In the Beginning…

#4.   The City & Tower of Babel;

Man’s Attempt at Immortality.

“Come, let us build ourselves a city,

 with a tower that reaches to the heavens,

 so that we may make a name for ourselves…”

Genesis 11:4

   The Tower of Babel- when God confused the languages and stymied the attempt to replace Him with a man-made substitute. Is that really what the account is about? This morning, let’s look a little deeper, and see God’s amazing grace at work, protecting us from ourselves!

• The Plan & Purpose of God…

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them,

“Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth…

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number;

multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”

Genesis 9:1, 7

• The Flood still fresh in their memories, most of the “re-booted” human race was following God’s instruction.

These are the clans of Noah’s sons,

 according to their lines of descent, within their nations.

From these the nations spread out over the earth after the Flood.

Genesis 10:32

• But a significant number of people _DISOBEYED_.

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.

The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh,

 in Shinar (Iraq).

Genesis 10:8, 10

• The Rebellion & Presumption  (_SIN_NATURE_)  of Men…

As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar (Iraq) and settled there.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city,

 with a tower that reaches to the heavens,

 so that we may make a name for ourselves

 and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:2, 4

• When God said “Go, fill the earth,” they _STAYED_PUT_.

• When God said “Depend on Me for your livelihood,” they _RELIED_ON_THEIR_OWN_INGENUITY_.

• When God said, “Call on My Name in worship,” they  _BUILT_A_TEMPLE_FOR_THEIR_OWN_GLORY_.

• The Loving & Restraining Grace of God…

“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this,

 then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

Come, let us go down and confuse their language

 so they will not understand each other.”

So the Lord scattered them from there all over the earth,

 and they stopped building the city.

Genesis 11:6-8

• God was not “afraid of the competition”…

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower

 that the men were building.

Genesis 11:5

• He was concerned about the effects of unchecked  _SIN_.

• unrestrained in pursuit of _A_SINGLE_GOAL_.

• unlimited  _CREATIVITY_&_IMAGINATION_ .

• unconcerned with _THE_WILL_OF_GOD_.

• He (then, and for now) puts the brakes on us before we _GET_WHAT_WE_THINK_WE_WANT_.

From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the earth.

Genesis 11:9

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work;

 but the One (Holy Spirit) who holds it back will continue to do so

 till He is taken out of the way.

2^nd Thessalonians 2:7

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