The Swift Digression of Humankind in the Godless City of Babel

The Godless Metropolis

With exceptional conciseness the opening chapters of Genesis introduce a narrative that appears ahead to the creation of an distinctive metropolis the place God and humanity will stay in concord. Particular references to the town are muted, however the backyard of Eden narrative units the scene for what’s to observe. Unexpectedly, nevertheless, the backyard is invaded by a wily predator that deceives the human couple into disobeying their Creator. By submitting to the seductive prompting of the mysterious Serpent, Adam and Eve fail to meet their responsibility as God’s vice-regents. Their authority to rule over the earth, delegated to them by God, passes to the Serpent (cf. Eph. 2:2). Consequently, they grow to be subservient to it.

In view of God’s aspirations for humanity, it’s noteworthy that one of many actions related to Cain is the constructing of a metropolis. Genesis 4:17 states briefly: “Cain knew his spouse, and she or he conceived and bore Enoch. When he constructed a metropolis, he known as the identify of the town after the identify of his son, Enoch.” The Hebrew textual content doesn’t say explicitly that Cain “constructed a metropolis.” Moderately, it implies that he was constructing a metropolis (cf. NIV). Metropolis constructing was in his DNA, a truth that’s no shock once we think about God’s design for humanity. Nevertheless, it’s noteworthy that Cain names the town after his son, Enoch. By doing so he glorifies his personal offspring moderately than the One who has outfitted him to be a metropolis builder. Cain’s actions anticipate the creation of additional cities, however, as we will see, this doesn’t essentially bode nicely for humanity.

References to metropolis constructing don’t determine prominently in Genesis 5–10. Moderately, consideration is given to how folks fill the earth with violence (Gen. 6:13), leading to God’s punishing them by sending a flood. When Noah and his household emerge from the protection of the ark, God reaffirms to them the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 9:1; cf. Gen. 9:7). This marks a brand new starting for the earth, however, sadly, folks proceed to stay in opposition to God.

Babel, the Metropolis of Satisfaction

If God’s intention in making the earth is the creation of a metropolis, Genesis 11 introduces a brief account that’s extremely ironic.

Now the entire earth had one language and the identical phrases. And as folks migrated from the east, they discovered a plain within the land of Shinar and settled there. They usually mentioned to at least one one other, “Come, allow us to make bricks, and burn them totally.” They usually had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they mentioned, “Come, allow us to construct ourselves a metropolis and a tower with its prime within the heavens, and allow us to make a reputation for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the entire earth.” And the Lord got here all the way down to see the town and the tower, which the youngsters of man had constructed. And the Lord mentioned, “Behold, they’re one folks, they usually have all one language, and that is solely the start of what they’ll do. And nothing that they suggest to do will now be not possible for them. Come, allow us to go down and there confuse their language, in order that they could not perceive each other’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all of the earth, they usually left off constructing the town. Due to this fact its identify was known as Babel, as a result of there the Lord confused the language of all of the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all of the earth. (Gen. 11:1–9)

This temporary episode describes how people set about constructing a metropolis with a tower that may attain as much as the heavens. They do that deliberately in order that they won’t be dispersed all through the entire earth. This reverses the divine plan, for God is excited about making the entire earth his residence by filling it with holy folks. In marked distinction, the folks of Babel try and entry heaven and keep away from populating the earth. Babel epitomizes the antithesis of what God wishes.

Though the Genesis 11 report of the constructing of Babel is exceptionally temporary, 9 verses in all, this metropolis casts a protracted shadow over the entire of the Bible. It does so for quite a lot of causes. On the outset, Babel must be seen because the prototypical Godless metropolis. In Babel we see folks uniting as one to make a reputation for themselves by constructing a tower that reaches as much as heaven itself. Their ambition is clearly motivated by pleasure of their capacity to realize nice issues. Whereas in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve aspired to grow to be like God, the inhabitants of Babel now search to determine themselves as supreme not solely on earth however in heaven as nicely. With unbelievable conceitedness they try and construct a tower that may allow them to take management of heaven itself. The constructing of Babel typifies two completely different traits of humanity: (a) the capability of individuals to realize nice issues; (b) the conceitedness of those that have turned away from God.

What a wealth of human meanings converge within the single picture of Babel! It’s an ambivalent picture, evoking highly effective emotions of a variety. On one aspect we will see the human longings for group, achievement, civilization, tradition, know-how, security, safety, permanence and fame. However countering these aspirations we sense the ethical judgment towards idolatry, pleasure, self-reliance, the urge of fabric energy and the human phantasm of infinite achievement.¹

Whereas in a single sense the development of Babel is a pure consequence of individuals utilizing divinely given talents, they achieve this with out regard for the One who gifted them. Their aspirations are to interchange God, not solely on earth, however in heaven as nicely. Constructed by folks for folks alone, Babel is a mockery of what God supposed when he created people and commanded them to fill the earth. As we will see, the phenomenon of Babel isn’t restricted to Genesis 11. Babel typifies each proud human enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator.

