Ancient gods, Modern Worshipers Part 2- Introduction to Babel
In the last part, I wrote about the origin of idolatry. In this part, I write about Babel. I provide some biblically based, historical context for the subject. Alright, let’s go!
After the first humans were driven out of the Garden of Eden for their disobedience, they were subjected to live in a fallen, sinful world.
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24
Humans who were created good became tainted by the imperfection of sin. To put things in perspective, the first son of the first humans Cain, murdered his younger brother out of jealousy. This type of act became commonplace for humans. However, things took a more egregious turn, in the sixth chapter of Genesis. In the previous part, I spoke about heavenly beings created by God. Some of these beings came in the form of men and had sexual relations with women.
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Genesis 6:1–2
The sons of God referenced in the above-quoted verses are heavenly beings. This act was unnatural and a defiance of God’s order. God would punish these beings.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;1 Peter 2:4–5
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. Jude 1:6
The Bible tells us these beings were imprisoned for their actions. But the result of their actions had a terrible impact on the world.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. Genesis 6:4–5
The word “Nephilim” is a variation of a Hebrew word that means giant, especially one that is a bully or a tyrant. The children of these unnatural sexual relations were not normal humans. They had superhuman strength and invented evil things, using supernatural wisdom. God saw this as a threat to humanity and his plan for the salvation of humanity; hence, he proposed to destroy the world with a flood. God is merciful, so he tells Noah to build an ark to preserve the lives of those who believe in His plan to destroy the corrupt world. God was patient with the world for 120 years, within those years he asked Noah to build an ark and to warn the people to escape from the coming flood.
Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3
Sadly, only Noah’s family heeded the warning and was saved from the flood. He was instructed to preserve all animals male and female in the ark.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month — on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in. Genesis 7:11–16
The floods rescinded, Noah, his family, and the animals came out of the ark. Then God blessed Noah and his family.
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. Genesis 9:1
That blessing implied that God expected humans to spread through the whole world, this is very important to this discussion. Also, God promised not to destroy all of humanity, the way he did with the flood and his proof of this covenant was the rainbow.
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you — the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you — every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:8–16
Noah and his children start to multiply as commanded by God. But one of their descendants is highlighted for his prominence and his name is Nimrod.
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land, he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth, Calah, and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah — which is the great city. Genesis 10:8–12
This man is described as a great hunter and warrior. Who beginning from Babylon, started to conquer other territories and build cities. Under this man’s leadership, the whole world gathered to build an incredibly high tower. A tower so high it would touch the heavens. Then God looked down on their plan, confused their language, and scattered them.
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 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. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel — because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. Genesis 11:1–9
I previously had issues with this portion of the Bible. It bothered me that God confused people, just because they wanted to reach him. It looked like a contradiction of God’s character.
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace — as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. 1 Corinthians 14:33
In the next part, I will write more about the Tower of Babel and its implication for the spread of idolatry. Thank you for reading. Please clap, comment, and share.
