BABEL: When God Came Down

 

This story is really interesting to share with kids. I remember how I used to imagine how tall that tower must have been that they wanted to build! Since this story almost feels like it was written for children, it’s not surprising that many of us tend to just skim past it in our readings. But this story, just like the rest of the biblical records, reveals truths that invite us to reflect.

According to scholars, the tower they wanted to build was a ziggurat, a common architectural structure in ancient Mesopotamia, which is also the setting of the story (v.2). Ziggurats were similar to pyramids. Both were man-made mountains. For ancient people, mountains were sacred places where the gods would meet with men, so when there were no mountains in the area, they built mountain-like structures instead. Unlike pyramids, ziggurats had no inner chambers. The distinguishing and most important feature of a ziggurat was its stairway or ramp leading to the top, which had a small room. Based on Mesopotamian myths, these structures that reached “with its top in the heavens” (v.4) were designed so that a particular deity could easily come down from above. Their god could rest in that little room at the top before descending via the stairway to interact with people at the temple below. The stairway of Babel was meant to connect heaven and earth. In other words, the builders had no intention of climbing up to heaven; they wanted their deity to come down. For what reason? To make a name for themselves and to avoid scattering (v.4). Perhaps they thought that if their god was pleased to descend on their tower, this man-made mountain, they would gain security and stay together as one. This building would make them a great nation. Through this tower, they would make a name for themselves. This project would be their legacy!

And the Lord came down, but He was not pleased.

Even before the tower was finished, the true God had already come down, and He was not happy with what He saw (vv. 5–8). Why did God not allow the building project to continue? “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.’” (v.6). God seems to acknowledge that mankind, when united toward a single goal, can accomplish great things, which in itself is not wrong. So, what was the problem? Humanity has the potential to do great evil, and this tower, once completed, might open more opportunities for them to rebel against God together. God was right when He said that “every inclination of the human heart is evil” (8:21). The author literally referred to these builders as “sons of Adam” (11:5). This reminds us of their relationship to Adam—particularly their shared sinful tendency. Just after the Great Flood, humanity was once again attempting to rebel against God! Earlier, God vowed on another mountain called Ararat that He would never again flood the earth (8:21–22). So here, God intervened to prevent another wave of wickedness. The project was stopped because people could no longer understand one another! The tower that was meant to give them a name became a monument of confusion and frustration. Babel.

In the next scene, what the people wanted to achieve for themselves was actually promised by God to one man—Abraham. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (12:2). It is interesting to note that God revealed Himself to Abraham as El Shaddai (17:1), literally meaning “God of the Mountain.” He made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Later on, Jacob saw a “stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (28:12). This stairway (Jacob’s ladder) connected heaven and earth! What mankind tried to build at Babel, God revealed at Bethel (vv. 16–17). In Exodus, God once again came down on another mountain—Sinai (Ex. 19)—to establish a covenant between Himself and the nation of Israel. From Babel to Abraham. From Abraham to Jacob. From Jacob to the nation of Israel. The author wants his readers to see how one event connects to another.

But the story doesn’t end here. God came down again.

Jesus told one of His disciples, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” (Jn 1:51). Jesus described Himself with the same imagery Jacob saw. Jacob’s vision became a reality in Jesus. Christ is the ultimate stairway that connects heaven and earth! “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (14:6). It was later revealed that Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gal. 3:16). Through Him, all nations will be blessed. Through Him, a new covenant between God and mankind was established (Lk 22:20; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). What the sons of Adam failed to achieve through the tower, the Son of God accomplished through the cross. In Acts 2, God came down again. At Babel, the Lord came down and the people were divided by different languages. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down, and the unity of people with different languages was restored.

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The Bible is indeed one unified book, with each event connected to another. It is one long, beautiful story of how God reached down to mankind to reconcile them to Himself.

Sources and Studies:

Walton, J. and, Keener, C. (2016). “See footnotes for Gen 11:4”. 𝘕𝘐𝘝 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. Zondervan
Walton, J. and, Keener, C. (2016). “Ziggurats”. 𝘕𝘐𝘝 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. Zondervan
McKenzie, J.L (1965). “Babel, Tower of”. 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. . McMillian Publishing.
What does Genesis 35:11 mean? BibleRef. Retrieved from https://www.bibleref.com/Genesis/35/Genesis-35-11.html....