Topical Bible: False Confidence: At Babel

Bible > Topical > False Confidence

◄ False Confidence: At Babel ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The account of the Tower of Babel, found in Genesis 11:1-9, serves as a poignant illustration of false confidence in human achievement and unity apart from God. This narrative is set in the post-Flood world, where humanity, speaking a single language, settled in the land of Shinar. The people, driven by pride and a desire for self-sufficiency, embarked on an ambitious project to build a city and a tower "with its top in the heavens" (Genesis 11:4). Their intention was to make a name for themselves and prevent their dispersion across the earth.

The construction of the Tower of Babel represents humanity's misplaced confidence in their own abilities and wisdom. The builders sought to establish their identity and security through their own efforts, disregarding God's command to "fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1). This act of defiance highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of human limitations and the necessity of reliance on God.

The phrase "let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4) underscores the builders' desire for self-glorification. This pursuit of fame and recognition reflects a deeper issue of pride, which is consistently condemned throughout Scripture. Proverbs 16:18 warns, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" . The Babel incident exemplifies this truth, as the builders' prideful ambitions ultimately led to their downfall.

God's response to the construction of the tower was swift and decisive. Observing their actions, He said, "If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them" (Genesis 11:6). In an act of divine intervention, God confused their language, causing them to be unable to understand one another. This confusion led to the cessation of their building project and their subsequent dispersion across the earth.

The scattering of the people at Babel serves as a reminder of the futility of human endeavors that are rooted in false confidence and pride. It illustrates the limitations of human unity and achievement when pursued apart from God's will and guidance. The Apostle Paul echoes this sentiment in 1 Corinthians 3:19, stating, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight" .

The Tower of Babel narrative also foreshadows the ultimate need for divine intervention to restore true unity among humanity. This restoration is realized through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who reconciles humanity to God and to one another. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit's outpouring enabled people of different languages to understand the apostles' message, symbolizing the reversal of Babel's confusion and the establishment of a new, God-centered unity (Acts 2:1-12).

In summary, the account of Babel serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of false confidence in human strength and wisdom. It underscores the importance of humility, obedience to God's commands, and reliance on His guidance in all human endeavors.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 11:4
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the face of the whole earth.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Why we Believe the Bible.
... man, of the flood, the tower of Babel, the bondage ... This accuracy gives us confidence
in the reality of the ... been advanced, it has been proven false, while the ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter i why we believe.htm

"And There is None that Calleth Upon Thy Name, that Stirreth up ...
... by the Spirit so far as to the case of the captives in Babel, can find ... I speak for
this end, to put many of you out of your false ground of confidence. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xviii and there is.htm

A Warning Rejected.
... The term "Babylon" is derived from "Babel," and signifies ... designate the various forms
of false or apostate ... to Christ in permitting her confidence and affection ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /21 a warning rejected.htm

A Warning Rejected
... The term "Babylon" is derived from "Babel," and signifies ... designate the various forms
of false or apostate ... to Christ in permitting her confidence and affection ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 21 a warning rejected.htm

Match-Making.
... his parents, receive them into his confidence, and give ... Having considered some of
the false standards of judgment ... curse of God, making it a Babel of confusion ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xxiii match-making.htm

V. ...
... But our bishops speak with all confidence the reverse of this ... one another one of
them must be false; but certainly ... Thus, Babel means, in the Hebrew, a confusion ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter v v .htm

Tenth Sunday after Trinity Spiritual Counsel for Church Officers.
... the heathen as you see in the great Babel confusion and ... Where this confidence obtains,
where hearts enjoy such faith, there ... not the true Spirit, but a false one ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/tenth sunday after trinity spiritual.htm

"Nineveh, that Great City"
... after the dispersion from the tower of Babel, it had ... of trials and strange providences,
the prophet's confidence in God ... of his being regarded as a false prophet ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 22 nineveh that great.htm

The Contribution of Science to Christianity
... It has no false fear, for it knows the strange ... To preserve this confidence, and to
keep this spirit pure ... and did not incur the confusion of Babel; this should ...
/.../berkhof/new evangelism and other papers/the contribution of science to.htm

Useful Phrases
... difficult portraiture. diffident civility [diffident = lacking self-confidence;
shy; timid]. ... fallacious hopes. false illusions. ... insistent babel. insolent placidity ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section i useful phrases.htm