Beyond The Basics

Transcript:

Welcome to the Beyond the Basics Bible Study Podcast. My name is Dan Snyder and I am your host. Thank you so much for joining me in this episode of Beyond the Basics where we are exploring the Bible, Genesis, Revelation, one chapter at a time.

Well, this week we will be getting into Genesis chapter 11. If you remember from last week, in chapter 10, we went through the table of nations, which were the descendants of Noah through Ham, Shem, and Japheth. And now we’re going to take a break. We’re going to go more in depth into the conditions of the earth at the time that Noah’s descendants are populating the earth.

So, the first part of this chapter is going to tell us the story of the Tower of Babel. And it tells us that people migrated west and settled in the land of Shinar, where they made bricks and mortar to make a tower to reach to heaven. And they called it Babel. This tower, this city was founded by Nimrod, who was the, if you remember from Chapter 10, he is the hunter of men. And so, this is going to recreate the conditions from before the flood.

And there’s going to be several hints that the Bible gives us in this chapter to indicate that this is another case of man’s wickedness getting out of hand requiring a response from God. The reason that this happened is because people were afraid of being dispersed. It says that in verse 4, but the result, of course, is that God dispersed them anyway.

And then, after the story of the Tower of Babel, we notice that there ten generations between Shem and Abraham, which again, the number ten represents God’s authority. So it’s saying that the time that it took to get from Shem, Abram, is by the design of God and that Abram being chosen by God is His design. This is all happening under the authority of God. And it’s just like the genealogy that goes from Adam to Noah, there were also 10 generations there, if you remember. Difference here is that there’s no death announcement for each family member until Sarai, who is the wife of Abram, is mentioned to be barren.

Then at the end of the chapter, it gives us Abram’s family and their wives, tells us he’s got a brother named Haran who has a nephew named Lot and a brother named Nahor who is named after his grandfather. Nahor has a wife named Milka. And Nahor is going to be important later on in the book. We’ll see him pop up later on. And then it tells us that Abram has a wife named Sarai and she’s barren.

So let’s get deeper into the chapter.

I’m going to point out first that there is a certain structure in verses 1-9 and it’s called a chiasm. And this is not the first time that a chiasm had been used in these first 11 chapters, but this is the first time I’m going to bring it up. And they’re actually very common. It’s a way to make a certain point. It’s a way that a biblical author will use to highlight a very specific point that the author is trying to make.

So the way this is laid out, it’s laid out in two halves. So each phrase in the first half has a mirrored phrase in the second half until it reaches the middle, which creates the shape of a V on its side.

Now, if you subscribe to the podcast on the website for only six dollars a month, you can get this study guide and you can see how this is laid out. I have everything highlighted. I have it laid out in this V shape so that you can see what this actually looks like. So you can start to recognize it as you study each phrase at each level in this chiasm is highlighted to different colors so that you can see how this looks. But I’m going to do my best to explain this to you so that if you’re following along in your Bible, you can take a look and see what this looks like.

So, in verse 1, it tells us the whole earth had one language. And then in verse 9, it says that God confused the language of all the earth. So, you see those repeated phrases. The whole earth had one language. And then in verse 9, God confused the language of all the earth. So there’s repeated phrases there at the beginning and the end.

Then the next level, it says in verse 2 that they settled there. And in verse 8, they were dispersed from there.

Then in verse 3, they said to one another. And in verse 7, that they may not understand one another.

So do you see so far these repeated phrases and they kind of step in toward a center, we’re getting towards the center. Verse 1 and verse 9 match, verse 2 and verse 8 match, and then verse 3 and verse 7 match. Again, if you have a Bible or if you download the study guide, you can see this. So let’s keep going.

Verse 3 again, we have another phrase where it says, let us make bricks. And then in verse 7, the matching phrase is, come, let us confuse. So that repeating phrase of come, let us.

Verse 4 is the next level. Let us build ourselves. And then in verse 5, it says, the children of men had built. So that word build or built, that’s the repeated phrase there.

Verse 4, the next level, it says a city and a tower. And then in verse 5, it also says the city and the tower. That’s the repeated phrase there.

And now we get to the center. And the center says, and the Lord came down to see.

So that is the whole purpose, that is the point the author is trying to get us to recognize and to learn from. In verse five it says, So what will be the point? Why would that be highlighted by the author? The purpose is to say that even in man’s sin, the Lord comes down.

This tower was built for man to try to reach God and to make a name for themselves, to reach the heavens. Okay, it’s humans trying to exalt themselves as God. This is the very same sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden. They ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in order to be like God or to be as gods.

