(5) A State of Confusion, Genesis 11:1-32

After Noah was chosen to recreate civilization with a second chance one would think that humans would remember what the wrath of God meant if you did not follow His instructions. But unfortunately for the human race stupidity comes naturally and we still follow our own desires. The 11th chapter of Genesis is another lesson on human stupidity. The true meaning behind this lesson is how God told man not to settle into one place. If you read chapter 9 you will see that God gave strict orders of how man was supposed to fill the earth. Staying in one place was no a choice. But man took it anyway.

• 1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
• 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
• 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
• 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
• 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
• 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
• 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
• 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
• 9 That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Man did not listen to the instruction of God so He confused our languages. If you read into it, not only did He confuse our language, He scattered the human race Himself. How did man get everywhere even on remote islands and three major landmasses? God did it. Not evolution. This passage tells us of the original sin of Adam and Eve, following our own desires, trying to become like God. Remember that is how the serpent tricked Adam and Eve. He said they would be like God. Here we have the same sin, and the same penalty---separation. This time from each other.

In this short lesson we actually learn even more about ourselves. Over the thousands of years that have passed since this event, many false interpretations have come out of it. Here are two of them:

1. Since Ham was cursed and his descendants became the African races and the Bible says they would become slaves to their brothers then it gives the "Europeans" the right to own slaves
2. Since God separated the "races" here that means He didn't want any intermixing of races.

These two misinterpretations are the main reasons why we racism today. Unfortunately we are taught, programmed and/or raised with some of these feelings. Slavery is not an institution created nor condoned by God. Racism is a form of murder. If this is not believable then you need to read Matthew 5:21-26. Murder is any feeling of hatred towards your brother. The other misconception about interracial couples starts off false because it is not about race. It is about language. The only thing God says not intermarry with is another religion! Plus different languages does not mean a different race. If that was true then German is a race. English is a race. French is a race. Or Swahili is a race. Bantu is a race. White is NOT a race. Black is NOT a race. Only different amounts of melanin. If this was the true case then anyone of German decent marrying anyone of English decent must be committing sins. No. Human stupidity.