The Tower of Babel
[This chapter is based on Genesis 9:25-27; 11:1-9.]
To repeople the desolate earth, which the Flood had so lately swept from
its
moral corruption, God had preserved but one family, the household of Noah,
to whom He had declared, "Thee have I seen righteous before Me in this
generation." Genesis 7:1. Yet in the three sons of Noah was speedily
developed the same great distinction seen in the world before the Flood.
In
Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who were to be the founders of the human race, was
foreshadowed the character of their posterity.
Noah, speaking by divine inspiration, foretold the history of the three
great races to spring from these fathers of mankind. Tracing the
descendants
of Ham, through the son rather than the father, he declared, "Cursed be
Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." The
unnatural
crime of Ham declared that filial reverence had long before been cast from
his soul, and it revealed the impiety and vileness of his character. These
evil characteristics were perpetuated in Canaan and his posterity, whose
continued guilt called upon them the judgments of God.
On the other hand, the reverence manifested by Shem and Japheth for their
father, and thus for the divine statutes, promised a brighter future for
their descendants. Concerning these sons it was declared: "Blessed be
Jehovah, God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge
Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his
servant." The line of Shem was to be that of the chosen people, of God's
covenant, of the promised Redeemer. Jehovah was the God of Shem. From him
would descend Abraham, and the people of Israel, through whom Christ was
to
come. "Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." Psalm 144:15. And
Japheth "shall dwell
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in the tents of Shem." In the blessings of the gospel the descendants of
Japheth were especially to share.
The posterity of Canaan descended to the most degrading forms of
heathenism.
Though the prophetic curse had doomed them to slavery, the doom was
withheld
for centuries. God bore with their impiety and corruption until they
passed
the limits of divine forbearance. Then they were dispossessed, and became
bondmen to the descendants of Shem and Japheth.
The prophecy of Noah was no arbitrary denunciation of wrath or declaration
of favor. It did not fix the character and destiny of his sons. But it
showed what would be the result of the course of life they had severally
chosen and the character they had developed. It was an expression of God's
purpose toward them and their posterity in view of their own character and
conduct. As a rule, children inherit the dispositions and tendencies of
their parents, and imitate their example; so that the sins of the parents
are practiced by the children from generation to generation. Thus the
vileness and irreverence of Ham were reproduced in his posterity, bringing
a
curse upon them for many generations. "One sinner destroyeth much good."
Ecclesiastes 9:18.
On the other hand, how richly rewarded was Shem's respect for his father;
and what an illustrious line of holy men appears in his posterity! "The
Lord
knoweth the days of the upright," "and his seed is blessed." Psalm 37:18,
26. "Know therefore that the Lord thy God He is God, the faithful God,
which
keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His
commandments
to a thousand generations." Deuteronomy 7:9.
For a time the descendants of Noah continued to dwell among the mountains
where the ark had rested. As their numbers increased, apostasy soon led to
division. Those who desired to forget their Creator and to cast off the
restraint of His law felt a constant annoyance from the teaching and
example
of their God-fearing associates, and after a time they decided to separate
from the wor****pers of God. Accordingly they journeyed to the plain of
****nar, on the banks of the river Euphrates. They were attracted by the
beauty of the situation and the fertility of the soil, and upon this plain
they determined to make their home.
Here they decided to build a city, and in it a tower of such stupendous
height as should render it the wonder of the world.
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These enterprises were designed to prevent the people from scattering
abroad
in colonies. God had directed men to disperse throughout the earth, to
replenish and subdue it; but these Babel builders determined to keep their
community united in one body, and to found a monarchy that should
eventually
embrace the whole earth. Thus their city would become the metropolis of a
universal empire; its glory would command the admiration and homage of the
world and render the founders illustrious. The magnificent tower, reaching
to the heavens, was intended to stand as a monument of the power and
wisdom
of its builders, perpetuating their fame to the latest generations.
The dwellers on the plain of ****nar disbelieved God's covenant that He
would
not again bring a flood upon the earth. Many of them denied the existence
of
God and attributed the Flood to the operation of natural causes. Others
believed in a Supreme Being, and that it was He who had destroyed the
antediluvian world; and their hearts, like that of Cain, rose up in
rebellion against Him. One object before them in the erection of the tower
was to secure their own safety in case of another deluge. By carrying the
structure to a much greater height than was reached by the waters of the
Flood, they thought to place themselves beyond all possibility of danger.
And as they would be able to ascend to the region of the clouds, they
hoped
to ascertain the cause of the Flood. The whole undertaking was designed to
exalt still further the pride of its projectors and to turn the minds of
future generations away from God and lead them into idolatry.
When the tower had been partially completed, a ****tion of it was occupied
as
a dwelling place for the builders; other apartments, splendidly furnished
and adorned, were devoted to their idols. The people rejoiced in their
success, and praised the gods of silver and gold, and set themselves
against
the Ruler of heaven and earth. Suddenly the work that had been advancing
so
prosperously was checked. Angels were sent to bring to naught the purpose
of
the builders. The tower had reached a lofty height, and it was impossible
for the workmen at the top to communicate directly with those at the base;
therefore men were stationed at different points, each to receive and
re****t
to the one next below him the orders for needed material or other
directions
concerning the work. As messages were thus passing from one to another the
language was confounded, so that material was called for which
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was not needed, and the directions delivered were often the reverse of
those
that had been given. Confusion and dismay followed. All work came to a
standstill. There could be no further harmony or co-operation. The
builders
were wholly unable to account for the strange misunderstandings among
them,
and in their rage and disappointment they reproached one another. Their
confederacy ended in strife and bloodshed. Lightnings from heaven, as an
evidence of God's displeasure, broke off the upper ****tion of the tower
and
cast it to the ground. Men were made to feel that there is a God who
ruleth
in the heavens.
