So chapter 10, verse 32.
These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies in their nations,
and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
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.
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.
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 they may not understand one another's speech.
So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
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.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Please pray with me as we come to God's Word.
Lord God, you are the blessed.
God, help us to believe that, that in you is deep joy and fulfillment,
that you have this in yourself, and that you are the fountain of all blessing.
Father, I pray that our time in your Word would help us see you as you really are.
Lord, expose our sin, and I pray that because I know that when you do that, you only do it to bless us.
So please make us ready to see our own hearts.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Well, our passage today covers what's called the Table of Nations, chapter 10, genealogy.
And then we've got this little story about a city and a tower.
And the phrase, the whole earth, is repeated five times in that story.
So what I'm getting at is our passage today is about the whole earth is in view.
We've got all the families of the world in view.
And then from chapter 12, next week onwards, we're going to zoom.
The rest of the scripture, or Old Testament, zooms right in on one family.
Now, why should you and I care about this very ancient attempt to build a city and a tower?
I've seen a yawn already.
Like, why should we care?
I'm going to give you two reasons.
There's probably way more than this, but I can see two very big reasons.
Just consider its placement in Genesis, what we've seen so far.
So blessing.
Blessing and curse is what the theme of Genesis is about.
Blessing is about deep fulfillment in life.
That's what the word captures, deep fulfillment.
Who doesn't want that?
Now, how big a problem does humanity have in attaining deep fulfillment, blessing?
How big is our problem?
Imagine if our problem as humanity is so big that God has to wipe the slate clean
and start again with one righteous man, a totally new beginning.
Isn't that what we saw with Noah last week?
He wipes the slate completely clean.
It's a view of the problem we have that goes way beyond the solutions we hear all the time.
Education is going to help us find fulfillment.
If only the economy.
We controlled that.
Being more inclusive as a society.
We need more rules.
We need less rules.
We need more religious activity.
We need less.
We need global cooperation.
We need research.
We need technology.
But none of that even comes close.
If the flood really is true, you need to wipe the slate clean.
Those solutions, oh, they're not going to work.
But we can go a step further here with Babel.
How deep must our problem be if even after this total fresh start,
the human race goes right back to the same problem?
Sin and curse and death.
Human race just goes straight back to it.
Not even the flood fixed it.
The placement of Babel after the flood should make us desperate to hear what God's plan is to bless the world.
It should make us really question any human ideas of how to bless the world.
So that's the first reason we need to understand Babel.
I'm going to give you a second one.
Is if we understand the story arc of the whole of the Bible.
If someone asked you what's the Bible about,
one legitimate,
I think there's a few different angles you could answer that question from.
One legitimate theme you could trace is the story of two cities.
The city of man versus the city of God.
The name Babel here,
every other time in the Old Testament,
except for chapter 10 and 11,
ESV translates it Babylon.
What do we see in Revelation?
What comes just before that new heaven,
a new earth,
and the new Jerusalem coming down,
that garden city?
What happens just before then?
Chapter 18 of Revelation.
Babylon is finally destroyed.
But there's two responses to that.
Some people are weeping.
They are weeping because all their wealth,
all their hopes,
all their home is gone.
They're weeping.
But then the citizens of the heaven,
they're rejoicing.
When Jesus calls us to carry our cross,
he's saying,
we're to die to the world.
We're to let the world consider us nothing.
He's saying,
come to me.
Come outside the city.
Follow me.
Or Hebrews 11.
Who doesn't find Hebrews 11 encouraging?
Like this great cloud of witnesses of faith in God.
That chapter is saying,
what's faith about?
All these people from Abraham,
or early in Abraham,
Abel onwards,
they had opportunity to find their home here
in the city of man,
to find prosperity and security here.
But they didn't.
They wanted a better city.
The whole Bible,
faith in Jesus,
is about coming out of the city of man,
putting your hope in the city of God.
So there's a second reason
we really need to understand Babel.