Babel/Babylon

The usage of “Babel” as the town’s identify in Genesis 11 is an anomaly. For hundreds of years this metropolis has been designated “Babel” in English. This identify is derived from the Hebrew title for the town, babel. Nevertheless, babel, which happens over 200 instances within the Hebrew Bible, is nearly all the time translated into English as “Babylon.” Remarkably, in the entire of the Outdated Testomony there are typically solely two exceptions to this rule. These are Genesis 10:10 and Genesis 11:9, and even right here a couple of English translations exchange Babel in Genesis 10:10 with Babylon (e.g., NIV; JPS). Babel must be known as Babylon.²

Once we identify the town “Babylon,” a extremely vital sample begins to emerge. Babel isn’t solely the antithesis of the holy metropolis that God wishes to construct upon the earth, however it’s also its nice rival and opponent. That is an particularly vital theme, showing in each Testaments. Extra shall be mentioned about this later.

Babel typifies each proud human enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator.

Babel/Babylon: The Kingdom of Nimrod

Babel/Babylon takes on added significance once we observe that the town can also be related to aggressive human management or kingship. This hyperlink might not seem very apparent, for Genesis 11:1–9 incorporates no reference to any king. Nevertheless, Babel/Babylon is first talked about in Genesis 10:8–12 in affiliation with the highly effective hunter Nimrod:

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the primary on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter earlier than the Lord. Due to this fact it’s mentioned, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter earlier than the Lord.” The start of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, within the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and constructed Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that’s the nice metropolis.

Inside Genesis 10 this passage stands aside. Genesis 10:8–10 give attention to Nimrod, about whom a couple of chosen particulars are recorded. In most English variations, Nimrod is taken to be the topic of Genesis 10:11. Nevertheless, it’s extra possible that Genesis 10:11 refers back to the exercise of Asshur, who founds cities in northern Mesopotamia.³

Nimrod is designated a strong or mighty man, a hunter within the sight of the Lord. This description must be seen negatively. Whereas the Hebrew textual content might legitimately be translated on this context “within the sight of the Lord,” it could additionally suggest “towards the Lord.”⁴ This latter sense appears extra applicable within the context of all that’s mentioned in Genesis 1–11. Nimrod’s aggression as an individual runs completely counter to what God supposed when at creation he commissioned folks to rule the earth on his behalf. His forceful nature recollects the violence of earlier generations, who provoked God to anger.

By means of the usage of pressure, Nimrod based an intensive kingdom that features Babel/Babylon. He’s additionally a task mannequin for Asshur. Undoubtedly, this custom of kingdom constructing via aggression lived on in these cities. Later in historical past, the inhabitants of each Babylon and Nineveh descended in damaging energy on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, and, at a unique time, the Babylonians decimated the southern kingdom of Judah.

God supposed humanity to rule over the earth in peace, however Nimrod makes use of energy to determine a kingdom that could be a distortion of the dominion that God needs to create on the earth. By linking Nimrod to Babel/Babylon, the writer of Genesis introduces the concept of two contrasting cities and kingdoms. As a result of insurrection of Adam and Eve, God’s want to determine his kingdom on the earth via the development of a metropolis is thwarted. As an alternative of ruling as his viceregents, people oppose God and set up different kingdoms.

​​Conclusion

Once we grasp the true intention of the human metropolis builders of Babel/Babylon, it’s clear that their mission isn’t as harmless as it could appear at first. Quite the opposite, what we have now right here is an account during which all of the God-given talents of people are intentionally targeted on making a society that has no want of God. Assured in their very own capability to satisfy each problem, the inhabitants of Babel/ Babylon view the Creator as irrelevant. In mild of God’s preliminary creation mission, the account of Genesis 11:1–9 is a stark reminder of how perverted human nature has grow to be.

To hinder human aspiration to work collectively in opposition towards the One who created them, God prevents folks from understanding one another by introducing a number of languages. This results in the creation of various ethnic teams and nations, who struggled to grasp each other. However, though God intervenes to halt the Babel/Babylon mission by scattering the town’s inhabitants all through the earth, the human ambition to assemble different, godless cities stays. Babel typifies each social enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator. From Genesis to Revelation, Babel/Babylon options prominently because the image of humanity’s try to control themselves regardless of and in defiance of God.

There’s a risk that Genesis 1–2 introduces a narrative that anticipates the creation of a unprecedented metropolis the place God will dwell in concord with humanity. In opposition to this background, it’s noteworthy that the final episode within the primeval period (Genesis 1–11) considerations the development of a metropolis. This metropolis, nevertheless, is the antithesis of what God wishes. Within the mild of this, the remainder of Genesis begins a course of that may outcome within the creation of another metropolis the place God will dwell on earth in concord with folks.

This text is customized from The City of God and the Goal of Creation by T. Desmond Alexander.

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