28/04/19 Genesis 11:1-9 “And let man make a name for
himself”
Genesis
11:1 – And the whole
earth was of one language, and of one speech.
the whole earth – ‘erets [whole
earth (as opposed to a part); earth (as opposed to heaven); earth
(inhabitants)] Thus “all mankind”. That is, there was literally only one
language universally spoken by all mankind. This probably permits some minor
dialects but being of one speech probably means that what one person spoke was
easily understood by all others.
language – literally “lip”
but can be seen as pronunciation here.
speech – mostly
translated “word” in the Old Testament
Thus all mankind had
one pronunciation and one word.
There are some who believe that God’s
original language was Hebrew (of course the “KJV Only” mob would say it had to
be English!) which would be God’s pure language, but the context does suggest
that Hebrew was just one of the many languages that appeared after
Babel.
Genesis
11:2 – 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.
as they journeyed – naca‘ (to pull out or
up; set out; depart; journey; march; set forth)
Ellicott says: The word literally refers to the pulling up of the tent-pegs, and sets the human family before us as a band of nomads, wandering from place to place, and shifting their tents as their cattle needed fresh pasture.
Isaiah 33:20 – Look upon Zion, the city of our
solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle [that]
shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be
removed (naca‘), neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
naca‘ is used 42 times to describe the moving of the
camp in the wilderness in Numbers 33. It is translated “removed”, “departed”,
“went”, “journeyed” and “took their journey”. This signified their nomadic
lifestyle at this time. “they” probably assumed all the national groups as
listed in Genesis 10 before they were scattered by the confusion of the
languages after Babel.
Shinar was the area in which Babylon would
be established, that is, on the Euphrates River NE of Israel. But travelling
from the east assumes that they travelled from what we would today call Iran or
even Afghanistan. Some believe that it actually says they travelled eastward,
but that may be based upon an assumption that Mt Ararat was the same as we call
it today. Cambridge though says: The Hebrew
word means literally “from the east”. Note that many mountains further east of Mt
Ararat are taller and more likely to be the resting place of the ark. And, the
main point is not the direction from which they travelled; the main idea here
is that mankind in general is on the move (probably from where the ark rested)
until they find a land where they can settle down. They seem to have decided
that a plains area in the land of Shinar was suitable and so they settled
there; they became inhabitants of that land.
Shinar means "country of two
rivers" (Euphrates and Tigris) and was the ancient name for the territory
later known as Babylonia or Chaldea.
dwelt – dwelt;
remained; abode; settled; inhabited. It indicates a ceasing of their nomadic
life in order to settle in the one place for an extended period of time.
The land here, being next to the Euphrates
River and not far from the Tigris River must have been quite an oasis at that
time, fertile and well-watered.
Genesis
11:3 – And they said
one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn
them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and
slime had they for morter.
slime – chemar (slime;
pitch; asphalt; bitumen)
burn – burn and thoroughly
– sᵉrephah (burning) Thus “burn them to a
burning”, or “burn them for a burning”; the idea seems to be completely burned
right through, thus “throughly”. (Note similarity to seraphim)
There weren’t many stones or rocks in this
area, while clay and sand formed much of the soil. These weren’t just bricks
made of clay and left to dry in the sun (as mudbricks are still often made
today) but baked in fire, making them much more durable. Not only were they
baked hard, they were also put together with asphalt mortar which would have
literally glued them together. These buildings were not temporary in any way;
they were built to last for a long time. These people intended staying around
here permanently.
It is probable that these first buildings
may not have been the actual tower of Babel, yet it is also clear that with
such building materials they intended making a monument that would require the
strength of such materials. If these people were determined to stay here, then
building a community through more permanent housing would greatly assist.