Not even the flood.
It shows us how desperate our condition is.
And the whole point of the Bible
is to show us the city of man
versus the city of God.
Okay.
So let's,
hopefully that's enough.
If that's not enough,
I'm not sure what else I can say
to encourage you to come with me
into chapter 10 and 11.
What's chapter 10,
the table of nations, about?
I'm going to suggest
three primary things we see here.
The first thing is,
don't miss,
like we didn't read it,
but if you were to skim it
or read it in,
we read it in a small group,
don't miss the forest
through the trees,
or for the trees.
Families is repeated here.
All the tribes,
all the languages,
all the nations,
lots and lots of families,
but they all have their origins
in three sons of Noah.
So remember the big picture.
Chapter 10 is saying
the whole world is one family.
Now that's a radical claim.
It means if you have prejudice
against another ethnicity,
if you have pride in your own culture,
listen to chapter 10.
Do you see humanity
as one family?
Because there's been many regimes
through history as we know
who treat one people group
as subhuman.
And the Tower of Babel
chronologically comes
before chapter 10.
Babel explains the diversity.
I think the purpose of that,
you're going to have to,
someone tell me another answer,
but the answer I can come up with,
why would Moses arrange it like that?
I think it's so that
when we get to Babel,
the mindset we see at Babel
is the whole world.
The whole world has this mindset.
It's going to look very different
in each culture,
but it's the same
fundamental issue.
So we see one family
with one mindset at Babel.
We see this family
in chapter 10
is hopelessly
divided.
Have you tried to speak to someone
where you just,
you have,
you can't speak their language,
they can't speak yours.
it's really hard
to relate, isn't it?
Even if you want to,
it is so hard
to relate.
Body language,
cultural assumptions,
you can cause offence
and not mean to.
Like, it's so hard
to be unified.
And we're afraid.
Someone different to us,
we're afraid.
And the nations
described here,
they go to war
against each other.
The picture we get
in chapter 10
is humanity
is deeply
divided.
So Babel
explains why
that is the case
today.
The third thing
we see in chapter 10,
so one family
hopelessly divided.
The third thing
we see
is
Genesis is tracing
blessing
and curse.
So Noah's blessing
and curse
of his three sons
in chapter 9
who do we see
are the families
of Ham.
It's not good news.
Canaan,
which become
the promised land
of Israel.
And we get,
we focus in
on one individual
which should make
us sit up.
We're in a genealogy
here.
The focus is on
nations and people
groups and then
this one individual
was focused
on Nimrod.
God.
Now my small group
have bribed me
with chocolate
to say he's
Alpha Chad.
I have no idea
what I just said.
I'm hoping
it's appropriate
that
I'm pretty sure
I know what it means.
It means he's
the Alpha.
He's the Alpha
male.
He's the Alpha
male.
He's a mighty
hunter
before the Lord.
Mighty
is repeated.
He's mighty.
Now in context
it's probably
more likely
saying he's
mighty
facing
the Lord.
He is in
opposition
to the Lord.
His rule
seems to be
might
equals
right.
Power
is what
matters.
Power
will bring
blessing.
Power
sets the
agenda.
Power
sets the
values
in society.
This is
Nimrod.
He creates
the first
kingdom
at Babel.
Babylon.
He builds
Nineveh
if we
know
Old
Testaments
this is
not
sounding
good.
Egypt
the
Philistines
comes
from Nimrod.
A warning
is here.
The
prosperity,
the power,
the greatness
they're coming
from Nimrod
for all
their strength.
Don't be
lured to it
because they're
under God's
curse.
blessing.
So we
trace curse
and we
also trace
blessing.
If blessing
is going to
come to
the world,
it's got to
come through
God's
chosen
family.
Not because
of any
good in
them,
but because
he chooses
them.
So we
follow
Shem.
we come
to
Eber,
which
apparently
is where
Hebrew
comes
from.
The name
of
Hebrews,
Eber,
Hebrews,
and Peleg.
