(Photo By twak)
“Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (
In the well-known account of the Tower of Babel, in
The Tower of Babel is about sin, its consequences and the continuation of the fallen nature of humankind in the world after the Garden of Eden and after Noah and the flood. When we read about Babel, we see humankind in the same condition as it was after the fall and as we continue to be in today. Many of us look at Babel with the same confusion that defines the name Babel itself. We think, “What’s the big deal? What is God’s problem? What is wrong with wanting to be in heaven? What is wrong with unity? Why can’t I have a decent name for myself?” OK, we may concede (on a good day) that making a name for ourselves may be vain and arrogant; but what about the rest of this?
Here are three lessons we can learn from Babel:
1. A heaven without God is no heaven at all.
2. There is only one name we should be concerned with, and it is not our own.
3. Unity without connection to God is unity not worth having.
Let us look at this quest for heaven first. Notice the people of Babel do not say they were attempting to get to God. Genesis 11:1-9 does not mention any concern by the people of Babel for God. In fact, they never mention God at all. We get the impression this tower is to be giant and impressive and reach into the sky, not that it will achieve God or reach God’s heaven. The Hebrew word used for heaven here is shamayim and has the root meaning “to be lofty.” It is most likely the first definition of shamayim, “heaven or heavens, the sky; the visible heavens, as abode of the stars, as the visible universe, the sky or the atmosphere” (Strong). The heaven here is one of their own making. This is a godless heaven, and a heaven without God is no heaven at all.
Next, let us look at what is in a name. The quest for a name for ourselves is a quest of identity, belonging and trust. It also can be a quest for adoration. This was the issue with Adam and Eve trusting God in the garden paradise. Adam and Eve did not trust their identity in God. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God, knowing good from evil. They felt they could love themselves better than God could. They did not trust that God had their best in mind and they sought their own best. They sought their identity and existence outside of God, out on their own. They did not trust God. Adam and Eve sought to love themselves above and beyond loving God in obedience. Their love for self left no love for God. In effect, they made themselves their own gods.
There were people in ancient biblical times called Nephilim. The Nephilim were giants who lived in the land before Noah and the flood. These giants were notorious, and the people of Babel wanted to be like them—giant. The people of Babel arrogantly wanted to make a name for themselves. The irony is that in the land of Shinar, the people of Babel were settling in to build their tower, which is also thought to be the same location of the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve sought to be giant, as well—all alone and without their God.
Adam, Eve and the people of Babel’s names became more important than the name that is above every name. As Paul said, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (
The last thing the people of Babel sought was security and comfort in their unity. This was safety in numbers taken to the extreme. Instead of seeking unity, security and comfort with and in their Creator and worshiping Him, they sought unity with each other. The people of Babel began to worship one another in essence. They were worshiping the creation, and they worshipped at the altar of humanity instead of worshiping the Creator who made them and in whom we have all things (
Timothy Keller talks about the way we make idols out of others and ourselves: “Our need for worth is so powerful that whatever we base our identity and value on we essentially ‘deify.’ We will look to it with all the passion and intensity of worship and devotion, even if we think ourselves as highly irreligious.”
When our unity becomes our security, our unity becomes our god. When other people and our unified relationships with them become our comfort or our identity, then God neither is our Comforter and Identity nor does our comfort and identity come from God. In effect, we create idols from one another and ourselves. This unity we should never seek. Unity without connection to God is unity not worth having.
The confusion of Babel is not done. We are still tempted to be Nephilim, giants. We seek heaven on our own terms; we seek to make a name for ourselves; we seek security and comfort in unity, all apart from the God who is Giant! May we seek God and worship God alone, realizing a heaven without God is no heaven at all, that there is only one name we should be concerned with, and it is not our own, and a unity without connection to God is unity not worth having.
Bibliography
Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. H8064
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982, S. Gen. 11:1-9.
Robbie Pruitt is a high school Bible teacher in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, where he lives with his wife, Irene. Robbie loves Jesus, youth ministry, the great outdoors, writing poetry and writing about theology, discipleship and leadership. He has been in youth ministry more than 17 years, since volunteering after high school. Robbie graduated from Trinity School for Ministry with a Diploma in Christian Ministry and from Columbia International University with a B.A. in Bible and General Studies and a minor in Youth Ministry. Follow his blogs at RobbiePruitt.Blogspot.com and RobbiePruitt.com.