Genesis
11:4 – 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.
top – ro’sh (head; top;
summit; beginning; height; chief; sum; total.
heaven – heaven; visible
heavens; sky; atmosphere; Heaven (the abode of God)
If we assume that they were building a city
to start with and then decided to add the tower in as part of it (which is
likely), then the tower must have had something to do with their community,
society, togetherness etc. Some suggest that the tower was to be a means of
escaping another deluge by being above the water level (and thus avoiding the
judgment of God if a flood occurred again). Barnes says: A tower whose top may be in the skies for escape from the
possibility of a periodical deluge. However, as this is a plains area, and clearly not a mountainous
region, it is difficult to see how the building of a tower could be better than
just living on a mountain that would be much taller than any tower they could
build. This interpretation is not likely!
However, there are probably 2 other possible reasons for
building such a tower. One is to provide a central focal point which would
announce to all that this was their community. This idea is still often used by
councils to make their areas stand out often by placing nonsensical sculptures
and paraphernalia along roadsides, or the building of a tall tower etc like the
obelisks scattered around the world. But if this is all of mankind there is,
then what purpose does it serve if there are no other groups elsewhere to take
note of it?
So the correct interpretation must have
something to do with God’s response to their tower-building. There has to be
some reason why God would confuse their languages and break up this community.
If they were being rebellious or opposing God’s will, then He may act to
prevent their actions. In fact, this appears to be exactly what God has done.
let us make a name – shem (name; reputation; fame;
memorial; monument; the Name (as designation of God) Note that Shem is Shem (the name of Noah’s son).
This has led some to believe that mankind
here was trying to set himself up in opposition to God, thus literally a
rebellion. This would require the tower to be some sort of statement, possibly
a monument, concerning the empowerment of man in defiance of God. This has to
assume that man has probably chosen himself as his own god, giving himself the
name of God rather than the God who created man. Thus
man is stating that he rules his life, his circumstances, independently of God.
In this there appears to be little difference with so much of the world today!
Man is taking control of his future (or so
he thinks). He will make a name for himself, not God. This brings to mind
satan’s reasons in Isaiah 14:12-15 where he desires to be the name in heaven –
I will; I will; I will; I will; I will! (5 times)
God might have won the first round before
the flood, but man (with satan pushing him) is determined to keep control of
the next round! He will not be scattered abroad across the face of the whole
earth; he will maintain his community in spite of what God might want. Man is
defiant. This is his city, and his tower will define who he is.
Some say that the tower is actually a centre
for worship, and this may well be so, for satan will be behind any effort of
man to assert his independence from God. However, there is no mention of any
form of worship being planned here; this has to be an assumption based upon the
logic which assumes that the tower was built to present a high place of
worship. The high places were preferred for worship of especially false gods,
and in a plains area this tower would have stood higher than anything else. It
is likely that this tower (or ziggurat) was planned to include some form of
worship including fire and sacrifices. But it seems man himself is the god of
worship here. He owns heaven, he is higher than God; making a name for himself
would be a clear statement that man is sufficient in himself without God.
Of course, while man might consider himself
to be self-sufficient without any God to guide him, it would still be satan and
his demons who would ultimately be behind this desire of man to rebel and take
control of his own destiny.
Genesis
11:5 – And the Lord
came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And God came down – but God didn’t really
have to come down to see what was happening! He knew what was happening before
it happened. But just as you cannot send a man to gaol for murder before he has
murdered anyone, God waits until man has demonstrated his rebellion before He
acts. He notes the tower and what it means in terms of man’s rebellion. He has
quite correctly assessed the problem and the solution before it occurred and here
is depicted as acting now that man’s rebellion is proven.
Genesis
11:6 – 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.
imagined – to have a
thought; devise; plan; consider; purpose
God has assessed that the root cause of
their rebellion is man’s desire to be united as one against God. Man is greatly
assisted by having the one language common to all. They have now begun to
seriously rebel, and if they continue they will be so
deep into that rebellion that they will have passed the point of no-return;
they will have crossed that line in the sand. They want to rebel so much that
they could go too far. And it is all because they are able to speak to each
other as one with the one language, one speech.
It’s a bit like a bush fire getting going.
