Babbling, Bumbling, Bunglers

As Greg mentioned, Andrew is in Arlington preaching at Redeemer Covenant. Maybe I'll explain this to you. Andrew started this exposition of Ephesians while I was at Redeemer. And then I came back and finished Hebrews. Now he's going to finish Ephesians. So that means he's preaching, except for the second Sunday of every month.

Then he's going to be at Redeemer. They asked for help once a month, and so he said, well, how about the second Sunday of every month? So the second Sunday of every month, I will be preaching. Now, I asked myself, what could I do? It wouldn't be good to do an exposition of a book. So here's what I landed on.

I'm going to do a series of stories. You all are familiar with stories. You all know Bible stories. And so I thought, well, I'll just preach stories from the Bible. That will work. So we're going to start out.

One of the first stories you ever heard. Story of the Tower of Babel. So take your Bibles and turn to Genesis chapter 11. Genesis chapter 11. You follow as I read this narrative. Genesis chapter 11, verse 1.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stones and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens.

And let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of man had built and the Lord said behold they are one people and they have all one language and this is only the beginning of what they will do and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them come let us go down and there confuse their language so that they may not understand one another's speech so the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth and they left off building the city therefore its name was called babel because there the lord confused the language of all the earth and from there the lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth let's pray father thank you again for your word thank you that we can look into it thank you that this is your word this is you speaking to us this is not just some historical document from several centuries before the birth of Jesus, but this actually is your word to us today. You've given it to us, and so we pray now that you would help us to understand it.

We're thankful for your work through your word. Work through it now this morning, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Did you hear the story of the Tower of Babel when you were a child when you were a kid most of you grew up in church did it did hear that so let me ask you what image what images did it draw up in your mind a tower that goes through the clouds into heaven a worried god sitting in heaven hoping that they don't succeed and that somehow they'll storm the gates of heaven maybe you you've imagined people babbling to one another what is this story about anyway what is the story about why is it here by the way that's always the question to ask when you're studying your bible why is this here why is this here so the question is why is this here well of course it carries forward the story of god's promise for mankind it's my view that the book of genesis is all about the promised seed of genesis 3 15 where god promises a seed that will defeat Satan.

And the whole book shows the story of how that seed proceeds and how God keeps it safe. That's the whole story of the book of Genesis. God keeping the promise of a promised seed. Now, the last story that happens before this one is the story of Noah and his sons. Of Ham dishonoring his father and therefore Noah curses Canaan and all his descendants. And he blesses Shem and Japheth.

It's a story of God commanding Noah's sons to be fruitful and to multiply and to go throughout all the earth. We were introduced to all the nations and the cultures that came out of Noah's three sons and now here in chapter 11 we're told the origin story, the story of how those nations and cultures came to be. But it's more than presenting some historical notes so that we know all these things.

It is again a story of sin inevitably reaching its climax in the affairs of men, as it was with Noah. The whole arc of the story moving to the inevitable triumph of sin, or so it seems, and then the judgment of the flood. Now we come to a place where it going to inevitably end up with sin winning the day and the seed lost This is not a story of a terrified God afraid of the incredible technological advances of mankind that will give them the ability to reach heaven somehow.

It's instead the narrative of pride and rebellion, apostasy and judgment. That's what the story's about. So dispel the childish images. let's see what this text has to say to us today. We need to listen to the story. Here's the first thing. Listen to pride.

Listen to pride. Verses 1 through 4. Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east they founded a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly and they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

Listen to pride. Now note the setting of the story. This is all of humanity. This is all of humanity with one language. This is all of humanity in one place. They've all moved together to the plains of Shinar.

That is in the southeast part of Iraq, between the Tigris and the Euphrates, one of the great cradles of civilization. This is where they've all gathered. And the question you have to ask yourself, is this gathering for good or for ill? What's happening here? Well, humanity's technology has advanced at this point. They know how to make building materials.

And they say, come, let us build. They exhort one another. They say, let's do it. Let's do it. They're combining all their energies for the task. What will they do with their new abilities?

What are they going to do with this new technology? Well, they want to build a great city. They want to build a great city and its crowning achievement will be this great tower, this great monument. Now what about that tower? Do they really believe, do they really plan on building a terrifically high building that will get to heaven? Is that what they're doing?

