Sermon for May 22nd, 2026

Genesis 11:1-9 (OT p. 9)

1Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ 5The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6And the LORD said, ‘Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech.’ 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Acts 2:1-4 (NT p. 119)

1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

The Tower of Babel: God's Curse or God's Gift?

Today we're talking about the famous Tower of Babel in Genesis.

Now, the tallest building here in El Paso, standing at 313 feet tall, is the West Star Tower. But did you know that one of our native species of frogs—the Rio Grande Leopard Frog—can jump even higher than the West Star Tower?

The Rio Grande Leopard Frog can jump about two feet into the air. But the West Star Tower can't jump at all.

Most biblical scholars consider our scripture passage today to be an etiological story—a story intended to explain the origin of something.

Where did we come from? Why don't snakes have legs? Why does that giant rock over there look kind of like a person?

All cultures have etiological stories as part of their oldest and earliest literary traditions.

The story of the Tower of Babel, in particular answers the question, "Why do those people over there speak a different language from us?"

It might also answer the question, "What's the deal with that enormous, ancient-looking, ruined building in the distance over there?"

The middle east is filled with ziggurats—terraced, pyramid-like buildings that were built by ancient Sumerians and Babylonians as religious temples.

Around the time the Book of Genesis was being written, most of these would already have been abandoned for hundreds of years, and their function would have been somewhat of mystery to the inhabitants of the land.

But whatever the story of the Tower of Babel was originally intended to explain, like most etiological stories in Genesis, it also comes with a moral: a teaching about the relationship between God and God's people, and what God wants us to do (or not do).

That's the part I'd like to focus on today.

The teaching at the heart of this story is usually presented as a teaching about the dangers of human arrogance, and God's punishment (or curse) in response to that arrogance.

I completely disagree with that take on this story.

I think it paints both God and humanity in the worst possible light, and it fails to take into account the bigger picture of what God is doing throughout the Book of Genesis, and throughout the course of human history.

But for those of you who are not familiar with this story (or need a refresher), here's how that interpretation usually goes:

All of the world's population, still concentrated in the fertile crescent and still speaking one language, develop the technology of brick and mortar, and the ability to build tall buildings.

They pat themselves on the back and say, "We're so awesome we don't need God anymore—we can build a building so tall that we can climb up into the heavens, and make a name for ourselves.

God says, "oh no you won't" and comes down to wreck their tower, magically poofing (or confusing) their words so that they can't understand each other anymore:

"Now you speak Hebrew... now you speak Latin... now you speak Greek... now you speak Ugaritic (sorry about that). That'll teach you to cooperate with each other against me!

And the people learned their lesson, and they never ever built tall buildings ever again.

You see the problems, here, right? To get to this version of the story, you have to disregard a fair amount of the text itself, and read some things into it that aren't actually there.

So let's take a closer look at what is there in the text, and what's going on all around the text in Genesis, and how it all fits together

Verses 1-4: Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’

Nowhere in this story does God (or the narrator) say that the people are arrogant. It just says they desire to build a tower with its top in the heavens.

We could read that as arrogant, but we could also read it as a desire to be closer to God. That is, after all, why churches through the ages have spires and steeples and pitched roofs that lift our eyes (and our hearts) to the heavens.

I think the reason their desire to build a tower gets interpreted as hubris is the next part, "Let us make a name for ourselves." Let US make (or seize or take) a name for OURSELVES.

But compare this with Proverbs 22, which says that "a good name is to be chosen (or taken, or seized) rather than great riches."

Or compare to 2nd Samuel 8:13, where we read that "David made a name for himself..." and God continues to favor him, calling him "a man after my own heart."

I don't think God has any inherent problem with us making a name for ourselves, especially if our heart and our motives are in the right place.

In the story of the Tower of Babel, we should ask the question, WHY do they want to make a name for themselves?

Does the text say, "so that we can be like God?" No. It says, "otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."

That's their reasoning. That's their motive.

And why would they be so afraid of being scattered abroad upon the face of the earth?

Well... Just two chapters before this one, we find the story of Noah's ark and the Great Flood that wiped out most of the earth (also probably an etiological story itself).

They are survivors of recent trauma, and so it's not surprising that they want to stick together, that they want to build up as high as possible to avoid the flood waters.

Why didn't they just trust the rainbow, the promise that God made not to flood them again?

