THE TOWER OF BABEL

“Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” – Genesis 11:4 (ESV).

The Bible contains gripping stories, but is it still relevant today? The Exodus from centuries of slavery in Egypt is a gripping account, but does it have any connection to my world of lightning-fast e-mails and jet travel?  Daniel getting out of a den of lions seems far removed from fixing my crashed hard drive. Can we relate at all to such strange and mystifying events today? The answer is yes. The Bible presents a realistic and balanced approach to life’s challenges, and the Bible’s information is more accurate and descriptive of the human condition than any psychology textbook, even after thousands of years.  Take the story of the Tower Of Babel.

The Tower of Babel is a biblical story in the Book of Genesis, specifically in Genesis 11. According to the biblical narrative, people spoke a single language after the great flood and migrated to Babylonia. There, they decided to build a tower that would reach the heavens, intending to make a name for themselves and prevent being scattered across the earth. “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

Let us make a name for ourselves. We can certainly relate to that statement. Let us make ourselves a brand—a platform, empire, or legacy. The Tower of Babel was built so everyone would know about them and who they were. God watched what was happening, and when it had gone too far, He stepped in and confused their language, leading to the dispersion of people and the abandonment of the tower’s construction. As a result, the place was called Babel, which means “confusion.” It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of seeking fame while ignoring God and a theological explanation for the diversity of languages on earth.

We need to be vigilant and not try to build monuments to ourselves. All the glory belongs to God.

In our faith journey, we will encounter forks on the road. Here, we have to decide which direction we are going to go. Are we going to follow our path or God’s higher path? The Tower of Babel is another reminder that God’s ways are higher than ours – even when we think we have arrived where we intellectually believe that we don’t need God. This is a universal struggle; we often seek fame to validate our worth. However, the more important God is in our lives, the less critical fame becomes.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the main message of the Tower of Babel
2. What does the Tower of Babel story teach us about human ambition and divine sovereignty?