No, that's not what they're doing. Moses, or what they're doing is using hyperbolic language. Oh no, this sounds like English class again from high school. Hyperbolic language, hyperbole, exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. The same phrase is used in Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse 28. And there it says, this is what the spies had said to the people. where are we going up our brothers have made our hearts melt saying the people are greater and taller than we the cities are great and fortified up to heaven it's the exact same phrase that's translated in the heavens here they've got these cities that are great and fortified up to heaven or in the heavens and besides we have seen the sons of the anikim there in deuteronomy chapter 9 verse 1 you read here oh israel you are to cross over the jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you city of cities great and fortified up to heaven same exact in hebrew exact same phrase as in the heavens here there have cities great and fortified up to heaven.

Now, when you go to New York or Chicago and you walk down the streets, do you not find yourself hearing this scraping noise above you? Do you hear that? You say, no, what are you talking about? Don't they have skyscrapers there? Right? They got skyscrapers.

Now, what do you think they meant when they coined that term, skyscrapers, that actually these buildings are going to get so tall that their points are going to scrape against the sky like fingernails on a chalkboard? No, it's an exaggerated way of saying, these buildings are really tall. Well, that's exactly what's happening here. we're going to build a tower higher than anything you've ever imagined it'll reach to the heavens that's what's going on here so dispel all those images of a god being afraid that they're going to somehow step into his heavenly realm because they build a building that big it's them bragging about what they're going to do this is the first ziggurat and you're going now Oh no, now we're back in high school history class.

A ziggurat. What's a ziggurat? You know, it's those stair-step pyramids. Right? Those stair-step pyramids with a temple at the top. There were these massive, lofty stair-step temples.

Now near the top, in the temple area, the building on the top, they were painted blue to blend in with the celestial home of the gods. You see. On the top was a shrine with the inside painted with the starry heavens. This was a temple reaching the sphere of the gods through, right? It reached the gods through that temple With the stairway being the means by which men ascended to the gods and by which the gods descended to men And this is what they doing In essence, they will use their technological powers to glorify and fortify themselves.

Look at again verse 4. Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves. lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. This is to glorify and to fortify. They glorify themselves by wanting to make notice, a name for themselves. We're going to make a name for ourselves. Here is pride.

They want to make a name for themselves with this great achievement, this great technological achievement. They want to exalt themselves. They want to glorify their names. The monument was a means to glorify themselves. The spirit of the world speaks here. Men talk to each other in grandiose terms as if they've made the ultimate achievement.

And that's the way mankind talks, isn't it? They take pride in themselves. Look at how we have conquered space. Right? That's not exactly a way of honoring God. we've conquered space look at our advance in genetics someday we'll be able to do genetic engineering and eliminate so many of the diseases that plague mankind see the spirit of the world talking here this is pride we're going to make a name for ourselves not only do they glorify themselves but they fortify themselves they do not want to be scattered or dispersed in in absolute rebellion against what God had told them to do.

Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth. By the way, he said that to the sons of Noah. Noah, if you will, is this, if you read the story of Noah, it's couched in terms that make it sound like a second creation story. All the same things, some things change, but some things God says, I want you to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Here they say, no, we're going to stay here.

We're going to stay here. And so this skyscraper is a symbol of their titanic self-assertion against God. No, we're not going to do what God says. They will crowd together to preserve their identity and to control their fortunes. No one's going to tell us what to do. We're going to stay here.

We're going to build this. again the spirit of the world speaks it must be right we're all doing it this is what we all agree on it can't be wrong because this is what we all agree on it sounds just like today I mentioned this in Sunday school class this morning the more things change the more they remain the same because we're working with the same material called humanity right here's pride or here's them fortifying themselves it can't be wrong because this is what we're saying we're going to do oh man it's like today look at the monument or the tower today of transsexual advocacy and homosexuality and advocacy and all the LGBTQ plus stuff that's going on it can't be wrong we all agree who are you to disagree so you see the tower of babel speaks of pride and self-reliance and rebellion that's the point pride self-reliance and rebellion now comes the pivotal point in the story god enters the story now this is god entering the story beginning in verse 5 follow as i read and the lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.

So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Now, since we've listened to pride, we now need to listen to God. Listen to God.

Now the first thing that surely must strike you is the Lord came down. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Isn't God omnipresent? Isn't God everywhere? Isn't that what we've been taught?

That God is everywhere. He doesn't have to come down. He's already there. Maybe he's nearsighted, and he has to come down to get a closer look. Why is that there? Why is that term there?

It's satire. It's a satirical comment. Man builds this ultimate architectural monument, this incredibly significant city, with this unbelievable tower in it. But in reality, it is so tiny, it is so puny, it is so insignificant that God has to come down to see it. Moses intends you to get that. You think you're so significant, I've got to come all the way down from heaven just to see it.

And then he uses a strange term that's not used anywhere else. Children of man. Children of man. What an unusual expression. not only is this such an insignificant feat but its builders are nothing more than frail mortal earthlings you think you so great You children of man You just these insignificant things That's God's opinion of man's such grandiose schemes.

