Tower of Babel

[Guest]

Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 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.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

Why did God act in this situation? What was God concerned about?
Is unity without God a bad thing?
How is unity even possible without God?

Thoughts?

[Guest]

Anyone?

[Guest]

Why did God act in this situation?
Because He loves people and they were about to go down a road that would have led to their destruction. That'd be my best guess.

What was God concerned about?
That mankind was about to go down a road that would lead to their destruction.

Is unity without God a bad thing?
Yes, very much so.

How is unity even possible without God?
Anytime you have 2 people agree to do a bad thing that is unity apart from God. The more people you add, the worse it gets.

I realize I'm not saying much, but I have no other thoughts on the subject. Maybe this will provoke someone else to add their 2 cents.

God bless,
matthew

[Guest]

Why did God act in this situation? What was God concerned about?
Is unity without God a bad thing?
How is unity even possible without God?

Thoughts?

I would focus on these lines:

Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 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.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

It seems that this is in rebellion against the command of God: Gen 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth..."

It also says they wanted to make a name for themselves instead of bringing God glory.

Just some thoughts.

[Guest]

I've been instructed in the past that the tower of Babel was to be used in the practice of astrology. Where the basis for this belief is I have no idea. It may or may not be true. But if it is, it would reflect the sliding of humanity away from the true God and towards who knows what kind of satanic practices would then follow. Maybe God was trying to stop mankind from drifting in this direction.

[Guest]

I once heard someone say something like the following:

The Tower of Babel was a physical man-made structure constructed of sun-baked bricks, each one identical.

But as for the Church of Christ:

1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In man's system, people should be all alike, identical, part of the system. They should be equal, and treated all alike. Individualism is to be discouraged. The people are "the masses", each expected to contribute to the system or get punished. No one should attempt to rise above anyone else, or show himself to be different, or special. The individual is dispensable, and no deviation from the norm is permitted. It is "the people" as a whole, the system, for which every individual should live --- and die.

In Christ's church, the living stones are not identical. Each one is unique. Yet there is a place in the building in which each stone fits exactly. The individual is very important. Christ died for each individual. Yet together as living stones, built together into the spiritual house, all have a common aim, to serve of Christ, and each other.

AFTER the tower of Babel was contructed, God confused their language so that the one universal language was divided into many. People couldn't understand one another.

On that special day of Pentecost, BEFORE, or DURING the time the Church of Christ came into being, by the power of the Spirit, the disciples spoke in other languages. Many persons present from many different language groups heard them in their own language. Each of these people understood what was spoken.

[Guest]

Just pondering here...

While reading this passage the other day, something struck me I haven't ever heard before. The way it's worded, is it possible that the tower wasn't meant to reach the heavens so much, but instead an attempt to concentrate and urbanize the people for secular control ?

If so, then perhaps God's reaction might reflect His attitudes about concentrated living and our modern urbanization and our reliance on the efficiencies of secular governments -- we don't have the sort of community life that Christians would be required to have in a more rural lifestyle, and the Lord does seem to want us to disperse and fill the land.

Any thoughts on this one?