Genesis 11 shows the generations following Noah to be similar to today’s society that is idolizing their desires and their activities. How can we apply this text to us today and be changed to be more like Christ? It must first start with believers finding unity not within themselves, but in the body of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”[1]
Society can not be changed by itself; God must be the focal point of believers in order to be successful in reaching the world with the gospel. Pride is directly opposite of God’s character. The people in the text were focused upon, “me, myself, and I” and never referred to God for anything. How ironic is this when God brought them safely through the cataclysmic world-wide flood?
God’s grace is bigger than any box that we can place it. God once again sees people turning their backs on Him and He responds with judgment that sets them scattered into the world, but greater than that it led the way for salvation to come and is shown through the person of Jesus Christ who came to die for our sin and make us righteous before God.
When will the church become focused upon what God’s plan is and quit asking God to bless their plan? God’s plan for believers is to rely upon Him for everything. He is the sustainer of life and has set us free from the bondage of sin and condemnation (Rom. 8:1).
How big is God in your life? Do you pray for His will to be done or your own? I believe that if the people of Babylon could talk today, they would tell us to die to their own desires and make God’s name renown throughout the earth. When God’s will is pursued by the church, then our focus will turn into a lifestyle of worship to King Jesus. As Paul writes in Galatians 6:14 this should be the heart’s cry of this generation, “But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” God does not just want what you can do for Him or part of yourself, He wants all of you. What will be your response?
The beginning of the story man decides to build a city and tower for their own renown, now God turned the tables and has scattered mankind throughout the whole earth. The emphasis that the people took upon their lives was self-centered and prideful. Why does man turn away from God and seek after their own desires? What an interesting question. Man’s wickedness is shown in this passage of the Bible, being one of the most mysterious passages in Genesis due to the extreme actions taken by man and God.
Man is in need of salvation from their sin and this passage shows how an entire generation found redemption through God’s grace during the Flood. Believers today need to realize that God’s redemption is through Jesus on the cross, but is not limited to it. In their daily lives He provides and cares for their every step in life. The story of Babylon shows the need of mankind to be saved by God and bring them out of their hopelessness and live a life of worship to Him. God deserves the praise and adoration of mankind and in this passage man was taking the glory that was due God. Anytime that people directly disobey God’s commands, (be fruitful and multiply) consequences follow.
[1] Holy Bible. Holman Christian Standard Bible. 2 Corinthians 5:17.