Always remember, when you start getting impressed with all that we've done, compared to God, it's insignificant. It's puny. By the way, we never discover something new. Here's how you need to think about human achievement or human thinking. We are doing nothing more than thinking God's thoughts after Him. Think about that for a minute.

We're thinking God's thoughts after Him. Everything that we discover is nothing more than uncovering what God always had in place. Everything that we think is so great and monumental in terms of human achievement is nothing more than thinking God's thoughts after him. It isn't that significant when compared to God. See, that's the point. That's the point.

The Lord came down. This is so insignificant and so puny. and yet note there is a significant danger with this united pride and self-reliance whatever man proposes to do will not be stopped is this the voice of a frightened monarch oh no i've got to do something or nothing will stop them no he's not saying if i don't do something quick here they'll succeed in their wicked schemes and i won't be able to stop them That's not what's going on. It's not the voice of a frightened monarch.

It's the voice of the Savior King determined to accomplish the purpose He has in sending the promised seed. There is a disaster awaiting the human race if God does not intervene. It is the disaster of united apostasy. Here's the way to think about it. Suppose all of the world, the entire world is of one religion that the only true worshipers can be found in Marion County.

That's pretty awful to think about, isn't it? The whole world, except for the people of Marion County, are the true worshipers of God. Who are the true worshipers of God? God foresees that his people will find themselves again where Noah found himself where all the world except for that one small family right? by the way, again as you read through the Noah narratives that is God preserving his seed he destroys the united evil of all of mankind in this one family He destroys it and saves the seed through that family.

Right? Noah is a transitional figure that takes us from one world into another. And so this is God again. Unless God intervenes, it will be disaster for humankind because then the promise of the seed will not come. Once more, how will God accomplish His redemptive purpose? God must judge mankind.

But He's also made a promise. Remember what the promise is? He's not going to wipe out mankind with the universal flood. So He's not going to do that. How is He going to do it? What we see in verses 7 through 9 now is that God intervenes with judgment.

Now see the irony of the judgment. An irony that Moses wants you to see. Verse 7. Verse 7. Come. Come, let us go down.

That is in direct distinction to what you read in verse 4. Come, let us build. Come, let us go down. Here's the irony of the judgment. God says, come let us in response to man's come let us. The rallying cry of man is no match for the rallying cry of heaven.

Man's determined actions are nothing when God determines to respond. And the judgment is really quite simple. Note, the judgment is quite simple. It's not catastrophe, it's confusion. there's God's judgment. It's not catastrophe this time. It's confusion.

So that no one can understand one another. And the lack of communication brings this building project to a halt. I mean, surely you've gone back there in your imagination, haven't you? To that first day, you wake up, Jason shows up at the work site, and he says, good morning. Frank shows up and says, Buenos dias. And Joe shows up and says, Guten tag.

And Dan shows up and says, Buona dimenazza. And it gets worse from there. Like, bring me those bricks. What's in the plans? They can't understand one another. To me it's fascinating that God instead of bringing catastrophe brings only confusion.

And thus brings the judgment so that the seed, the fruit, The promise of the seed is kept. And through the change of language, God shatters man's supposed invincibility. Right? What did they say? What did they say in verse 4? Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

Well, now they can't understand one another. It's chaos. they separate into their language groups. Alright? The Lord scatters them. And by the way, it takes no earthly army it doesn't even take a heavenly army to scatter them, does it? It doesn't take any of that.

God is sovereign. God is sovereign so that even the foolish sinful acts of man can be turned to submit to His will. Just by what He does. And through the change of language, God humbled man's proud self-exaltation. What did they want to do? No, what did they want to do?

They wanted to make a name for themselves. Did they make a name for themselves? Yes. What is the name they got? Babel. Confusion. by the way that's the etymology of the English word Babel it's this Babel Babel the word Babel that's there in the Hebrew meant Babel alright they got the name they got the name the name is confusion they wanted to make a name for themselves God gave them a name confusion.

Now this narrative ends in a different way than the others that have proceeded up here. And if you read through the book of Genesis, you see that sin advances and God brings judgment, but then he gives grace. Right? Adam and Eve sin. God brings judgment, but then what? He covers their nakedness.

Cain kills Abel. God brings judgment but then he also brings grace he puts a mark on Cain by the way the mark of Cain is a mark so that no one would touch him no one would kill him that was God's grace judgment grace judgment grace only this time it's just judgment you don't see any grace at the end of this you don't see any grace at the end of this there's no token of grace no promise of blessing no hope of salvation There no clothing for the naked sinner no protective mark for the fugitive no rainbow in the sky It doesn happen here This story ends with judgmental scattering and confusion The blessing is not here. The blessing arrives in chapter 12, where God chooses a man by which the seed will come.

