Hear the word of God as you find it in the ninth or the eleventh chapter of Genesis reading the first nine verses Now the whole earth had one language and one speech and It came to pass as they journeyed from the east that they found a plane in the land of Shinar and They dwelt there Then they said to one another come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly They had brick-firstone and they had asphalt for mortar and they said come let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens Let us make a name for ourselves Unless we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built and the Lord said indeed The people are one and they all have one language and This is what they begin to do now nothing that they proposed to do will be withheld from them come Let us go down and there confused their language that they may not understand one another's speech So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth and they ceased building the city Therefore its name is called Babel Because they're the Lord confused the language of all the earth and From there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth The word of the Lord Thanks be to God That's right together Father give us your spirit not only for the purpose of understanding your word, but please Distribute your spirit liberally among us so that we might wrestle with our own hearts and the desires and the motivations the Inclinations that are there in our hearts those Inture and unholy things which you would root out which you would first expose and then excise For our good because you love us Lord deal with us You thank you for your word and we thank you that though this narrative is From the distant past It has application to us today So use it in our lives. We pray in Jesus name amen You may be seated you may not You may not be a golfer. You may not play the game you may think golf Some form of dementia or lunacy or At least something very odd Why chase this little white sphere around a cow pasture for four and a half hours or so?
But whether you play the game of golf or not whether you have appreciation for its history It's tradition whether you know it's great names whether you know they also ran From the game of golf. I doubt that anybody here is unfamiliar With the name Tiger Woods The best players in the world are painfully aware of who he is painfully aware of who he is and what he is doing to the game of golf when Bobby Jones Who was the mind behind the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Golf Tournament when Bobby Jones first saw Jack Nicklaus play the game of golf. He said he plays a game with which I am not familiar
Jack Nicklaus played last week in the first couple of rounds with Tiger Woods and though he had watched him play At a distance he didn't have a real appreciation for Tiger's game, but Jack is now saying of Tiger he plays a game With which I am not familiar the greatest in the history of the game is in awe What Tiger Woods is doing he's simply better by a wide wide margin Then anybody else who is playing the game the records will fall Provided he remains healthy the name will be known the face in all probability will replace that of Michael Jordan as the best Recognized face in all of sport and maybe beyond sport maybe in all of life But here's what you wonder. Don't you here's what you wonder When you when you witness a phenomenon like this phenomenon You wonder what motivates Tiger What motivates him why does he do what he does why does he work so hard you probably many of you heard the stories that from the very very early age Tiger's father pasted pictures of Jack Nicklaus Around his room and then Tiger took up that habit of pasting pictures of Jack Nicklaus around his room and Jack Nicklaus's Triumphs in the game of golf and all of that all of that was there as a reminder to Tiger of what it is that he had as A life's objective that is to be the greatest player ever to play the game what motivates the person To do that And beyond Tiger Why do people embark on the kinds of exploits the kinds of pursuits the kinds of achievements That they embark upon and Related but maybe somewhat differently. Why do we make the associations that we make in the course of our lives Why do we pursue the particular relationships that we Ten to pursue why do we have the kinds of parties or the kinds of Business agreements that we have or why do we go the places we go why even Is there the kind of self denial and sacrifice that enables us to pursue these Associations or these exploits now want to be careful here? I want to be very careful there is much that is good in achievement. There is much That is good in exploit of all types There is much that is good in associations and I want to be careful because we're asking questions about the heart The motivations of the heart The things that lie beneath the surface of these associations these pursuits these exploits But can we deny Can we deny? that in much of what we do We are driven by a desire to make a name for ourselves Can we deny that? That we are driven by a desire to escape the obscurity of the ordinary to be known to be seen to be recognized to be regarded Listen to what one commentator writes As he reflects on Genesis 111 through 9 the hatred of anonymity Drives men to heroic feats of valor or long hours of drudgery Or it urges them to spectacular acts of shame or of unscrupulous self-preferment In its worst forms It tempts men to give the honor and glory to themselves Which properly belong to God That's what you see in Genesis 11 That in summary form is what this narrative is about It is about people Who pursue spectacular acts And who in a very real sense pursue spectacular acts of shame And unscrupulous self-preferment Giving glory to themselves rather than To the living God That's what Genesis 11 is about Now to put this in its context
To put this particular passage in its context Remember that this This book is written for Israelites It is addressed to the Israelites And as Bob pointed out two weeks ago chapter 10 the table of nations is like a big arrow Pointing Israel to where she is. This is where you are Israel in the midst of the nations This is where you are here in the midst of the nations And then chapter 11 describes how there came to be that diversity and plurality of Nations chapter 10 is the effect chapter 11 is the cause The effect precedes the cause in this narrative These two chapters are not in conflict with one another There's no error here. It's just that the author Moses writes about effect first He sets Israel in the midst of the nations and then he describes for Israel how there came to be the diversity of nations the cause Of that effect and so God through Moses again is reminding Israel where she is but in reminding her where she is He is also giving Israel a warning And if you'll think back several months I asked you encouraged you every time that you hear a reference made to Israel to remind yourselves that you now are the Israel of God You are the Israel of God and so when God gives a warning a reminder To this Israel remember