Up to this time all men had spoken the same language; now those that could
understand one another's speech united in companies; some went one way,
and
some another. "The Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of
all the earth." This dispersion was the means of peopling the earth, and
thus the Lord's purpose was accomplished through the very means that men
had
employed to prevent its fulfillment.
But at what a loss to those who had set themselves against God! It was His
purpose that as men should go forth to found nations in different parts of
the earth they should carry with them a knowledge of His will, that the
light of truth might ****ne undimmed to succeeding generations. Noah, the
faithful preacher of righteousness, lived for three hundred and fifty
years
after the Flood, Shem for five hundred years, and thus their descendants
had
an op****tunity to become acquainted with the requirements of God and the
history of His dealings with their fathers. But they were unwilling to
listen to these unpalatable truths; they had no desire to retain God in
their knowledge; and by the confusion of tongues they were, in a great
measure, shut out from intercourse with those who might have given them
light.
The Babel builders had indulged the spirit of murmuring against God.
Instead
of gratefully remembering His mercy to Adam and His gracious covenant with
Noah, they had complained of His severity in expelling the first pair from
Eden and destroying the world by a flood. But while they murmured against
God as arbitrary and severe, they were accepting the rule of the cruelest
of
tyrants. Satan was seeking to bring contempt upon the sacrificial
offerings
that prefigured the death of Christ; and as the minds of the people were
darkened by idolatry, he led them to counterfeit these offerings and
sacrifice their own children
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upon the altars of their gods. As men turned away from God, the divine
attributes--justice, purity, and love--were supplanted by oppression,
violence, and brutality.
The men of Babel had determined to establish a government that should be
independent of God. There were some among them, however, who feared the
Lord, but who had been deceived by the pretensions of the ungodly and
drawn
into their schemes. For the sake of these faithful ones the Lord delayed
His
judgments and gave the people time to reveal their true character. As this
was developed, the sons of God labored to turn them from their purpose;
but
the people were fully united in their Heaven-daring undertaking. Had they
gone on unchecked, they would have demoralized the world in its infancy.
Their confederacy was founded in rebellion; a kingdom established for
self-exaltation, but in which God was to have no rule or honor. Had this
confederacy been permitted, a mighty power would have borne sway to banish
righteousness--and with it peace, happiness, and security--from the earth.
For the divine statutes, which are "holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12),
men were endeavoring to substitute laws to suit the purpose of their own
selfish and cruel hearts.
Those that feared the Lord cried unto Him to interpose. "And the Lord came
down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded." In
mercy to the world He defeated the purpose of the tower builders and
overthrew the memorial of their daring. In mercy He confounded their
speech,
thus putting a check on their purposes of rebellion. God bears long with
the
perversity of men, giving them ample op****tunity for repentance; but He
marks all their devices to resist the authority of His just and holy law.
From time to time the unseen hand that holds the scepter of government is
stretched out to restrain iniquity. Unmistakable evidence is given that
the
Creator of the universe, the One infinite in wisdom and love and truth, is
the Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, and that none can with impunity
defy
His power.
The schemes of the Babel builders ended in shame and defeat. The monument
to
their pride became the memorial of their folly. Yet men are continually
pursuing the same course--depending upon self, and rejecting God's law. It
is the principle that Satan tried to carry out in heaven; the same that
governed Cain in presenting his offering.
There are tower builders in our time. Infidels construct their
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theories from the supposed deductions of sciences, and reject the revealed
word of God. They presume to pass sentence upon God's moral government;
they
despise His law and boast of the sufficiency of human reason. They,
"because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart
of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Ecclesiastes 8:11.
In the professedly Christian world many turn away from the plain teachings
of the Bible and build up a creed from human speculations and pleasing
fables, and they point to their tower as a way to climb up to heaven. Men
hang with admiration upon the lips of eloquence while it teaches that the
transgressor shall not die, that salvation may be secured without
obedience
to the law of God. If the professed followers of Christ would accept God's
standard, it would bring them into unity; but so long as human wisdom is
exalted above His Holy Word, there will be divisions and dissension. The
existing confusion of conflicting creeds and sects is fitly represented by
the term "Babylon," which prophecy (Revelation 14:8; 18:2) applies to the
world-loving churches of the last days.
Many seek to make a heaven for themselves by obtaining riches and power.
They "speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily" (Psalm
73:8), trampling upon human rights and disregarding divine authority. The
proud may be for a time in great power, and may see success in all that
they
undertake; but in the end they will find only disappointment and
wretchedness.
The time of God's investigation is at hand. The Most High will come down
to
see that which the children of men have builded. His sovereign power will
be
revealed; the works of human pride will be laid low. "The Lord looketh
from
heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation
He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth." "The Lord bringeth the
counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of
none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His
heart to all generations." Psalm 33:13, 14, 10, 11.
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