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.