Genesis 10:9 Introducing Nimrod
Here we are introduced to a person named Nimrod, which means “mighty hunter”. This expression means “a hunter of men,” a warrior. And, being a fierce warrior, he became the very first empire builder, and world tyrant. And, that first empire was Babel…… the most ancient Babylon, not the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar which came many centuries later.
The spelling of Bav-el ends in “EL” indicates the word “God,” the highest god, actually. Originally, Bav-el meant the city of God. Eventually, its meaning changed to reflect what happened there; and the word Bavel came to mean confusion.
Genesis Chapter 11: The Tower of Babel
Are you all familiar with Stonehenge, that prehistoric structure in England? It consists of a ring of standing stones, each around 13 feet high, seven feet wide, and weighing around 25 tons. Stonehenge was produced by a culture that left no written records, so we must try to figure out how they built it and why. And no, it wasn’t built by ancient astronauts from another planet. Stonehenge sounds mysterious, like the Tower of Babel. What exactly was this tower? Why was it built? What happened to it?
After the Flood, God commanded humanity to "increase in number and fill the earth"
(Gen. 9:1). Humanity decided to increase in number, but to stay pretty much where they were.
Gen. 11:4, “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’”. They didn’t want to relocate, and they wanted something to glorify themselves.
Perhaps it’s human nature to want to remain where you are comfortable and to build something to impress others. In Matt. 28:19, Jesus told the disciples, “GO into all the world . . . preach the Gospel . . . make disciples (students) baptize and teach.” Rather than going, some churches focus on staying and building.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said in
Acts 1:8 “But you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I imagine there were some in the group who thought to themselves, “I hope I don’t have to go far away. I don’t like strange people or the foods they eat. I want to stay here where I am comfortable.” So, to help some in the early church to “go” God didn’t confuse their languages, but he did allow for persecution to assist them in moving out of their comfort zone to spread the Gospel.
Let’s get back to the Tower of Babel. Why did the people of old build the tower? There are several theories. One is that they built it to protect themselves from another flood. That makes some sense. But how many people could fit in or on this structure? Perhaps it was FOR MEMBERS ONLY, like an exclusive country club. Other scholars believe that it was a temple for worshipping on or in. Whatever it was, it wasn’t what God wanted them to occupy themselves with.
Who led the people to build this tower? His name was Nimrod, great grandson of Noah. How can we go from Noah, who found favor in the eyes of the LORD
(Gen. 6:8), to Nimrod in just a few generations? Well, it was Noah who found favor in the eyes of the Lord, not necessarily his family members. Perhaps his family members were saved only because of the righteousness of Noah. Later in our study we will find a righteous king whose son and successor was one of the most wicked kings.
We have theories as to who built it and why. But why did God scatter the people? Why didn’t he just knock the structure down?
Perhaps, as one scholar suggested, the confusing of the languages may have been the means to protect the people from falling under the control of one tyrant ruling the entire world. We think this might happen someday during the Great Tribulation where a one world government is ruled by on tyrant, and everyone had to learn one language.
Can there be another reason why God wanted to scatter the people? Have you ever watched a mob during a riot? You might see rioters breaking the front windows of businesses downtown, turning over cars, setting fires, etc. People tend to do some things in a crowd that they would never do alone. It is easier to be anonymous in a crowd. A crowd can encourage you to act against your better nature. Perhaps in a densely populated area there might be more sin, more crime. Are we more inclined to sin if we are in a city where there are more people who are strangers to us than if we are in a more rural area where everyone knows everyone else? Are any of you sociologists? Can you tell me if crime increases with population density?
So, what happened to the tower? Is it a tourist sight like Stonehenge? Can we go there on buses like tourists do to visit the Pyramids? Sorry, it’s gone. There is no mention in the Bible of its destruction. One source suggests that God overturned the tower with a great wind. If so, I guess they didn’t have very strict building codes back them. Or, the general contractor was as corrupt as some of the leaders.