But you don't find it here at the end of this narrative. You don't find it. The world has to wait for the new history. Well, we've listened to pride. We've listened to God. We need to listen to the lessons now.

You can never exalt yourself without judgment. Jesus himself said, those who exalt themselves will be abased. You know what? differences in language constantly remind us, should remind you of God's curse. The differences of language should always remind you of God's judgment. Just like from the beginning chapters, toil in your work reminds you of judgment and curse.

The pain of childbirth reminds you of judgment and curse. The rainbow reminds you of judgment. so the differences in language constantly should remind you of sin and judgment and i get it i get it i remember those early years when i went to romania and you know those were the years of romanians poverty um they were an isolated country english was not very well known at that time And I remember the frustration of it, just trying to communicate, always having to have someone else who knew the language talk for me and for them. Even now, you know, the last time I was there, I had to get to class.

I was at Niku's house. Niku had already gone. They were letting me get some sleep or something like that. so I called an Uber driver my first Uber ride was in Romania I called an Uber driver and he came and picked me up and he took his phone and he'd hold it back like this and I'd say something and he'd play it and then he'd say something in Romanian and hold it back and play it and that's how we communicated because the phone translated everything the point is it just reminds you of judgment and curse because we just can't understand one another, right?

And by the way, God wrote this for his people Israel on their way to Canaan. They could look over the nations and see the descendants of Babel and Babylon and might be tempted to laugh or judge them, but God was also saying you get proud as well and you can be scattered You can be scattered and that exactly what happened didn it and god wrote this for his people today exalt yourself and you will face judgment quite possibly judgment now but most certainly a horrific judgment in the future pride is no small thing in god's eyes i always remember this pride is no small thing in god's eyes it is you seeking to sit on god's throne. But you see, God not only hates pride, but he provides an answer to it.

Think about this. God does not conquer our pride through judgment. Judgment doesn't conquer pride. How do I know that? Because he judged, he judged the pride of the people of Babel, so we don't struggle with pride anymore, do we? Judgment doesn't stop pride.

Pride did not stop with the judgment of Babel. God conquers pride by humiliating his own son. That's how God conquers pride. through the humiliation of his own son. And by the humiliation of his own son, God produces people who don't live for themselves, but live for his glory. Who don't try to glorify themselves, but seek to glorify God. Look at the Apostle Paul.

One of my favorite verses, Philippians 1.20, where he says to the Philippians, pray that I'll have sufficient courage so that now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. What happens to me is not important. They can kill me. They can let me go. The only thing I want is for Jesus to be exalted. Right?

And he says in 2 Timothy, I am the chief of sinners. Right? The great Apostle Paul, I am the chief of sinners, but God saved me to show the immeasurable mercy of Jesus so His name would be exalted. You see, and then you look at Jesus facing His own humiliating death and what does He say? You remember what He says? He says, it's for this hour that I have come.

Father, glorify Your name. You see, God humiliated His Son in the most humiliating death imaginable. To conquer your pride. He does it through this Savior. And as the gospel of that death goes into the world God begins to reverse the curse He does You want to see that Look at Pentecost Pentecost is a snapshot into the future. You remember what happened at Pentecost?

The apostles got up to preach and everybody heard the message in their own language. All those different languages that were there all heard the message in their own language. There is a snapshot of the future. And he continues that work in the church now. I want you to consider this, that the differences in language produced all these different cultures around the world.

The way we talk about reality affects the way we think. And so all these cultures around were produced. But guess what? God continues the work of reversing the curse of Babel in the church now. as he says in Colossians chapter 3, here in the church, there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all.

And one day we'll enjoy the ripe fruit of that death as people from every nation sing together in one language before the throne of the Lamb. And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priest to our God and they shall reign on the earth and they sing of his glory. You see, this story is about pride.

How much God hates it. But pointing forward to the conquest of that pride in the Lord Jesus. Father, thank You for Your Word. It speaks to us, Lord. It comes right to our hearts as You intended because even in the stories of those that preceded us in the history of mankind, you speak to us today how we thank you for that. You are so good to us.

You are so good in helping us to see where pride takes us, what it does, what you think of it, and what you've done to conquer it. Lord God of heaven, thank you for your word this morning. We pray that we would live lives that hate pride, Repent of it. And seek Jesus. And to seek to be like Him. Thank you, Father.

In Jesus' name, Amen.