I've been following a chronologically ordered Bible study by Skip Andrews. The last post was about the descendancy of Noah, those who populated the earth after the flood. In reality, I'm not sure that should have been chronologically placed before this chapter of Genesis because it spoke of families in their own countries and after their own languages. The separation of families by languages had to have happened after the confusion of the languages at the time of the tower of Babel which begins in Genesis 11. In defense of the order chosen by Mr. Andrews, a genealogy or descendancy list is hard to place chronologically because it begins at one time and ends in quite another.
(Genesis 11:1) And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. (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. (3) And they said one to another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and they had slime for mortar. (4) And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make us a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the face of the whole earth."
But being scattered abroad is exactly what the Lord had instructed them to do! There are varied ideas on what the men were trying to do with their city and their tower. Were they trying to be as gods with a tower to heaven? They were obviously trying to make a name for themselves. Was it in defiance to God? Or was it to be a protection for them, united as they were and all in one fortified city with a tower to heaven? God had told them he would never again destroy them by flood. God had also told them to go forth and populate the whole earth.
(5) And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men built. (6) And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing that they have imagined to do will be withheld from them."
Nothing earthly, that is. They were in one accord to work together to do something that was against God's will, and nothing on earth was going to stop them.
(7) "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." (8) So the LORD scattered them abroad from there on the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
God scattered them all over the earth Himself and then they would populate the whole earth as was His will. It was actually a merciful act, as I will point out later.
(9) Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad on the face of all the earth.
Interestingly, men are still trying to build the tower of Babel today. The EU building was modeled after the tower of Babel. Purposely! The world is going toward a one-world order which can never work to bring peace as being touted, because it calls for compromise of one's core beliefs. How can Muslims who believe the infidels must convert or die live in a one-world system of religion and laws with Christians who believe Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation? One of them must compromise, and it always seems to be the Christian who is asked to do so. God did not compromise. Jesus did not compromise. There is only one truth, only one plan of salvation, and to say there are many paths to God is to deny Jesus Christ! From the beginning and throughout the Bible, God has called His people to be a separate people from the world and its worldly values. The god of this world is Satan and if we conform to a one-world system, it will be Satan's system. That is a fact that cannot be denied; God has told us that in His Word. In His mercy, God prevented men's attempt to make a one-world city and tower in Babel, and scattered His people. Amazingly, people in modern times believe that the model that God rejected back then is the thing to do now, even though Bible prophecy clearly tells us it will only lead to the anti-Christ. It amazes me that people either just don't believe God and His Word or they reject it, almost shaking their fists in defiance, it appears.
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