that it has application to you the Israel of God today. This is a warning for us folks It's a warning for us Point one as you look at Genesis chapter 11 and as we unpack this Concerned that Moses has to warn people to warn the Israelites and to warn us about the dangers of Self-preferment and giving glory to man rather than God. Point one is to examine the intention of fallen mankind What is the intention of fallen mankind to make a name for himself verse verse four They said these people this homogenous people who share this one language they said come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly They had brick for stone they had asked for for mortar and they said come let us build ourselves a city and a tower Whose top is in the heavens let us make a name for ourselves Lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth It's a theme that we've encountered already in the book of Genesis if you go back to chapter four verse 17 You'll remember that after McCain has been banished from the presence of the Lord and has made a fugitive of Vagabond on the earth chapter four verse 14 He then begins to build a city he built this city and he gave his name for the city the city of his son The city of his son not giving glory to God not naming the city after the God who had made him formed him fashioned him made him prosperous and fruitful But he gave the name to his son Seeking through his son to establish his own name his own legacy genesis six chapter four or verse four In this narrative the precedes the narrative of the flood Verse three the Lord said my spirit will not strive with man forever for indeed his flesh at his days She'll be a hundred and twenty years verse four there were giants that is the Nephilim Benefilling were on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God came into the daughters of men And they bore children to them those were the mighty men of old men of renown men of a name again another Generation who sought to make a name for themselves
chapter 10 in the midst of the list of the naming of all of the nations Begot Nimrod and he began to be a mighty one In all the earth He was a mighty hunter before the Lord therefore it is said like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel Eric and the rest even Nimrod His identified as a mighty one and Nimrod is the one who through his descendants gives birth to Babel this place that is erected and raised up Where people seek to make a name for themselves So the theme returns The theme returns that people in rebellion against God will seek to establish themselves And make a name for themselves Establish their own glory Establish their own reputation Establish their own legacy make themselves and their lives the center of all of their efforts and endeavors That's the nature a Human nature. That is what man does There's some important features to this name making that are identified in this text. First of all the use of language Five times in this passage The word language or the word speech these two words are used There's an emphasis on the place of language and the use of language in this text Why was language given what is the purpose of language? Lots of answers could be given to that question But if you go back to Genesis 2 you see a godly use of language You see a right use of language versus 18 and 19 Describe the condition of Adam that he is alone in the garden and God says it is not good that he should be alone And so God promises commits himself to making a helper who is Comparable that is like unto Adam and Then God creates all of the beasts of the field and all of the birds of the air and he gives them to Adam to see what he would call them And whatever Adam called each living creature that was its name and so Adam gave Names to all cattle you see how language is used Originally in the garden before the fall language is used To identify the complexities the differences the wonder of the things that God has made Language is used to identify the works of God's hands. This is where science begins by the way folks You know what science is Science is simply the business of taxonomy reduced to its simplest definition in term Science is the business of taxonomy the reason scientists do Experiments is so that they might differentiate one thing from another and then identify that thing given name to that thing Not just in the physical and material realm, but in the realm of ideas We give names to things in both places that's science and When people do science they are doing what they were created to do and they're given an ability They're given a means by which to do that science. The means is language Names identifying things all before God and all to his glory. That's why language is given So that we might look at this marvelous world that God has made and the diversities that exist within it and we might differentiate a Pulpit or a lectern from a piece of bread So that we might differentiate things like love From hate and understand that these things are all the works of God's hands Language is used to identify what God has made. How is language used in Genesis 11 to name what man has made for his glory For his glory the second thing Technology God gives language So that we might identify the works of his hands and bring glory to him in that labor and God gives technology verse three of Chapter 11 describes this this discovery if you will that these people who are in a new environment the different place removed from their old Homeland and Removed from the materials that they used to use for building houses now discover that in this particular place There are other kinds of materials that they can use and they can make bricks out of these new kinds of materials They discover a new technology But to what end is that technology? employed The first phase of this is to discover the technology identify the technology but again the second phase Is to build a city and make a name for themselves the technology is used the same way God and the same way the language was used So that these people might make a name for themselves and then the third thing to identify to recognize About this intention of man to make a name for himself is that it stands in stark contrast to God's original mandate The original mandate was not to unite in one place The original mandate was not to build a city in a Particular locale, but the original mandate of God was to be fruitful Multiply and fill the earth God's original design was to set his image bearers across the whole face of the whole creation So that everywhere an image bearer went it would be a reminder to all other image bearers and the whole of the creation who the Lord of glory was But rather than fulfilling that purpose they plant themselves and establish themselves to make a name for themselves Language technology employed Contrary to God's purpose
