The Tower: Pride, Scattering, and Nations

The Tower: Pride, Scattering, and Nations

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Series: Genesis: Foundations of Covenant and Redemption

What if Babel wasn’t really about a tower of bricks? What if it was about humanity’s obsession with control, about our relentless drive to exalt our own names instead of lifting up the Name of the Living God?

Genesis 11 is not a children’s story about an unfinished tower. It is the root of every empire, every idol, every rebellion against God. And it is also the soil from which God calls Abraham, and through him, Messiah.

The scattering of nations wasn’t only punishment—it was mercy. It was God restraining evil, slowing corruption, and preparing the way for covenant redemption.

So the question remains: Are we still building Babels today?

One Language, One Agenda

Genesis 11:1–4 (CJB) tells us:

“The whole earth used the same language, the same words. It came about that as they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shin‘ar and lived there. They said to one another, ‘Come, let’s build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.’”

The Hebrew phrase saphah echad (“one lip”) means more than just one language—it implies unity of thought, purpose, and culture. But unity itself is not righteousness. Humanity was united, but not for God’s glory.

Their goal was clear: “Let us make a name for ourselves.” In Hebrew, shem means authority, reputation, legacy. Babel represents man exalting his own name. By contrast, God’s covenant with Abram promises: “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2).

Pride and Ziggurats

In the Ancient Near East, ziggurats were massive stepped towers linking heaven and earth. They were thought to be stairways for the gods, places where the divine descended and humanity ascended.

But Babel’s builders sought something different. They wanted control, not worship. They wanted to manipulate heaven, to secure divine presence on their own terms. As Dr. Michael Heiser notes, Babel represents humanity’s attempt to seize sacred space apart from God’s covenant.¹

Dr. Skip Moen reminds us that when the biblical text speaks of a name, it is about identity, authority, and destiny.² At Babel, mankind attempted to seize what only God can bestow.

God’s Descent and the Divine Council

Genesis 11:5–7 says:

“ADONAI came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ADONAI said, ‘Look, the people are united, they all have a single language, and see what they’re starting to do! At this rate, nothing they set out to accomplish will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse their language, so that they won’t understand each other’s speech.’”

The irony is striking: humanity’s tower was meant to reach the heavens, yet it was so small that God had to “come down” to see it. Then He speaks in the language of His Divine Council: “Let Us go down.”

This scattering was not chaos. It was divine restraint.

Scattering as Mercy

To human eyes, scattering looks like judgment. But in truth, it was mercy. A single empire in rebellion would mean global tyranny. Division slowed corruption.

Deuteronomy 32:8–9 clarifies the cosmic dimension:

“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage.”

At Babel, God disinherited the nations, assigning them to lesser spiritual rulers. Israel, however, was reserved for the LORD Himself. And from Abram, God begins His covenant plan to bless all nations.

Babel → Babylon

Babel was more than a city—it was a seed. That seed grew into Babylon, the symbol of human arrogance from Nimrod to Nebuchadnezzar, and ultimately to Revelation’s Babylon the Great.

Every empire built on man’s name collapses. Only God’s covenant endures.

From Scattering to Covenant

Genesis 11 ends not with the tower, but with a genealogy—from Shem to Abram.

While the nations scatter, God begins to gather. Out of confusion, He calls. Out of rebellion, He redeems. Out of Babel comes the covenant.

Challenge and a Choice

Babel is not just ancient history. It is a mirror held up to every age. Pride says: “I will make a name for myself.” Covenant says: “God, exalt Your Name through me.”

The challenge: Where are you building towers in your life?

•A tower of career?

•A tower of family control?

•A tower of religion without surrender?

The choice: Will you live scattered in pride—or gathered in covenant?

Prayer of Salvation

If you are tired of running and ready to put your trust in Jesus the Messiah right now, pray this with me from your heart:

Father in Heaven, I come to You with humility and faith. I admit that I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory, just as Your Word says in Romans 3:23.

I turn from my sins and return to You. I believe that Jesus the Messiah is the promised Savior, the Son of the Living God. I believe He died for my sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, just as the Scriptures say in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and 1 Corinthians 15:3–4.

Your Word promises in Joel 2:32 and Romans 10:13 that everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved. Today, I call on Your Name. Forgive me, cleanse me, and make me new. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and from this day forward I will follow Jesus as my Lord, my Redeemer, and my King.

Thank You for saving me, for making me part of Your family, and for giving me eternal life. In the Name of Jesus the Messiah, the King of Kings, I pray. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer today, I want to welcome you into the family of God! This is the most important decision you will ever make. And you do not have to walk this road alone.

I have helped many take their first steps as followers of Jesus, and I would be honored to walk with you as well. Please reach out to me directly at TrueWordFaithforLife.com. I will personally connect with you and help guide you in your next steps—whether that means learning Scripture more deeply, finding a community of believers, or growing in your faith day by day.

You are not alone. Let me walk with you in the Way.

Beloved, the Tower of Babel warns us: pride scatters, covenant gathers. Human towers fall, but God’s covenant endures forever.

So live not in Babel, but in covenant.

Shalom b’Shem Yeshua.

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Footnotes

1.Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 113–15.

2.Arthur J. (Skip) Moen, Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God (Jacksonville, FL: At God’s Table, 2016), 142–45.

3.John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 123–27.

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Bibliography

Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015.

Moen, Arthur J. (Skip). Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God. Jacksonville, FL: At God’s Table, 2016.

Walton, John H. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006.

Study Guide

The Tower: Pride, Scattering, and Nations

Genesis 11:1–32

Key Scriptures

•Genesis 11:1–9 — The Tower of Babel

•Deuteronomy 32:8–9 — Nations divided

•Genesis 12:1–3 — God’s call to Abram

•Daniel 4:30 — Babylon’s pride

•Revelation 17–18 — Babylon the Great

Key Themes

1.Unity Without God — One language, one agenda, but against God’s design.

2.Self-Exaltation — “Let us make a name for ourselves” versus God’s covenant promise to Abram.

3.Ziggurats and ANE Religion — Human attempts to control divine presence.

4.God’s Descent — The irony of heaven looking down at man’s pride.

5.Scattering as Mercy — Division restrains evil.

6.Babel → Babylon — The thread of rebellion through history.

7.Covenant Begins — Out of scattering, God calls Abram.

Reflection Questions

1.Why is unity without God dangerous?

2.How does Babel’s “name for ourselves” contrast with God making Abram’s name great?

3.What modern “towers” do people build today?

4.How does God’s scattering show both judgment and mercy?

5.How does the Babel story prepare for the gospel?

Challenge

•Identify one “tower” you may be building. Surrender it to God this week.

•Pray daily: “Lord, make Your Name known through me.”

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