can cause the people to want what you want. (David Atkinson, The Message
of Genesis 1-11, The Bible Speaks Today, p. 177.)
What is amazing about the first few chapters
of Genesis is that God is teaching us that He is not replaceable. There
is no replacement for God. If He is not the center, then you will have
no center. This is demonstrated when Adam and Eve were driven from the
Garden; this was demonstrated when Cain's descendants were destroyed in
the flood and it is demonstrated again here at the Tower of Babel. Noah
accepted God as the center of his world and he survived. It wasn't the
work of Noah's hands in building the ark that kept Noah afloat in the flood.
The ark, although it was the first ship, was not a monument to Noah's ingenuity.
It was God that gave him something to stay afloat.
God's Purposes Cannot Be Thwarted
Some might conclude from these verses that
this story teaches us that God's rule is threatened by man's accomplishments.
But the story actually teaches that God's purposes cannot be thwarted.
They were told to multiply and fill the earth and replenish it. (Genesis
9:1,7) They decided to congregate in one place.
Genesis 11:5-9
But the LORD came down to see the city and
the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people
speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they
plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse
their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered
them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel-- because there the LORD confused the language
of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of
the whole earth.
God does not fear man as a formidable rival.
God knew that if they succeeded, an attitude of arrogant self-confidence
would follow. They would become even more self-centered and eventually
they would destroy themselves. So God prevented their success. The same
thing took place when God drove man from Eden.
Gen 3:22-24
And the LORD God said, "The man has now become
like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach
out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground
from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on
the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing
back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
What Holds Your Life Together?
The inhabitants on the plain of Shinar sought
security in a city and put their hope in fired bricks and tar. It is amazing
what we are seeking today in an effort to hold our lives together. We have
so much artificial activity. So many people are confused; they look for
a church that seeks to hold people together with superficial activities
that will inevitably fail.
Churches find themselves falling into the
same pattern as the world. We create new programs to keep people busy and
to give them a false sense of security through involvement and activity.
Programs are often a substitute for a powerful living faith. Too many times
it is the programs that give us a sense of unity and accomplishment, not
God. Too many times a person's faithfulness is judged by their involvement
in these programs. We have replaced God with programs and activities.
Sometimes churches and programs are built
around the desire to build a monument for us. It has always amazed me that
we can talk about what our home congregations are doing, the programs,
etc. and we can debate doctrinal theological matters but it is so hard
for us to talk about our personal faith in God. So many people are looking
at what churches have to offer them, instead of looking for God. There
certainly isn't anything wrong with wanting our children involved with
a church. The question is, have the activities and programs caused us to
lose sight of God?
Ps 127:1-5
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders
labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand
guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food
to eat-- for he grants sleep to those he loves. Sons are a heritage from
the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of
them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies
in the gate.
You parents that want to leave a heritage
behind need to read again what Psalm 127 says about your children. "Sons
are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in
the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend
with their enemies in the gate." (Psalms 127:3-5)
Human endeavor without God is never satisfying,
never fulfilling. Only the work done for the Lord in his strength brings
lasting satisfaction. The Samaritan woman at Jacob's well sought to quench
her thirst. Jesus offered that which would forever satisfy.
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this
water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will
never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring
of water welling up to eternal life."
Jesus later said to his disciples.
John 4:31-34
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi,
eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know
nothing about." Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have
brought him food?" "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who
sent me and to finish his work."
Man's Efforts without God Result in Confusion.
Settling in the valley of Shinar was an act
of disobedience. God had commanded men to spread out and fill the land.
They were to disperse. (Genesis 9:1,7). These people could not conceive
of blessing and security coming as a result of dispersion, even though
God commanded it. They felt the safest when congregated together. They
saw a brighter future in unity. They could leave posterity a monument to
their ingenuity and industry. They knew the command of God. But all they
had was a promise from God. Their hopes were on abstract words, nothing
concrete, and so they placed their faith in bricks and tar. (Robert Deffinbaugh,
The Book of Genesis, The Biblical Studies Foundation, http://www.bible.org/)
The dispersion, which the people feared, came
to pass.
Gen 11:7-9
" . . .Come, let us go down and confuse their
language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered
them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel-- because there the LORD confused the language
of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of
the whole earth.
The evil does not lie in the fact that all
men spoke one language. This only provided the occasion for man's sinfulness
to express itself more easily. Yet God used it as a means to reverse their
plans.
The irony of this story is that what was desired
and worked toward, if accomplished, would have destroyed them. And what
they dreaded most would have been their deliverance. Sometimes I wonder
if a fear of looking God in the face, so to speak, scares us into doing
things that direct our minds in other directions. When one comes to the
Bible, one must be ready to meet God face to face, with all one's sins,
even the secret ones that only He knows. One must bring his evil heart
to look at God. This seems almost a dreadful thing, but it is our means
of deliverance. It is hard to imagine that God is standing there looking
at us and wanting us to turn to him and receive the forgiveness provided.
At the very same time God is telling us if we don't only heartache and
confusion will come. It seems easier to run from God or build your life
around something seemingly less threatening than God.
A life lived in resistance to the will of
God will end in frustration and failure. You will not succeed in life by
resisting the will of God.
Conclusion:
It is heartbreaking to see mankind following
his will rather than God's. This still happens today.
Abraham bought a piece of land from the Hittite
people for a family burial plot. Sarah was buried first, then Abraham.
Over four hundred years after Abraham, Joseph's bones were carried out
of Egypt to be placed in that family burial plot. But we can't even find
that burial plot today. Actually it matters little. The lasting memorial
they left to us is how they lived. The beauty of their lives is seen as
we read God's biography of them. Obedience to the Word of God leaves a
lasting memorial.