You all remember the story of the man caught in a flood, who prayed to God to save him. A truck drives by and says, "Get in" but the man says "no, I have faith that God will save me."

Long story short, he declines a lift from a boat and a helicopter, too, and then dies in the flood. When he gets to heaven, he says, "God I don't understand—I had faith you would save me." God says, "I sent you a truck, a boat, and a helicopter—work with me!"

Or maybe God said, "I gave you bricks and mortar and the sense to use them, why didn't you build a building higher than the flood waters?"

Ok, so far we've seen the story from the people's point of view. But halfway through the story, the narrative shifts to God's point of view:

Verse 5: The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the LORD said, ‘Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

Let's pause there for a second. Does that sound like God is angry?

It sounds to me like what I would say about my children if I saw them working together, not fighting with each other—establishing a plan and making it happen.

Wow! This is only the beginning of what they will do: [And they can build this thing together, stand it strong forever, nothing's gonna stop them, nothing's gonna stop them...]

I don't think God is angry with them. I don't think God is afraid of them. I think God is proud of them.

What God says next though, should be heard in this context. And with the help of a good Hebrew dictionary.

Verse 7: Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech.’ So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

This is the part that seems like a curse—God "confused" their language, and then did the very thing they were scared of—he scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

But I want to continue the parent/child analogy here: When my children do something amazing, and I get a glimpse of what they are capable of, I also know that the biggest obstacle they will face moving forward… is fear.

Look, Dad! I did the thing! But...please don't ask me to actually do it in front of anyone else!

Scattering the people abroad over the face of the earth is what the people were afraid of. But it's also the very first commandment (and blessing) that God gave to them in the very first chapter of the Bible:

Genesis 1:27-28: So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth."

And right here, in Genesis Chapter 11, after the Garden, after the Flood, for the first time, God looks at the people, sees what they are doing, sees what they are capable of and says...

They are finally ready. They can really do it. Now is the time. All they need is just one... more... thing. One more gift, one more blessing. And here it is:

The NRSV translation says that God "confused" their language.

The Hebrew word there is נָבְלָ֥ה (na-be-lah). Here's the dictionary entry for that word in Hebrew: To overflow, to mix, to anoint, to confound, to provide for.

Yes, to mix or confound are valid options for translation. But so are to overflow, to anoint, to provide for. And these make far more sense in the greater context of the passage.

God is saying, you are full of potential, and your language, your communication, is key to that—now let me overflow it, let me anoint it, let me provide EVEN MORE of it for you.

Because we know that with an explosion of languages comes an explosion of cultures, an explosion of perspectives, an explosion of experiences.

Science and lots of research tell us people who learn more than one language have consistent cognitive, social, and economic advantages.

So do people who travel, people who embrace a diversity of cultures and experiences.

As people living in a border community, we know this. We love this. Here at First Presbyterian Church, we've made language and culture one of the five foundational pillars of our school (thank you, Laura Price, for helping ME to see that and make that connection).

Here at First Presbyterian Church, we see the diversity of language and culture not as a curse or a punishment, but rather as a blessing, as a gift from God to help us be more human, as we fill the earth.

Ok, we’re going to zoom now and fast forward a few thousand years.

Because the perfect bookend to the story of the Tower of Babel comes later, in the New Testament, in the earliest days of the Christian church, as described in our scripture passage from Acts chapter two.

Where do we find God's people, in the aftermath of Jesus' death and resurrection?

You'd think they'd be energized, ready to take on the challenge that Jesus gave them when he ascended into heaven, and said "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to all creation."

Where do we find them?

Acts 2, verse 1: When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

Sound familiar? They were probably scared. They were in the upper room, perhaps seeking higher ground, or maybe just trying to be closer to God.

But they were ready. They had seen great things, they had learned great things, God was proud of them, and it was just the beginning of what they could do.

All they needed was one more gift, and Jesus had promised them it was coming soon. What was the gift?

Verse2: And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

People of First Presbyterian Church: The blessing of Babel, the promise of Pentecost, is for you. Today.

God is proud of you. You're ready, and this is only the beginning of what you can do.

Nothing you propose will be impossible for you now.

What seems like confusion or chaos… what seems mixed-up or misunderstood?

That might be a little push—a gift from God— to broaden your horizons, to stretch your understanding, to send you out into a big, beautiful world full of languages, cultures, and experiences.

So go make a name for yourself.

Fill the world with your hope. Share it with your neighbors. And bless it with God's favor and love.