When it comes down to it, this is the same sin that is pervasive throughout human history. This is the root of all sin. It’s man’s pride to try to exalt himself up to God’s So the author is trying to tell us that even when people try to exalt themselves up to God, God still comes down to meet people where they are. God still comes down.

So that’s the whole purpose of this chiasm. That’s what this literary device is trying to get us to recognize. That the Lord came down. And we’ll talk more about that later.

So that’s the structure of the first nine verses of chapter 11.

Now in verse 1, it says: Now the whole earth had one language and the same words, meaning all the people. And the reason this is important is because in Genesis 9 verse 1, God had commanded them to fill the earth, but instead they came together and built a city. So instead of filling the earth, they all came together. They stayed together, migrated from east to west, and built a city.

So the question here is, are cities bad? We’ve seen a couple different cities pop up. We saw Cain built a city, the Tower of Babel here. So the question is, are cities bad? Because the Bible has painted a pretty negative picture of cities so far in the first 11 chapters.

What is important to know is that cities were built in these first 11 chapters for a way of providing deliverance for ourselves. Cities were built so that people could protect themselves from other people. You think of ancient cities, they had walls, they were surrounded by walls to keep invading armies out. So, this is a way of humans trying to deliver themselves instead of trusting in God’s deliverance.

And we also see that cities enhance the positive and the negative aspects of humanity. So, if you go back to Genesis chapter four, Cain built a city, et cetera, et et cetera. He’s got all these sons. we find out later on that Jabal was the father of those who dwell on the tents and have livestock. Jubal was the father those who play the lyre and the pipe. Tubal Cain, he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. So you have culture, you have technology, you have agriculture. These are not bad things. They’re not things that we should run away from. It’s saying that these aspects of humanity, these cultural aspects and technological aspects were enhanced in the context of a city.

And also, now that we get to Genesis 11, wickedness is enhanced in the context of a city. So, those of you who live in a city, I live in a city. I’m not saying that you’re wicked or bad for living in a city. That’s not the point that the Bible was trying to make. The point is that cities were built in order for humans to take control of their own protection rather than trusting in God. And we have different purposes for cities in modern times. We don’t have walled cities anymore. They are more of a hub for business and economics, things like that. But cities do still provide the risk of enhancing the negative aspects of humanity.

In verse 2, it says that people migrated from the east. This is the ESV that I’m going off of. Other translations are going to say that they journeyed east. So I’m not sure where the discrepancy is in the translation here. It’s going to depend on which translation you use. Some translations say they’re going west. Some translations say that they’re going east.

If you look at a map, obviously the last location that we were told in this story is that Noah landed on Ma’ararat. So if you look at a map, a journey from Ararat to Shinar would actually be more like south. So I’m not really sure exactly what the translation here is trying to say or what could be difficult there in the Hebrew language, but just keep an eye out for that.

You’re going to see different things depending on the translation that you use and the direction that they’re going can tell us important things. Obviously, if we know that they’re going east, east is an indication of going into exile. If they’re going west, that would be telling us they’re coming out of exile or trying to return from exile. In the context of the whole Bible, going from east to west, that’s going from exile to where God dwells, back to Eden. So, if they’re going west, that would be man’s attempt to return to God, which would be consistent with what this chapter is trying to convey. So, keep an eye out for that.

In verse 3, it says, they made brick and mortar, just like the Israelite slaves made brick and mortar. So I think that what this is trying to tell us is that, again, remember that we’re reading this not as 21st century American, but reading this as ancient Israelites. This was written most likely by Moses. And so this would be read by the generation or the generation after the Exodus. And so this is going to be very fresh in their memory when they read brick and mortar.

So this is going to be telling them, I believe, that these people were looking for freedom. They were looking for freedom to express themselves as a human race, to exalt themselves, but in doing so, they enslaved themselves because brick and mortar to an Israelite would be a symbol of slavery. And so they became Egypt. They became the ones that enslaved themselves.

And the interesting thing is bitumen was also used as pitch in the art to make it waterproof. And so they clearly learned from this and used bitumen to make the city waterproof to protect against a future flood. They did not believe God’s word when He said that He would no longer flood the earth. And so, this is just another indication that these people were trying to build this city to deliver themselves. In this case, they were trying to deliver themselves from God’s judgment because they knew that what they were doing went against God’s commands.

So in verse 4, they build a city and a tower. This is the beginning of false religion. Again, I mentioned earlier that this is humans trying to reach the heavens, trying to reach God, trying to make themselves God. And in fact, throughout ancient history, the high places were places of worship, that’s where people would go to sacrifice and to worship their gods was in the high places. This is where people believed that they could reach the gods.