It's in
his day
that the
Babel
separation
happened.
This is
the line
of promise.
This is
where
blessing is
going to
come from.
So we've
got one
family
in chapter
10,
but hopelessly
divided
and in
conflict.
And we've
got Nimrod's
rebellion.
Don't be
fooled by it.
Yes,
there's power.
Yes,
there's
blessing,
not blessing,
but yes,
there's
prosperity in
Nimrod's
kingdom,
but it's
under curse.
All right,
let's go to
the Tower of
Babel.
what's
the big
deal?
What's
the big
deal about
building a
tower?
Like,
Cain
murdering
his brother.
Okay,
that's
clearly
immoral.
Lamech
murdering
a youth.
Okay,
that's
pretty awful.
Mankind
before the
flood is
full of
violence.
We see
the
immorality.
But here
we've got a
story about
new technology,
bricks and
a new
kind of
mortar.
We see
human
cooperation,
unity,
to do
something
great
together.
We see
the desire
to remain
together,
socially
stronger,
an identity
together.
We see
even a
desire to
connect to
the heavens.
What's
wrong with
any of
these things?
I think
it's a
really clever
story.
I was
really worried
about preaching
this because
I'm just
like,
I can't
see what's
wrong at
first.
I think
it's like
Jesus'
parables.
They seem
so innocent,
but you
reflect on
it for a
bit more,
it gets
under your
skin.
It
subverts any
assumptions you
have about
what sin
is.
If we
see the
depths of
sin at
Babel,
I think
we'll see
it everywhere.
We'll see
it in every
culture,
we'll see
it in our
own society,
you'll start
to see it
in your
own heart
motives,
you'll see
it even
sadly in
the church,
you'll see
it, dare
I say,
in evangelical
reformed
churches
sometimes.
You'll see
it, if we
see it at
Babel.
So they're
afraid,
they're afraid
of being
nobody
important,
they're going
to be
socially
weak,
spread out,
and so
they decide
let's
congregate,
this is a
congregation.
The commentator
used that
term, I
thought that
was great,
this is a
congregation,
but it's a
congregation,
I can't even
say the
word,
in rebellion
of God's
plan.
God
blessed
Noah,
9 verse
1,
God blessed
Noah and
his sons and
said to
them,
be fruitful
and multiply
and fill
the earth.
And led
by Nimrod,
no,
we're going
to stay
here.
Let's
stick
together.
God's
goal at
creation of
filling the
earth with
his people
to glorify
him,
it's
unchanged,
but this
group
don't want
that.
They want
to stay
a homogenous
group.
God wants
diversity.
And their
goal is to
make a name
for themselves.
God is
going to
graciously
bless
Shem.
Babylon
will make
a Shem
and bless
myself,
ourselves.
I want to
know I'm
valuable.
I want to
know I'm
worthwhile.
I'm not this
nameless cog in
the wheel,
a number.
I'm distinct.
I've got a
purpose.
We are
somebody.
The city
of man,
this city
is proud.
It's
thinking that
by what
they can
do,
they can
give their
own purpose,
value,
lasting
significance.
Let us
make.
They think
they can
do it.
Their goal
is for
their
identity,
their
importance.
It's
pride.
But doesn't
that pride
show us
how insecure
they are?
They don't
know who
they are.
They need
to make
a name.
They need
to find
their importance,
create their
importance.
It actually
shows how
insecure they
are.
They're
afraid.
So that
pride
actually
shows
a really
deep
insecurity.
beauty.
Now, I
think in
another
culture,
this is
going to
look
different
to us
here,
what it
looks like,
what might
look like
today.
I'm going
to give a
few
suggestions.
In
another
culture,
it probably
matters
more whose
family you
belong to.
Are you
bringing
honour to
that family
or shame?
it's
going to
look
different
in
different
cultures.
I
think
others
pin
their
identity
and
their
value
in
patriotism,
nationalism.
