The Tower of Babel
“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” (Genesis 11:1-2, 4-8)
Ever wonder why we have many different languages? Our passage explains why. Some people may dismiss this story as fiction and think science has a better explanation. Yet if you look for info on how languages originated, you may be hard-pressed for a solid answer. Michael Gavin wrote “Why do Human Beings Speak so Many Languages?” for Scientific American, July 2017. In it, he said candidly, “…we have few clear answers to… questions about how humanity communicates.”
We have a fossil record that gives us clues as to how life was long ago. Evolutionary scientists interpret this info one way and creation scientists interpret it another. Yet we have no recordings of people speaking long ago, so we have no evidence–at least not on the evolutionary side–of how languages developed. Yet we do have the story of the Tower in God’s Word.
It’s also noteworthy that Jesus didn’t mention the Tower story, but He did say the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah both happened. The flood was before the Tower. Sodom and Gomorrah were after. We can conclude from God’s Word, then, that the Tower story is also true.
Here’s why the tower was bad. Obviously, it wasn’t meant to “reach unto heaven” so people could climb it to get to the “pearly gates.” That idea would be absurd. Bible historians believe it was to “reach unto heaven” in that it would be used for worship. That was a problem! God had spoken specifically on how He was to be worshipped. He never mentioned a tower. It was something “they have imagined to do,” as the Bible says because they wanted religion their way, not God’s way.
More could be said about the tower and the city. Had this work succeeded, many people could have been caught up in its false religion and perished for eternity. Confounding the languages was an act of God’s mercy. God had provided specific truth about Himself. He still gives specific truth about Himself in His Word. 2 Peter 3:9 also says God is “…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Are you sure you’ll be in heaven with God when you die? If not, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 11/15/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822