Humans have spent their entire history trying to get to God in heaven. And even today, many Christians believe that we’re saved so that we can go up to heaven when we die. And this is why I believe that this is not a correct view of heaven and the afterlife. I don’t believe that that’s a picture that the Bible provides. Do we go to heaven when we die? I think that there is indication that our spirit may depart and go there for a time, but we don’t stay there. We don’t stay there forever.

Only one man has ever ascended to heaven before God. In Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 through 14, says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

So this is one like a son of man. So that phrase, son of man, meaning, remember we talked about that phrase, “son of,” simply saying this person belongs to a group of people indicated by the phrase, “son of.” So this is a son of man. This person is belonging to a group of men or a group of humans. And simply saying that this guy is just a guy.

It’s somebody that managed to make it up to the Ancient of Days. And of course, that person is Jesus. Following the storyline throughout the rest of the Bible, that person is Jesus. In Revelation 5, we see a lamb that was slain approach the throne again. Jesus is the only one to ascend to heaven. He is the only human to ever do it.

Instead, God comes to earth. He’s provided a way of doing this throughout human history. He created Eden so that God could dwell with humans. He gave Moses the tabernacle with the Holy of Holies where God’s presence would dwell physically so that God could dwell among his people. Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, came down to earth to dwell among his people, among his chosen people, Israel, for 33 years. After Jesus ascended, God gave us His Spirit that dwells in us. When we make the decision to surrender our lives to Jesus and follow Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. And then one day when Jesus returns, the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven where God will live among humans forever, where Jesus will be worshipped as God forever. This is the storyline of the Bible.

Not that we try to get to heaven. Trying to get to heaven, in my opinion, is not a biblical mindset. We should be trying to find a way to create an environment where God can dwell among us. We should be preparing the way for God to dwell here on earth with us.

Moving on to verse four, it says, this word “name” refers to someone’s reputation, their authority, their character, not just their name. They’re not saying, “Let’s call ourselves Joe.”

They’re saying, “Let’s make a reputation for ourselves. Let’s make everyone recognize who we are and what our authority is.”

So in verse five, the Lord came down to see the city and the tower. This tells us, again, this is the main point that the author is trying to get us to see that God is not passive. God came down to see what humans were doing. And this tells us that God intervenes when man goes too far. He’s done this several times already, just in a short amount of time that we’ve been reading. First 11 chapters of the Bible, He’s intervened with Adam and Eve, He’s intervened with the Nephilim and the wickedness of people before the flood, and now He’s intervening in the Tower of Babel.

Jeremiah 23 verses 23 through 24 says, He’s saying He’s not a God that’s far away. He’s close by. He’s saying humans cannot hide themselves from God. Those of you who might be listening that think that God is just, sure, maybe God created the earth, maybe God created humans and everything around us. Okay, maybe He did that, but then He just sits up in the sky and lets whatever happens, happens and He’s distant and doesn’t care. If that’s what you think, then I encourage you to look at the evidence of Scripture. See what Scripture tells us about God.

He is not a God that’s far off, and He does intervene when people go too far. He does let humans exercise their free will to a certain extent, but if they go too far, God comes down.

And so in verse 6, the Lord said, “Nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”

This verse is supposed to make us think. And especially now for those of us who are in the 21st century, consider the horrors that people could be capable of if they have one language led by a hunter of men. Remember Nimrod from the previous chapter was the one who established and founded the city of Babel and he was a hunter of men. He was a Nephilim. Remember the havoc that they wreaked on creation before the flood that the Nephilim were a murderous society, polluting the human gene pool. If they were capable of doing that before the flood, imagine what they were capable of doing now where all humanity was led by this Nephilim, murderous, arrogant hunter of men with all one language. They would destroy themselves.

So this is important for us to recognize that God’s actions here are coming from mercy rather than judgment. Again, God’s judgments come from mercy because God does not want humans to continue down a path where they will destroy themselves. And so he will intervene to make sure that humans are stopped in their tracks. And from our perspective, this looks like nasty, angry, wrathful judgment. But it’s mercy. It’s God saying this cannot go on any further.

So God confuses the languages, He disperses them all over the earth, and then we get to the descendants of Shem. And we’ll not go through each one of these. We’ll just skip down all the way to verse 28, where we find out that Abram is in the city of Ur of the Chaldeans.

Now, the Chaldeans didn’t actually live there for another thousand years. This city was probably previously inhabited by Sumerians. So, Abram at this time was not a Chaldean, he was probably a Sumerian. And it was very likely a wealthy city. His family was very likely very wealthy. So, he probably did not worship Yahweh.