I'm not
quite sure
that's our
problem here
in Australia.
We're too
individualistic,
aren't we?
In the
West here,
we're about
individual
achievement,
aren't we?
we want
our name
high up
on that
research
paper
that's
being
published,
even if
you did
very little
work.
From what
I hear
in uni
research
land,
it's
pretty
ruthless.
People
give,
everyone
and I
go into,
I like
the Australian
orchestra,
I can't
even remember
the name
of it,
but
you get
this list
of people,
patrons,
people give
enormous amounts
of money,
I think,
just to have
their name
there.
Obviously,
they must
love the
orchestra to
some degree,
but people
are willing
to give
amazing amounts
of money
for their
name,
or to be
on a
building or
something.
We want
to know
that lots
of people
socially care
about us,
that they're
relying on
us,
that they
think we're
wonderful.
We need
our children
to make
us look
like a
great mum
and dad,
that I'm
as good
as Bandit
and Bluey.
I need
my kids
to make
my name
great,
to behave
well.
We can
be ruthless
climbing the
corporate ladder,
we can offer
our sacrifices
at Bunnings,
all envying
each other's
homes.
Why do we
need bigger
and more
pretty homes?
Why?
I suspect
it's for the
image we
present,
right?
The cars
we drive.
I need
that church's
soccer,
second division,
little tower
of Babel.
And I
will yell
at the ref
and push
and shove
to get
it.
My biggest
problem every
week preaching
is what you
will think
of me,
this tower
of Babel
is what
if we
work hard
enough,
earn enough,
achieve enough,
we can bless
ourselves.
It's proud,
it's all
focused on
self and
it betrays
how insecure
we are.
It's
godless,
it's not
about God.
So many
centuries
later,
in
Nebuchadnezzar's
Babylonian
Empire,
in the
middle of
all the
important
cities,
there was
apparently
towers that
were called
ziggurats,
I'm not
sure if I'm
saying that
right,
but all
the commentators
are talking
about it,
seven
stories,
90 metres
high,
it's
meant to
look like
a man-made
mountain.
And at
the top
level,
so it's
kind of
this
stepped
in,
you go
higher and
higher,
at the
top is
clad in
silver,
and that's
where the
worship
happens.
That's
where you
worship
the gods.
And
what's the
point of
that?
It's a
gateway to
heaven.
We're
creating
a gateway
to heaven.
Now
why?
It
sounds
okay,
let's
connect
with the
gods,
right?
But the
point is
we're
coming
halfway
through our
sacrifices,
we're going
to bring
the gods
down and
guarantee
blessing.
It's
through their
achievement,
their
sacrifice,
we can
create this
gateway of
heaven and
guarantee
blessing,
that the
gods will
bless us.
In other
words,
it's an
attempt to
control
your world.
it's an
attempt to
control
God.
So the
Tower of
Babel can
look,
it looks
religious,
it is
religious.
Our
prayers,
our giving
of money,
our service,
our Bible
knowledge,
it can
be just
to make
your name
great,
or it
could be
using God
to get
some other
blessing
rather than
God
himself.
It's
trying to
control
God.
It looks
very
religious,
but it's
false
religion,
not true
religion.
See,
the Tower
of Babel,
it helps
us see the
depths of
sin,
what sin
is.
It's not
only behaviour,
immorality,
it's just the
visible fruit.
Sin is,
it's more
than being
selfish.
I don't
like that
definition of
sin,
because we
ought to
seek blessing.
Seeking
blessing in
God is
the most
selfish thing
you can
do.
I don't
like selfish
as a
definition of
sin.
That's my
little hobby
horse there.
Sin here
is pride.
It's not
just boasting,
sin.
Pride is
a focus
on self.
It's
reliance on
self to
glorify
self.
And the
flip side of
pride is
ungodliness.
It's got
nothing to do
with God,
or at least
you're just
using God.
Sin is
pride.
Sin is
godlessness.
sin is
sin.