God's purpose was to de-centralize Fill the old earth holer with image bearers man's purpose is to centralize Unify fill one place with his name and establish his name in that place I said this to you before I don't know if you pay any attention to some of these Assides I think it's worth contemplating that cities are dangerous places for human beings to live Because what are you surrounded by the works of your own hands? It may be spooky to sleep in the woods But you're a great deal more conscious of the works of God when you're sleeping in the woods And when you're sleeping in the city Cities are dangerous places because in cities we lose sight of very important things So what is God's response to man's intention? Man's intention is to Unify and centralize and make a name for himself God's response to interesting response Fascinating response God's response to man's intention is to investigate It's to investigate don't you love this language a verse five? But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built the Lord Came down now if you're not careful and you read that verse you can conclude wrongly What lots of commentators have concluded across The last several decades anyway that what you have here is a recognition of the fact that Israel's God was a rather primitive God that he was much like one of the localized deities of the Canaanites or the Egyptians of the Babylonians and he was removed from this city that was being built and because he is this limited finite deity he must come down from his throne and he must examine this exploit this work that these Wanderers who want to be settled are Engaged in but what you need to see in this verse is the biting biting irony in this verse Remember who we're dealing with here. We're dealing with Elohim We're dealing with the same God in 11 5 that we encountered in Genesis 1 1 in the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth Elohim that Hebrew term in its plural form which if you translated it literally means gods But Moses and God behind him means no such no such thing That there are not Diversities of God, but there is one God and that plural form exists to describe what the theologians call the plural of Magistee or the plural of Potentiality and out of the hands out of the mouth out of the mind of Elohim and Genesis 1 1 are spun the vastness of the creation and the glories of the particulars within that creation The stars are set in the heavens in their place The sun and the moon and the dry ground is formed in fashion and the waters are separated This is the God of glory. This is not a God who is asleep on his throne in some remote place But he is the God of glory Elohim Infinite eternal Unchanging in his being wisdom power Holiness justice goodness and truth and his works speak of his glory and when the text says God comes down to see the city He comes down to see something puny and small In contrast with the glory of his own works Biting biting irony Let's see if we can find it. Where is it? Where is it down there? Where is this thing of great glory and grandeur that these humans would erect whose height would reach up into the heavens? Let's go down and see if we can find it
Biting biting irony Good downtown downtown Orlando and stand in front of one of those office towers I don't know which one is the tallest one down there, but I think that there's a limit on how high you can go in the city of Orlando I think it's 30 or 31 or 32 stories something like that Do you know that if you took that building and turned it on its side It is less in distance than the pitching wedge tiger woods hit out of the rough on the 18th hole in yesterday's tournament It's imposing because it stands this way when it's put on its side It is puny and small The contrast is between the great and glorious work of God and the very very small puny works of man whose Handiwork is greater Whose handiwork is really worthy of recognition who's work really is to be glorified in all the earth
It ain't mine And it ain't yours It is the work of the God of glory and God comes down
And his judgment upon this people is first that their understanding is confused That they are no longer enabled to use this language against God and having been confused You know what happens when there are misunderstandings in the use of language people become alienated from one another And so then they are dispersed and they cover begin to cover the whole face of the whole earth When man raises his fist in defiance of God when any man would seek To get glory for himself rather than give glory to God Anytime As Jesus in the Gospels reminds us That one is seeks to be exalted will be humbled Will be humbled So what is Israel to learn? His real is to learn that she is not to be proud and lifted up Solomon made an egregious mistake Not the mistake of taking seven years to build the temple But the mistake of taking 13 years to build his personal residence
Israel is not to be proud or lifted up She used to be humbled before the Lord and as she is humbled before the Lord Then she will be the light in the midst of the nations and through her the gospel will go to the nations And so those image bearers will be found across the face of the earth But Israel became proud and lifted up and so she was humbled and she was dispersed
Israel is to know second that God's name is the name which is to be preserved I am God I am the Lord and my glory I will not give to another In no shape, no form, in no circumstance will my glory be given to another But then third And we'll get to see this unpacked in the weeks to come third God begins to give Israel the background to his great purpose Here's the startling thing the wonderful thing about what God is doing here God wanted the whole of the earth populated Inhabited with his glory bearers, but they resisted him They sinned against him and he has judged them so that now they are distributed across the face of the earth And God will make a promise to Abram that through him all the nations of the earth will indeed be blessed And those image bearers will be found across the face of the earth Because you see God's purpose will never be frustrated by the proud intentions of the human heart God will have his image bearers in every nation and race and tribe and tongue on the face of the earth But we modern day Israelites I'll learn the same things and know the same things that there is no place for being proud Lifted up God will most proud God's name is the name that is to be preserved and exalted And God will accomplish his purpose Because he has been faithful to the promise that he made to Abram That through Abram's seed the nations of the earth are being blessed Let's pray together Father help us as we come to this table particularly As we come to this table help us For the sake of your own name and glory which is a reason enough Help us to be forthright honest
Help us to be ruthlessly ruthlessly specific in the examination of our own hearts And give us grace to acknowledge those points at which we have sought to make names for ourselves Those points at which we have robbed you of your glory
As we come to this table may we see this as a gracious work in our souls May we be glad for it and may we come to this table with grateful hearts knowing that even these proud sins Are not bigger than the cross of Jesus
Here are prayers