We’ve been learning throughout Genesis that humans have an unlimited capacity to sin, but God has an unlimited capacity to forgive sin. That’s what He does after the flood. In Genesis 9:1, we read, “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” The narrative shifts to the record of just that: Noah’s descendents, starting with his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Moses tells us, “As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there” (Genesis 11:2 NIV). This was a kingdom ruled by Nimrod, the son of Cush, who was one of the sons of Ham. Nimrod was a mighty warrior, and he is the first king we are introduced to in the Old Testament.
“The whole world had one language and a common speech” (Genesis 11:1 NIV). There on the plain of Shinar, they decided, “let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4 NIV). This was the Tower of Babel. God had told Noah and his sons to “fill the earth,” but instead they were moving together.
This story is a bridge to the rest of Scripture, setting the stage for what’s coming next. You’ve probably heard it before, but there’s a good chance you’ve been told this story slightly wrong. What’s generally taught is that the Tower of Babel was something along the lines of an ancient skyscraper, built by arrogant people who wanted to elevate themselves to God’s level. That version of the story is a little too simplistic.
Instead of a skyscraper, the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat, which was a structure that was meant to represent a sacred mountain. Ziggurats were sacred spaces, like a temple. Ziggurats were about making a space for the gods to make their way to you. The Garden of Eden was the only sacred space so far in the narrative, and it had been lost to humanity after sin was introduced to the world.
So what we see in Genesis 11 is the creation of a new religion, with a new set of deities. The people were moving further away from the one true God. The pantheon of gods they set up needed humanity as much as humanity needed them. The people on the plain of Shinar set themselves up as the center of the religion. If you’ve lived long enough, you know that some of the worst decisions you’ve ever made in your life is when you’ve placed yourself at the center of everything.
God brought His judgement down on them again. He confused their languages and scattered them all over the earth. The city project was abandoned. People couldn’t combine their wicked imaginations and wicked ambition to the same extent as before – in that way, the judgement of God was also the grace of God.
The Tower of Babel may not seem like part of the Christmas story at first glance, but God’s plan to reunite with us even goes as far back as that. God used that situation to bring about something good; what people mean for evil,God can always use for good. The scattered nations no longer followed Him, but out of all those people, He chose one man. From that one man, He would create a nation, and within that nation he would raise up His Son. That Son, Jesus, is our Savior.
