[And He Walks With Me] Genesis 11
1-9 This account is a sort of parenthetical. Several generations have passed since the flood, but this passage reveals that the flood did not fix humanity’s bent toward sin. Judgment and destruction alone do not fix people. People need to be redeemed, and this account stands as proof that God’s long-term plan for redemption is still necessary.
1 Language is more than the words used to convey ideas. From the sounds used to its grammar and syntax, language embodies the way people think, what they know, and how they view the world. To say that The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary, then, is to say that everyone everywhere thinks the same way, knows that same things, and views the world through the same lens. When all these things are true, there may be differences of opinion and minor disputes, but at a fundamental level, the people are the same. This is the most basic element of unity. We must lament how many times in our churches, communities, and nation we may have the same language but not the same vocabulary (i.e., understand the same concepts). Or we may have the same vocabulary but not the same language (i.e., assumptions about how to use those concepts, frameworks for viewing the world). And I cannot help but think that a huge part of what Jesus meant when he said, Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) was that his followers will endeavor to help the people around them rediscover the same language and vocabulary so we may be ambassadors for Christ and engage in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
2 The phrase rendered by the CSB from the east is translated in the NIV2011 moved eastward. In fact, the CSB footnote observes that this is an acceptable alternative translation. This alternative rendering would seem more consistent with the way east has been used as symbolic of “away from God” throughout the first part of Genesis. In the aftermath of the flood, people were once again in a single place, but now, just one chapter later, they resumed their spiral away from God.
Shinar refers to an area in the southern part of the Tigris-Euphrates River basin. It was referred to as Sumer in other ancient Near Eastern texts and extends as far north as the area where the rivers converge in modern Iraq. Cain may have built for himself a city-like fortress, but this is the era and area where urbanization really developed.[20]
3 The invention of oven-fired bricks was a significant milestone in the development of civilization. Previous generations were limited to using trees and rocks to build houses and such. Therefore, they could build only as long as such things were available in an area. The advent of bricks, however, meant that they could build things as long as they had mud, and mud is almost everywhere in almost limitless supply. This enabled a construction boom.
4 Here is a common stumbling block throughout history: whenever people discover or invent something new, there is the temptation to think of themselves as significant. The city here represented a new degree of self sufficiency in which the people no longer relied on God for protection and strength, and a tower with its top in the sky was nothing short of an intent to join the panoply of gods in heaven. The people wanted to make a name for ourselves rather than glorify the name of the Lord. They thought they held the keys to continued unity and success. Moreover, when they resolved that it would be bad if they were scattered throughout the earth, it represented a complete rejection of God’s original blessing to fill the earth, and subdue it (1:28). Instead of fanning out to fill the earth, they would consolidate everyone in one place. Instead of subduing and transforming the earth, they would fortify themselves against it. In the interest of being great, they adopted a scarcity mindset to gather what they had and protect it against everything outside, and in doing so, they closed their minds to learning more and bringing positive transformation into the world.
5 It is interesting that the Lord came down. The people were building the tower so that they could ascend to heaven and take their place among the gods, but the whole time, God was hoping to come down from heaven to fellowship with people on their turf.
6-9 The strength and danger of unity are the same: nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. This is why unity, when focused on the wrong objectives, is so dangerous. It is also why unity, when focused on the right objectives, is so important. Here, God disrupted the people’s language so their unity would be splintered and their wrong objectives thwarted. You had better believe Satan will utilize similar tactics to splinter unity and thwart right objectives, both in the Church and in the community. To counter his efforts, we must be very careful to align the language we use with the language others are using so that we are all on the same page and moving in the same direction.
10-26 This third genealogy marks a time jump from Babel to Abraham. For the significance of genealogies in Genesis, see notes on 17-24.
In this genealogical segue, we find the path from Shem to Abraham. One of the remarkable things here is the way the lifespans are contracted. Noah lived 600 years before the flood and 350 years after it, for a total of 950 years (9:28-29). Following the flood, Shem lived to the ripe old age of 603 (i.e., 100 years prior to the flood + 1 year during the flood + 2 years before Arphaxad was born + 500 years to his death). The next three generations lived only into their 430s. The following three generations lived into their 230s. Nahor lived to 148, and Terah died at 205 (32). There is a clear downward trend in lifespans as people generally move away from the Lord and the life that is available in him and God worked to realize his determination in 6:3 that mankind’s days will be 120 years.
28 Terah may have lived to 205 years (32), but his son Haran preceded him in death (28). This was a clear indicator that the world was not as it should be.
29 Iscah is mentioned only here. One wonders what significant role she played to warrant this namedrop!
30 If the death of Haran was an indicator that the world was not as it should be (28), then Sarai being unable to conceive was another clear sign. Her inability to have children prevented her from participating fully in God’s mandate to fill the earth (1:28). Fortunately, in a sin-broken world, God understands such things and does not hold us responsible for things truly outside our control. This is evidenced in the fact that God would vindicate Sarai by allowing her to conceive Isaac in her old age (21:2). However, it is important to recognize the difference between reasons and excuses. Sarai was unable to conceive was a reason. If Sarai had been unwilling to conceive, it would have been an excuse. There are many reasons today why a couple might be unable to conceive or a person might be unable to follow one of God’s other precepts. The trick is to make sure we are not failing to follow God’s command because we are unwilling.
31-32 The chapter began with people moving eastward, away from God, but it ended with Terah and his family turning around and moving back toward the Lord. The whole culture may be moving away from God, but we must defy that trend and move toward him.
It is sad that Terah was never able to fulfill the dream to reach Canaan, but he started in that direction. We may never reach our objective, but that should not keep us from starting and taking the first steps in that direction.
The fact that Terah settled in Haran raises many questions. Did Terah stop because his health or some other factor prevented him from going farther, or was it because he grew complacent and no longer possessed the resolve to move toward God. Could it be that, when Terah settled there, he really settled? It is perfectly acceptable to go as far as you can and then pass the torch to the next generation. It is entirely unacceptable to go as far as you are willing and then settle. Complacency is the antithesis of consecration.
[20] Keener and Walton 2016, Genesis 11:2