In Chapter eleven we encounter another “fall” of man at the tower of Babel. The story of Babel is structured chaistically, which means that the second half of the story corresponds to the first half, in reverse order. This is a common literary structure in the Bible.
A. The whole earth has one language (v.1)
B. Settled there (v.2)
C. Said to one another (v. 3)
D. Come, let us build a city and tower (v.4)
E. Lord Came Down (v. 5)
D’. City and tower that man had built (v. 5)
C’. Confuse their speech (v.7)
B’. Scattered from there (v.8)
A’. Confused the language of the whole earth (v. 9).
The whole story turns on the Lord coming down. This teaches us that God is the decisive actor in the history of the world. Man proposes, but God disposes. The men who settled in Babylon (meaning the Gate of God) aspired to build a mountain that would reach the heavens. This would not only make them famous and earn them a reputation for greatness throughout the world, but would also be a point of contact between heaven and earth.
There is humor in this story because the men who thought they were building a tower into the heavens. God responds by saying, let us go down and see what they are doing. Their ambitious plans were no where close to accomplishing their objective. God puts a stop to the building by confusing their language and so Babylon (the gate of God) becomes Babel (confusion) and the people are scattered. Later we will learn that a true point of contact between heaven and earth will be established in dramatic fashion. However, it will not be built from earth to heaven, but will be a ladder let down from heaven to earth. Jesus is the true and living way and no one comes to the Father except by Him.
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Chaistically...that is so interesting! I didn't know about that type of story structure.
ReplyDeleteThis has always been one of my favorite OT Bible stories. I often wonder what God thinks of us now with our tall skyscrapers and Twin Towers...how man has gone to the moon. We just keep reaching and reaching for further glory, to go where no man has gone before.*
Some things never change. I don't think God has stopped confusing us, either. While he confused the languages then, even now, within countries that are striving to be the greatest in the world (aka America) unity has disappeared. We may say we are one great nation, but we are really confused--scattered, and divided...
Without God at our foundation, our buildings will go splat.
Ventana?
ReplyDeleteI agree. The only unifying principle that can last is a Person - Jesus Christ. The self-interests that have kept us together for a while in the US are fragmenting in a remarkable way.
ventana espejo is spanish for two way mirror. :)
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