Another way
to put it
is Babel
is man's
attempt to
build our
own Eden.
It's we
want the
kingdom
blessings,
we just
don't want
the king.
Now in
light of
Genesis
chapter 1,
what we've
seen,
it's in
our creator
that we
live and
move and
have our
being.
Acts 17
talks about
it.
We owe
our
allegiance to
him.
And Babel
says,
no,
you can be
self-dependent.
Let us
make.
In light of
Genesis 2,
what did we
see there?
The best
thing about
Eden,
what was it?
The best
blessing was
that God
was there,
intimately
involved.
He wants
his home
with us.
Him
providing
everything,
us depending
on him,
and glorifying
his character.
That's the
best thing
about Eden,
is he is
there.
But Babel
says,
no, I'm
going to
seek my
glory.
I can
create
fulfillment,
deep
fulfillment,
without
God.
God
Babel
is the
repeat
of Adam
and Eve.
It shows
us that we're
still believing
Satan's lie.
The whole
world is
believing
Satan's
lie,
that God
is not
good,
that to
glorify his
name is
not the
life of
deep
fulfillment.
it's
a lie.
We think
God doesn't
want to
bless us.
He does.
He is
totally
committed
to
blessing.
So I
think we've
got to
ask,
is God
threatened?
They've got
this tower.
Is God
threatened?
Because it
sounds like
he is.
It sounds
like God's
the one
who's
insecure.
Anything
man can
do will
be
possible.
Is he
threatened?
He's
not.
He has
to come
down to
even see
this tower.
You go
up in a
plane,
you don't
have to
go too
high.
It's
the tallest
buildings or
whatever,
the biggest
landmarks,
they become
a dot.
I have to
come down
to see
this thing.
You build
a kingdom
on earth,
God's got
to come
down to
find it.
He's
not
threatened.
Our
little
towers of
Babel,
they don't
reach heaven.
They don't
control him.
He's got
to come
down and
see it.
He remains
God.
And he
confuses
the world.
He strikes
at the
godless
unity.
Now,
this
confusion,
maybe it
was
gradual.
I'm not
sure.
It might
have been
just slowly
not understanding
each other
and separating,
which eventually
turned into
different languages.
Or maybe it
was immediate.
Maybe it was a
divine just
immediately
babbling,
not making
sense.
But he
scatters.
If you
hear the
term
scatters in
the Bible,
it's a
picture of
judgment.
And why
does he do
it?
It's not
because he's
threatened.
He's not
threatened.
Like,
read Psalm
2.
The nations
rage and
plot against.
He's on
his throne.
He's not
threatened.
I think
we see
here that
he strikes
at the
godless
unity
to prevent
worse
judgment,
to keep
his promise
not to
flood the
world again.
He's
prolonging
his
judgment
because he
knows if
working
together,
this pride
left unchecked
would provoke
him to
wrath.
I think
we also
see that
he strikes
at this
because you
are not
staying
here.
I'm going
to bless
the whole
earth.
And he's
determined to
keep his
plan to
spread.
And so
he forces
it.
I think
of Acts
17 where
Paul says
to the
Athenians
that God
has put
people in
their
different
places,
in their
different
countries at
certain
times.
God's
love.
And the
purpose, he
says, is it
so that they
might find God.
He's not far.
He's actually
got good
purposes in
this.
But we
also see at
the Tower of
Babel that
there's no
grace, there's
no token of
grace here.
There's no
message of
hope here.
You don't
have the
clothing of
Adam and
Eve after
their sin.
You don't
have the
mark of
Cain to
preserve him.
There's no
message of
grace here.
There's no
rainbow.
So I
think it's
a loud
message to
us that
man's
attempt to
control our
world, to
bless ourselves,
is under
curse.
It's not
possible.
It's to
find deep
fulfilment in
your own
efforts.
Our
world is
under
curse.
It
prepares us
for where
salvation is
going to
come from.
It's not
from us.