If the wind is just right, and the fuel is plentiful, it still doesn’t mean
it’s out of control. But just let it build up enough heat and it will soon
begin to drive itself. It becomes literally unstoppable. The only way to beat
it is to reduce its ability to build that necessary heat: remove fuel, cool it
off with water, remove fuel (by backburning etc), and if there is more than one
front, try to stop them from joining up. In the case of Babel, breaking up the
people via language confusion was what was needed to reduce the intensity of
the rebellion. It’s like the law that some countries have that that limit the
number of people at public meetings, especially if they have no permit to hold
the public meeting. The idea is to reduce the intensity of the feeling by
limiting the number who may take part. In atomic terms it’s called critical
mass.
This tower may be a place of sacrifice and
worship of false gods, but it does seem primarily to be a place of gathering of
man for the purposes of uniting to devise plans for rebellion against God.
Genesis
11:7 – Go to, let us go
down, and there confound their language, that they may
not understand one another’s speech.
Except that God doesn’t make a rule that
limits the ability of man to meet together to plan such rebellion; He just
makes it hard if not impossible to understand each other by the simple process
of confounding their languages. If you can’t understand what the other person
is saying, how may you join with him in agreement?
Genesis
11:8 – So the Lord
scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left
off to build the city.
So by the simple
process of confounding their languages, they were forced to seek others of like
language in order to plan their rebellion. But that would probably lead to many
different plans for rebellion, such that the rabble-rouser leaders would fail
to get their plans off the ground. (And I’m certain that there would have been
no multi-lingual speakers here yet!) Those who had little desire to cause
trouble would go away and the trouble-makers would be left with few followers
to support them. In most societies it is the ones who make the most noise who
are often listened to. Minority groups today do not engender support because
they have rights so much as they get in people’s faces causing strife until the
more moderate ones of society often give in just to keep the peace. Non-calvinist
Christians often do this with calvinists; they agree to some compromise in
order to keep the peace, and the calvinists certainly work on this!
Genesis
11:9 – Therefore is the
name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of
all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face
of all the earth.
Babel of course in Hebrew means “confusion
(by mixing)” but the original meaning may well have been Gateway to God in the
original Assyrian language, remembering that it was here that the languages
were all mixed up. Clearly we are to understand that
the meaning of Babel here is “confusion”, because that’s what the situation
represented to whoever recorded these words in the Old Testament.
Confusing communications via the mixing up
of the languages certainly would slow down any serious planning between people
of different languages! They would literally be compelled to move away to an
area of like-speaking people so that they could build their communities without
confusion.
This does appear to be one of those
situations where satan has tried to take complete control of man’s destiny; as
satan tried to corrupt man’s genealogy before the flood, he now tried to take
control by getting all mankind under his influence. All it would have taken is
a few vocal strong-minded people rabble-rousing the rest such that all the
others may have been caught up with the group feeling and been pressured into
submission to the will of the stronger ones. Like people being swayed by
emotion and feeling to vote for corrupt politicians, they are voting for satan through
pressure from others to cast off God as their Protector. They would desire to
take control of their destiny, not realising that by doing so they are actually
serving the interests of satan who desires nothing less than mankind completely
subjugated to his will. Man thinks he is making a name for himself, but in
order to do so, he has to reject any idea that God has created man in His own
image and desires only good for all mankind. And, if all mankind can be brought
under satan’s control, then man may well go so far as to literally destroy
himself, which may then explain why the Bible says that now nothing will be restrained from
them, which they have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6) In other words, if this had
worked, then satan might not have had to destroy mankind; mankind would have
literally destroyed himself!
The church scene today is not much
different, either. Church leaders are all too often loud-mouthed rabble-rousers
who would prefer to mould man to their own requirements rather than teach
biblical truth. Churches today are filled with people who desire to emulate the
desirability of their leaders. What the leader does becomes the model for his
followers. The members merely become little clones of the supposedly successful
leaders; if God is blessing the leaders, then you may be likewise blessed by
being like the leaders! Follow the leader becomes the order of the day; they
are like blind men following their blind leaders, and all will fall into the
ditch together. And satan is overjoyed at man apparently taking such delight in
destroying himself.
