When Men Were Confused

WHEN MEN WERE CONFUSED

Genesis 11:1-9

How many of you can speak more than one language? How many of you can speak more than two languages? Can anyone speak more than 3?

Did you notice in verse 1 that at one time the “whole earth used the same language and the same words”?

That means that everywhere you went on the earth you could be understood and you could understand everyone.
But that changed. Why? What happened?

Well, let’s look at this story…it is one that most of you are familiar with…and you might say that this is “a confusing” chapter…but I don’t think there is anything confusing about what God has to say here.

So if you would let’s begin with vs. 2:

When you look at vs. 2 we are told that as people “journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar (or Babylon) 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.

Now, up to this point there doesn’t seem to be a problem.

But look at vs. 4: And they said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven,

Now, why did they want to build a city…and a tower?

…and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

There is basically two reasons they want to build this city and tower: Arrogance and rebellion.

“They want to make a name for themselves.”

Remember back in chapter 4 why Cain and his descendants built cities? To show that they didn’t need God! (Cain was cursed to be a vagabond on the earth. “But I will show you God! I will do all of these great things…build all these marvelous buildings…even without God and in spite of God. Who needs God anyway? )

I think it is interesting that the first builders of cities were not men of the best character and reputation (tents served God’s subjects to dwell in; cities were first built by those that were rebels against God. Cites are where men build great monuments to themselves.)

But not only that, what was the purpose of cities and towers? They were for security.

They were a sign of strength. The bigger the city and the taller the tower the more you were feared. (“Nobody is going to mess with us now!”)

And I want you to notice here in vs. 4 where it says that they were going to build a “tower whose top will reach into heaven.”

Arrogant, rebellious men have always sought a way of their own to get to heaven.
“I don’t need God to get to heaven. I can do it myself and I can do it my way!”
Ungodly men have always wanted to exalt themselves to the level of or above God.
And if you think about it that is basically what we do every time we sin…we ignore God and do what we want…we put ourselves above God.

But perhaps there is something else here. There where they say, “we will build a tower whose top will reach into heaven”…the words “will reach” are not actually there in the Hebrew…and the word “heaven” could be translated “sky.”

If you remember over in the book of Daniel in chapter 2 the Babylonians were known for astrology and reading the stars.
And when Christ was born who was it that followed the star? Men from the east.

What they may have had in mind here was a tower to worship the stars and the heavens.

Archeologist have found remains of towers like this throughout the region of Mesopotamia…they are called ziggurats…they were temple towers or places of worship…places of astrology and idolatry.
And that may well have been what was going on here.

But whatever the purpose was behind this tower…it had behind it an attitude of arrogance and rebellion against God.

And notice at the end of vs. 4 why they built this city and this tower: …lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth.”

This is in direct conflict with the will of God because when Noah and his sons got off of the ark in chapter 9:1, God said to Noah and his sons, “You be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”
And the fact that they even say this shows that they are defying God’s will. (“God wants us to “fill the earth.” Well, we don’t care what God says. We aren’t doing it.”

The basis of this story has to do with human arrogance and rebellion.

Now, look at God’s response to this. Look at vs. 5: And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

Now, don’t misunderstand what is said here. When it says that the “Lord came down to see what the sons of men had built” that does not mean that he didn’t already know.

This language is deliberately and carefully selected to emphasize that this city and tower that was so large in human eyes was so small and so insignificant to God.

Some of you have been down town in some of the big cities…and you have walked on the sidewalks…and you look up at the sky scrapers and they look so huge!

But then you get on an airplane and fly over the same city…those tall buildings don’t look so big.
That is what is being communicated here. What they thought was so big and so impressive was small and unimpressive to God.

These people thought they were so important and so powerful but what can they do that can compare to God?

This reminds me of when King Louis XIV of France died in 1715. He had reigned for 72 years. He called himself “Louis the Great.” He is the one who made the famous statement, “I am the state.” He had the most magnificent court in Europe and before he died he had planned his funeral to be equally spectacular.

He had his body laid in a golden coffin and orders were given that at the Cathedral where everyone was gathered that all the lights should be out except for just one single candle that was placed on his coffin to highlight his magnificence. It was to be a glorious tribute to his greatness.
What he didn’t count on was the Bishop who was first to get up and speak and he went over and blew out the candle and said, “Only God is great.”

Only God is great and God wasn’t impressed with what these people were doing.