If it's
going to
come, it's
got to be
from God.
And it
prepares us
for him to
make a new
family, a
family that
he creates
through
Abraham.
Salvation
is from
the Jews.
He creates
a new
family.
But we
read the
Old Testament,
Israel too
became proud
false
worship,
rebellious,
and they
too are
scattered in
exile.
The answer
finally comes
in God
coming down
again in
John chapter
12.
Let me flick
over there.
John chapter
12.
John
John's
gospel, this
is the
first time
that Greeks,
so non-Jews
come.
They want
to meet
Jesus.
And when
these Greeks
come,
Jesus'
response is,
now the
hour has
come for
the Son of
Man to
be glorified.
This is the
time of the
cross.
It's the
nations
coming to
meet Jesus
that Jesus
knows his
cross is
imminent.
And listen
to what he
prays.
He says,
now is my
soul troubled.
And what
shall I say?
Father, save
me from
this hour.
But for
this purpose,
I have
come to
this hour.
Father,
glorify your
name.
At the
cross, he
is the
one man,
one human
being who
ever lived
to glorify
the Father.
He's the
only secure
person.
He is
willing to
lose the
whole world
to glorify
the Father.
He is
deeply
fulfilled in
the promises
of God.
And he
takes the
curse that
we should
receive for
our little
towers of
Babel.
I think
another theme
we see in
this passage
is all
those little
attempts to
climb up
to God.
He has
to be
lifted up.
on the
cross.
Or as
Hebrews talks
about,
he dies
outside the
city.
And he
says the
purpose of
his death
will draw
all people
to myself.
He's going
to gather.
He's going
to reverse
Babel.
to be
able to
see in
Acts chapter
2.
The new
community
filled with
God, the
Holy Spirit
coming down to
fill us
because we
trust in
Jesus.
What do we
see there?
Lots of
people see it as
a reversal.
All these
nations listed,
it's the next
genealogy of the
table of
nations.
And what
happens?
We can
understand each
other.
But what are
we hearing?
We're hearing
them praising
the works
of God,
not the
works of
what you've
done,
what Jesus
has done.
I want to
quote Tim
Keller.
I'm pretty
sure I've
quoted this
before,
but it's
a good
quote.
The
fulfillment
we've been
looking for
in work,
in building
skyscrapers,
in having
wonderful
spouses,
in having
lots of
children,
in making
money.
The blessing
we've been
looking for
is actually
in the face
of God.
It's
knowing
that Jesus
shares his
name with
me.
I'm already
named.
What have
I got to
prove?
He's given
me that
name.
We've got
purpose in
serving him.
All we
do for
him has
everlasting
fruit.
Wow.
And so
that frees
us.
Anything
we're doing,
whether it's
parenting or
business,
it frees
us to
serve.
We're not
trying to
build a
tower.
We're
trying to
put the
focus on
Jesus and
truly serve
the people
serving.
So can
I finish
with two
questions for
us to
reflect on?
What little
towers, and
they are
little towers,
what little
towers is
God telling
you to
let go
of?
What
will you
do?
In which
city do
you believe
will give
you deep
fulfilment?
The city of
man, what
we can do, or
the city of
God, what
Jesus has
done?
Jesus is
saying, come
to me, come
outside the
city.
Will you
pray?
Let's
pray.
Amen.
Lord, your
promise of
a new
heavens and
a new
earth, that
new Jerusalem
with your
name written
on our
foreheads,
access to
the tree of
life, a
healing for
the nations,
all the
nations bringing
their glory in
to that new
Jerusalem.
We'll have no
more need of
temple because
you were there
Lord, that
you promise
that to us,
that you
guarantee it
because of
what Jesus
has done.
Help us to
long for that
day when we
will be there
so that we
will be salt
and light
here and
now.
Pray this
for your
glory and
the salvation
of many and
our deep
fulfilment in
you.
In his
name, amen.
to
a
At
moment, when the
-
.