Advanced Level, Block 2—Result of Entering the Good Land
Week 13
Building a Tower Brings God’s Judgment
Point to Emphasize: We must never forsake God, be involved with idolatry, or make a name for ourselves.
Reference Reading: Genesis 10:8, footnote 1; 11:1-9, all footnotes
Memory Verse: Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)
Story Sample
In Genesis 11:1-4 there is a story that we will talk about today. Let’s read these verses together:
“And the whole earth had one language and the same speech. And as they journeyed east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had tar for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the surface of the whole earth.”
So, tell me, what is happening here? [Let the children describe what is happening.] Does it seem so bad to you? [Let them talk about whether it seems bad or not.] Well, if I had read this when I was your age I might not have seen what was really happening. It does not seem that bad that people should get together and build a city and then a high tower.
But we need to remember that these people had all forsaken God. They wanted nothing to do with God and they were all worshipping idols. They worked very hard to build this city and high tower. Instead of using stones to make their buildings, they made bricks. You can easily pick up stones, but bricks are made by mixing soil, sand, straw, and water. Then you must make them all the same size and dry them in a furnace. It took a lot of labor to build this city. It was man-made, and it was Godless.
According to historical records and archeological evidence, the city and tower of Babel were full of the names of idols. So, on the bricks were the names of the idols. HOW AWFUL!
And the tower was built to reach into the heavens. A tower is like a huge advertisement billboard on the freeway. It is declaring something to everyone who sees it. This tower declared that they opposed God and exalted their idols. It declared that God had no authority or right over them. The tower declared that the whole human race was opposing God and that the whole human race was exalting idols.
We must admit that this is what much of our society does today. Instead of talking about the Bible, God, or things related to God, many children, and especially young people, want to spend their time on social media. On various devices and screens, many of them idolize famous people in sports or entertainment. They love this singer’s name, their song, and the way they dress, or they love that sports player’s name, how fantastic they are, and how they beat out everyone else. They want to follow them, follow all that they say and do. Isn’t this to idolize them? Yes, it is. And what about us? Will we be like everyone else, idolizing others? [This should lead to a discussion with the children. We may regard and respect others in a proper way but we should never uplift them as one that we follow and idolize.]
The tower was also making a name for themselves and denying the name of God. This is what bragging does. It puts our name above others. By bragging, we advertise ourselves. When you get a great score on a video game, do you like to brag about it to others? What is it that makes you want to let them know that you are the best and that everyone else is under you? When you are the only one who gets a perfect score on a test, do you like to let so many people know around you? Or maybe you were the only one who memorized your verse that week, and you like to tell others how proud you are of yourself. This is to brag and to advertise yourself as you brag. When we talk about it like this, we all can admit that it is a shame to do this. [This should lead to a discussion with the children. There is a difference between bragging to put yourself on top of everyone else and giving someone genuine credit for a job well done and being pleased with yourself for a real accomplishment.]
Now, we come to the end of the story found in Genesis 11. God could not tolerate this situation, so He came down and judged all of mankind. He confounded their language, so they could no longer understand each other. Now what would they do? The people were forced to stop building their city with its tower, and they were scattered over all the earth. This ending is a warning to us. God is now tolerating what occurs on the earth, but one day He will judge anything that has to do with idols, just as He came and judged the city and tower in Genesis 11. Our memory verse today tells us that we must guard ourselves from being involved with idols or idolizing anyone or anything. This verse will help us as we grow older. We must all make the decision never to forsake God and never to be involved with idolatry or be those who make a name for ourselves.