Man is told today that he is in charge of
his own destiny. If you want to belong to a minority group, have minority
sexual preferences, or whatever, if it makes you happy and you feel fulfilled
because of it, then do it. Morality (according to God’s law) has gone out the
window; the only morality that matters now is that you have a right to be
happy. There is no thought of accountability to anyone anymore, especially to
God. If the Bible says that God created the universe, He therefore has
authority, and that denies man his rights and therefore God has to be denied. Thus evolution becomes the most scientific option available!
If the Bible has moral rules that restrict man’s enjoyment of life, then that
also denies man his rights and therefore God has no right to interfere. God is
thus progressively removed from having anything to do with life of man on
earth. Any mention of God brings cries of old-fashioned morality; we’ve matured
far beyond that now, haven’t we!
In order to fully deny God’s right to any
part of our lives, we have to establish ourselves as gods in our own right. We
have to take charge of our futures, our destinies. God must not be permitted to
interfere in any way, or if He does, then it must be minimal and should not get
in the way of our enjoyment of the world. Man exists in his own right and God
may be permitted to partake of our lives by the good pleasure of man himself
who is busy making a name for himself untainted by the claims of any creator
God. Man tried to take charge of his future at Babel and he’s still trying to do
it today. And we’re playing right into the hands of satan who wants nothing
more than to take total control of man, for by doing so he can rule the world,
something he’s always desired.
“Christian” groups use this methodology all
the time today. While they appear to give man the right to demand how he should
worship (via seeker-sensitive theology), they are really just getting people in
the door so they can then indoctrinate them according to their rules (and, most
importantly, take their money!). Churches all over the world are dictating to
man how he should live in order to get to heaven. Some use spiritual
manifestations, others promise health and wealth for obedience, and others
again make up rules of their own that must be obeyed in order to be acceptable.
None of these is acceptable if they overrule the requirements of the Bible. The
Bible states quite clearly and simply how we may obtain eternal life, but all
these other pathways avoid the truth and add other requirements instead. But
mankind is determined to do things his way; it is said that hell will be full
of people singing, “I did it my way!” We are so taken with being able to do it
our way that we would turn our backs on Christ, the only biblical way to the
Father.
But, say the calvinists, we are not
like that. We are biblical. We accept the Bible alone; sola scriptura is our
catch-cry! Yet they are no different from all the rest who are simply trying to
make a name for themselves as part of mankind. While the Bible says clearly
that we must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved, calvinists say that we
must belong to their unconditional election or else we have no option at
all of salvation. But how do they explain all those Christians who claim that
they are saved because they called upon the name of the Lord to be saved
(especially those who say they are not calvinists)? Well, calvinists cannot
accept that they might be wrong, so they then say that if we were to choose to
accept God’s gift of salvation, then that would be a work of our salvation and
therefore we couldn’t really be saved (despite this being what the Bible
actually requires man to do to be saved). They also say that their God is so
sovereign that no-one may have a will that can oppose him at any time. This,
they say, proves that man cannot have a free will in any matter of salvation.
Therefore, they say, man cannot choose to be saved. Therefore
their sovereign God must be the only one who decides the list of those going to
heaven.
Calvinism, along with all these other
non-biblical “Christian” beliefs, is therefore man’s teachings on what God
requires of man. No-one (except for the few who believe the Bible to be truly
God’s word) seems to care these days what God actually says He requires from
man. Rather than try to fit in with the requirements of God, man would rather
dictate to God what man should require of Him!
Matthew 15:9 – But in vain they do worship me,
teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.
The only true Christians are those who seek
God’s kingdom first and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). All those who seek
God to fit in with their ideas of what he should be like are really trying to change
God into something they can control, someone they can explain and manipulate.
But the God of the Bible is beyond the control of man; He is never to be
explained; He may never be manipulated. And one day in the judgment all mankind
will learn whether or not their “truth” about God was actually true!
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