What was the real problem?

Ok, I will bite.
I think they were wanting to be like God as always. They wanted to unite men in the strength of the flesh to show mans greatness.

There is nothing wrong with technology in itself.
Remember God created all of these things and man has just discovered them.
When we use technology to show that we don't need God, that is when we have a problem.

This here shows the total depravity of man.
Man will always try to do good on his own if left to himself..

Thankfully God intervenes.

 

Genesis was not written in chronological order. Chapter 10 should have been after chapter 11.

 

mk,

It is obvious. Language was not confused until the tower of Babel. It was then God confused the languages.

 

God commanded Noah and his descendents to go replenish the Earth...
Fill the earth with people, if you will...

They didn't want to go... they wanted to stay in one place...

Sorta like the Early church... I do see a parallel here.
The Early church was to commanded to Go into all the world and preach the gospel... IOWS, fill the earth with this new creation... the born again man.

They stayed in Jerusalem, but God allowed persecution to accomplish this commandment.


Or, I could be wrong... this is just off the top of my head...

If this is so, I wonder if there is any correlation between the fact that in Babel no one could understand each other's tongue, but at pentecost, it didn't matter what language was spoken, others understood the statements in their own language?

 

Tiny Tim has it right as far as I concerned.

 

As far as I'm concerned... God's eternal plan, his perfect blueprint, does not include mankind getting to do exactly everything he wants to do. Its kinda like my daughter... I do not allow her to do everything she wants to do. Do I violate her free will? Yes. Of course anytime we use human analogies, they can not be sufficient when describing God's attributes. God's perfect plan shall be accomplished.

 

I'm driving on Dale-C's side of the road on this one

Notice how the people got together and said

"Go to. let us make . . ."---v. 3

"Go to, let us build . . . let us make . . ."---v. 4

Then notice God's intervention in v. 5 and 6

"And the Lord came down. . ."

Pay attention to what the people wanted to do----they wanted to go up to where God was

But it was the Lord who "came down" to see the site

Notice God's direction in verse 7

"Go to, let us go down . . . "

The people had gathered to make a tower for themselves---one that would stretch to Heaven where God was

They wanted to build a city

They wanted to be "as God"

But the emphasis is on the words

The people say "Let us"

Same as what God says---when God said "Let us"

The people wanted to be as God ---- wanted to sit on a throne like God and as God---same as Satan desired

But God wasn't gonna let um---and He won't let us, either!!!!

 

The writers of Joshua and II Samuel mention the book of Jasher. A writing exists which claims to be that book. Scholars disagree on whether it is or not, but Chapter 9 fleshes out the story of the Tower of Babel.

Take this or leave it. It's interesting nonetheless.

Nimrod, the mighty hunter, became the most powerful man in that area. He built a city called Shinar, and essentially became king. And he and the people became very wicked. One day, his advisors proposed to build a city and a tower that would reach to heaven. Jasher records that the base of the tower was so large in circumference that it took three days to walk around it.

God was angered because the people said the tower would enable them to reach heaven, make war with God and replace him with their own gods. So God confounded their tongues so that no one could understand anyone else, including the tower builders.

God also sent fire from heaven to destroy the tower, and they scattered.

If you want to read the book of Jasher, just Google it. I make no claims for its accuracy, but it does parallel the Pentateuch. Some fascinating reading, true or not.

 

Same with Gen 2 and 3. It's just a "rehash" of the same events.

The "real problem" is that God had given them "collective conscience" to guide them when individual conscience failed. But even collective conscience failed to "stave off" Satan! He got them distracted by the stars.

"Rehash."

Realize that God is revealing Himself via dispensations BUT He is also revealing man's difficiencies.

That man has failed 7 times and God has "rescued man's biscuits" 7 times. Do you see that Satan has attempted to destroy the "inheritors" of the earth 6 times (Adam, Abel, Noah, Israel in Abraham, Israel in Moses, Israel in the tribulation) and God had to intervene in each case to preserve Israel who are to inherit the earth?

If you want to say this is a C/A debate about man's will, go ahead. But it is really about God's will and promises being fulfilled.

skypair

 

The sin was the fact the laborers for the tower were not union workers :laugh:

 

I agree about Jasher. While it is not Scripture, I do believe it is a good history book that aligns itself well with the Pentateuch. I found Jasher quite helpful in discerning who the "sons of God" were in Genesis that took the daughters of man as wives.

 

I must admit that was a good one!

 

The book of Jasher also says the city and tower were two days travel from Shinar.

Without hijacking he thread, it also says Abram was taught about Jehovah God by Noah and Shem, with whom he lived for several years as a child.

And Nimroad was assassinated by Esau. Nimrods soldiers chased Esau until he was exhausted. That's why he was so hungry he was willing to trade his birthright for something to eat.

The Babel story illustrates the height of arrogance on the part of Nimrod, his advisors and the people.

 

Are you, perhaps, saying that the "brick" instead of "stone" was "technology. Dr Rogers did a good sermon on this and, of course, brick was made by MAN.

Have you ever stopped to wonder whether there will be airplanes (modern technology) in the 1000 year MK? I don't think so. FWIW, I often think that oil somehow relates to the demons who are released in the 5th trumpet! I remember the wells that Saddam "torched" as his troops fled Kuwait.

Technology is invented to make things easier for man, right? What could be easier that what God provides?

skypair