Genesis 11:1-9 – The Tower of Babel
Noah’s descendants have been separated into tribes, and they are meant to multiply, go out, and fill the earth. But they are very slow to do it. They all have the same language and can understand each other, they find a convenient place to settle in, and decide to build a huge tower. Why? They want to rival God by building a tower up to Heaven. They want to set themselves up in God’s place. Out of their pride they want to make a name for themselves, but to this day no one knows who they are. Finally, they want to directly disobey God’s command to fill the earth.
God knows all that is going on, but He justly and mercifully evaluates what they are doing, giving them time to repent. He sees that it is best that they do not stay as one group – much of the earth would be left uninhabited, rulers would have too much power, and the believers might be overcome. Men are obstinate and will continue in sin, so they must be scattered. God the Father speaks to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and determines to scatter them. These men deserve death, but God in His wisdom, patience, and mercy gives them different languages. The sin of these men at Babel leads to our difficulty in understanding others today. God can scatter people through language, but He can also bring people together in faith as He does in Acts 2:4-6.
Questions
- What do the people decide to do?
- Why is this wrong?
- What is God’s solution?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters