Broadcast
The Tower of Babel - Part 3
Genesis 11:5-7
05/22/2024
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.'' (ESV)
The descendants of Noah were instructed by God to leave the
site where the ark had landed, to travel, and to fill the earth.
Instead, they traveled eastward until reaching the plains in
modern day Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. There
they decided to build a large city with a tower in defiance of
God's desire that they go and care for all the earth. The ruins
of this city, later called Babylon, are still evident in the
desert.
God had other plans.
And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower,
which the children of man had built. 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. Come, let us go down and
there confuse their language, so that they may not
understand one another's speech.''
Just a century earlier, in response to rampant sin, God had
destroyed all but eight people by causing a world-wide flood.
Later He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone
for their great sins. Yet, in love and mercy, God determined not
to destroy those who rejected Him, but to cause circumstances so
that His will would be done.
Our Lord showed the same compassion three millenia later
when He sent His Son to bear the sins of the world rather than
destroying all who opposed Him. He does not desire the death of
the wicked, but that they repent of their sinful ways and return
to Him.
May our Lord grant us the grace to see His love, to receive
His mercy, and to set aside our selfish desires so to do His
will. Amen.