Joshua 24, verse 2 says: The father of Abraham and of Nahor, and they served other gods. So, they probably were pagan worshipers.

But in verse 31, says they went to the land of Canaan, so they moved from east to west. And so, this would indicate going out of exile. And this would actually be evidence for the argument that earlier in the chapter, that the correct translation would probably be that people were moving from west to east. So the ESV could be the one that has the translation error here because the Bible often will present these contrasts like this. So people in their wickedness move west to east, and now Abram and his wife and his family move east to west out of exile.

So I do want to recap quickly before we get to how this all points to Jesus. I want to recap this theme that we’re seeing in Genesis 1 through 11 of humans trying to take on God. And this has popped up over and over and over. Adam and Eve, Cain, and Nethelem, Nimrod. And it’s so pervasive in these first 11 chapters that I think the Bible is clearly trying to tell us that humans are not going to follow God’s ways, they’re not going to follow God’s commands. The arrogance and the pride run so deep that they’re going to literally try to take on God. I mean, how could a human think that? How could a human think that they could take God on and win?

But they do over and over and over in this first section of Genesis. And in fact, in Psalm 2 verses 1 through 3, it says: Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

So even in the psalmist’s day, this was still happening. We’re going to see throughout the Bible as we go through, the nations are going to rage against God. And this idea that they’re going to try to burst God’s bonds apart and cast away His cords, that’s saying that they view God’s law as bonds that bind them from being able to do what they want. They see it as restrictive rather than freedom.

We see this all throughout the story of the Bible. We see this all throughout the story of human history. And it’s going to come to a culmination one day when one final empire is going to stand against Jesus. This is all pointing to that day when one final empire led by weak Antichrist is going to stand against Jesus. This Antichrist figure is going to have such great arrogance and pride that even when Jesus is standing right in front of him, he’s going to shake his fist in rage and think that he can take on God.

Later on in Psalm 2 and verses 7 through 9, it says: I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

So Jesus is going to come against these nations that rage against him and he’s going to break them. He’s going to come down one final time, just like he does in Genesis chapter 11. He’s going to come down and he’s going to deal with the sin and the pride and the arrogance of man. And he’s going to break it once and for all. So we have that to look forward to. Those of us who follow Jesus, we should not fear that day. We should look forward to that day and we should pray for that day to come.

So how does this chapter point to Jesus? Well, I just mentioned some things. We’ve hinted at some other things throughout the chapter.

Again, I want to reiterate this idea in verse five that the Lord came down. This is such an important concept. Jesus came down once at His first coming and He’s coming down again to deal with sin once and for all. I just mentioned that, but I want to reiterate, this is such an important point. The author of this chapter clearly thought it was an important point, taking this entire story of Babylon, pointing it to that one phrase that the Lord came down. Jesus will come down again one day to deal with sin.

And then, of course, the second half of the chapter gives us the seed line going through Peleg, and then it introduces Abraham at the end of the chapter, who is going to, as we find out in the next chapter, receive a promise from God that His seed will bear the promise to bless the whole earth. That’s going to be Messiah one day. It’s going to be Jesus.

So, some questions for reflection? Again, if you want to subscribe for only $6 a month, you can print these off. You can answer them yourselves on the space that I give you. It makes it lot easier than trying to quickly answer in your car when this is supposed to be for reflection. This is supposed to give you an opportunity to take some time and reflect on the chapter and ask questions of the text and ask questions of yourself and see the text as a mirror. So I encourage you to subscribe and print these study guides off so you can take some time to answer these questions. But I am going to go through them quickly.

So the first question is, how have we tried to make a name for ourselves apart from God? How have we tried to further our reputation or make ourselves known apart from God?

How has God come and confused those plans in His mercy before they were finished? How has God intervened in those times when we’ve tried to make a name for ourselves?

How do you think God felt about people immediately turning to wickedness right after the flood?

Why did God need to come down to see what people were doing?

Why do you think people only dispersed and filled the earth after their language was confused?

Is God bothered or concerned about the rage of the nations against Him? Does that concern Him? Does that worry Him? You can actually read through the rest of Psalm 2 to find the answer to that if you would like.

And then finally, Abram stopped halfway to Cain in the city of Haran. What happens when we only obey God halfway?

All right, well, thank you so much for listening. Again, many ways to support the podcast. I won’t spend a lot of time going over this. I’m sure you’ve all heard it before, but go ahead and give the podcast a like or a follow on your favorite podcast app. Leave a rating. That would be really great to help the podcast get recognized and noticed. The more people that notice it, the more people that hopefully can be blessed by this study.

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