The Heart of Society: Genesis 11:5-9

Society works best when we allow God to make it is His image, not when we make it in our own image.  Our hearts don’t always focus on what is good for us or what is good for each other.  Our hearts sometimes focus on what feels good in the moment but not on what is truly good.  Our hearts can be fickle masters.

The name Babel is a Hebrew word that means confusion.  Our English language took Babel and created the word babble, which means to speak without meaning.  In the Ancient Akkadian language of the people who built the tower, the word is Babili, which means gate of the gods.  This is the root of Babylon.  Many people believe the tower of Babel is Etemenanki, the ziggurat in Babylon devoted to the ancient god Marduk.  In the Akkadian language, Etemenanki means temple of the foundation of heaven and earth.

It is no coincidence the Akkadian word for gateway to the gods is similar to the Hebrew word for confusion.  It is common to take words from an enemy’s language and turn them into slurs in your own language.  Most curse words in English were legitimate words in another language.  By borrowing the words and using them in a derogatory manner, we imply that anyone who talks using these words is below us.  The Hebrew people likely took Babili and made it the Hebrew word for confusion to send a message that those who come from Babylon or think like Babylonians are confused.  It a way to instill generations of cultural warfare against the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Babylonians, and even the Assyrians.

God comes to visit Babel and spots what they are doing.  Examine God’s description of what He sees.  God sees their accomplishment and acknowledges this as the beginning of what mankind will do.  He then promises to confuse their language and make them scatter.

The problem isn’t progress.  I don’t think God has an issue with general improvements to civilization.  God doesn’t mind indoor plumbing, electric lights, or cars.  The issue isn’t our level of technological advancement.

The issue is our heart.  The people of Babel determined their own course.  They made a home for the gods.  They switched the role of god and creation.  The people of Babylon created their own existence and expected God to join them.  Yet, God is the Creator and He invites us to join Him.

When we build society in our own image, we get it wrong.  We don’t place value in the correct places.  We think things bring happiness, but the happiness is temporary.  We think things ease our life when it only makes life more complicated.  The tower of Babel is not a story about societal advancement; it is a story about the heart.  Society works best when we allow God to make it is His image, not when we make it in our own image.