18 Dec. 2011 - Genesis 11:1-9

First off, a heads up: there will most likely be no post tomorrow due to me flying home (I'll be in the air through most of the day).

Genesis 11:1-9
"The Tower of Babylon"

To start off, this passage reads like an old storyteller telling a story at the fire to the young ones gathered all around him. That being said, the majority of such stories told from time immemorial served a purpose other than an entertaining tale.

So, what is the storyteller, God, trying to tell us?

Firstly, let's look at the intents of the building efforts (v. 3-4):

• To reach the heavens (thereby reaching God/becoming a god).
• To make a name for themselves.
• To avoid becoming scattered.

The builders were engaging in a plethora of activities which God describes multiple times as displeasing or disgusting to Him. In these reasons, I can see two main sins - pride and idolatry (the idolatry being the worship of the tower/concept/builders as mentioned by John Gill).

Secondly, in verses 5--7, God looks at the people He'd made and comments on how the workers continued working in such a concerted fashion over long periods of time. The simplified gist I get from these verses is, "If they can do all of this already, Imagine what they'd end up doing if this  continued."

Lastly, As a punishment, God, ironically, scattered the people by muddling their languages so they couldn't follow each other. (v. 7-9)

So, contrary to popular opinion, this passage is about more than some plastic Jesus standing in front of a church or God being a vibekiller. It's about God protecting us from further and worse sin and punishing it in a manner other than the flood he promised never to send again.