But now we have to deal with a problem. Look at vs. 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.

This verse makes it sound like God is threatened by what these people are doing?

But what is God really saying here?

Notice He says, “This is what they began to do”?

What God is saying here is, “If this is just the beginning…then what will they do next?”
“There is no telling what they will do next!”

And I think we are seeing this same thing in our society today.

You know there was a time when fornication in our society was wrong…and adultery was wrong…and homosexuality was wrong…but now we have moved on to the point that if you stand against homosexuality you are the one that is wrong…and now we have transgender bathrooms.
It kind of makes me wonder what is next!

So, God looks down on what is happening here…and He sees where man is headed in his united pilgrimage toward evil…and God says, “This has got to be stopped.”

He is not acting out of a fear that man will be a formidable rival.
Instead He is acting like a loving father who is concerned for the welfare of His offspring and He is determined not to allow them to follow their ambitions to the point of destroying themselves. (Like a dad might come in and turn the TV off; or put an end to a party; or take way the keys to the car).
What God does here is not an act of wrath (He could have easily killed them all and destroyed the tower and the city Himself). What He does is instead an act of mercy.

So, in vs. 7 God “confuses their language so they may not understand one another’s speech.”

And according to Acts 17: 26-27 one of the reasons why He does this is so that man would become more dependent on Him instead of himself.

So, let’s read vs. 8-9: 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.

Now, let me give you a quick application for our lives. Here it is: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ALL MAN-MADE POWERS ARE COMING DOWN.

Throughout history there have been, not one, but many attempts by men to arrogantly defy God exalt themselves above all others.

And God has given these men their little moments in the sun.
But whether their names are Alexander, or Caesar, or Hitler, or Stalin or Marx, God with just the puff of His breath can and has caused them to wither up and die.

One way or another all man-made powers are coming down.

God, in His mercy, may humble those who exalt themselves…and if His mercy is spurned…God will tear them down in His wrath. He will not share His glory with another.

And let me tell you, you do not have to be a pompous world leader. God has a way of humbling the athlete has the big head (Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson, O.J. Simpson, Jose Conseco, KolenCapernic); He has a way to humble the great philosopher who thinks to much of himself (Aristotle; Seneca; Augustine; Rouseau); He has a way of humbling those with who have accumulated great wealth; (Howard Hughes; Michael Jackson; Prince; Elvis Presley or King Solomon, or the Rich Man who was in Torment in Luke 16). Even the preacher who exalts himself too high (Jimmy Swaggert, Jimmie Bakker; Robert Schuler, Jim Jones, David Koresh).

God has a way of humbling us all when we exalt ourselves to high.

You see, this story is not just about a failed building project.

It is a protest against pride and self-sufficiency.
It is a protest against the fallacy that you can build anything that lasts without God.

Let me give you one more funeral story. You may have heard of Franz Joseph of Austria. He was one of the longest reigning Emperors in Austria. He died around he year 1916.

When he died they had an extravagant imperial funeral and they escorted the coffin with the gold and black colors and the military band and all the dignitaries and all the finery.
And they went to the Capuchin Monastery in Vienna to have his remains interred there.
And they get down there and they stop at the iron gate that blocks the entrance…and behind this iron gate is a bishop.
So the officer in charge of he procession says, “Open!” And the bishop says, “Who goes there?”
And the officer says, “We bear the remains of his Imperial and apostolic majesty Franz Joseph the first, but the grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, defender of the faith, Prince of Bohemia, Arabia, and grand duke of Lombardi in Tunisia and Trieste.
He goes on for 37 minutes with all these titles.

And the bishop says, “We know him not. Who goes there?”

Well the officer speaks again but this time he uses a more abbreviate and less ostentatious titles that were reserved for times of expedience.
Again, from behind the gate, “We know him not. Who goes there?”

The third time the officer simply says, “We bear the body of Franz Joseph our brother and sinner like us all. And the door was swung open.

Now, I don’t know what kind of name you are trying to make for yourself. I don’t know what tower you have erected.

I know this. At death there are no names and there are no titles that are going to reach to heaven but one.
Acts 4:12 says: …for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved…and that name is Jesus.
You see, there is no reason for anyone to be confused.
If there is a tower in your life where you are trying to build a name for yourself, you don’t need to be confused because the message is simple.
Tear down your tower, kneel at the cross, and lift up the only name tha reaches to heaven. .