A WAY WITH WORDS
Genesis 11:7-8
“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”
Where did language come from? This question is easy to answer from a biblical worldview. God created Adam and Eve with the ability to communicate. He gave them language and the ability to use words, even for concepts that they had not yet experienced; for example, God was able to warn them of the possibility of death, and they understood this even before death had been experienced.
Evolutionists struggle with developing a theory of language development – and all the more because there are clearly numerous language groups in the world which are not necessarily related to each other. So they have developed six possible theories.
1. The Bow-wow theory. The idea that we imitate sounds made by objects. But few of our words are used for this purpose.
2. Pooh-pooh. Words develop from sounds for surprise, pain, elation, etc. Yet, animals make similar sounds without developing language.
3. Ding-dong. Speech reflects a “mystical resonance with the world”. Even evolutionists think this unlikely.
4. Yo-he-ho. Speech developing from rhythmic chants used as people work together. If I were an evolutionist, this might show most promise, but most language is not for this purpose.
5. Ta-ta. Sounds to go with gestures, like waving goodbye. But where did the gestures come from?
6. La-la. Sounds from music or poetry. But language would seem to be necessary before such artwork.
The biblical worldview is so much more sensible. The world’s language groups did not evolve; they were the original post-Babel languages, as God forced proud humanity to scatter over the face of the Earth.
We are struck, once again, by the simplicity, yet profundity, of explanations from Your word, O Lord. Thank You that the Bible explains even the simple things of life. Amen.
Genesis 11:7-8
“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”
Where did language come from? This question is easy to answer from a biblical worldview. God created Adam and Eve with the ability to communicate. He gave them language and the ability to use words, even for concepts that they had not yet experienced; for example, God was able to warn them of the possibility of death, and they understood this even before death had been experienced.
Evolutionists struggle with developing a theory of language development – and all the more because there are clearly numerous language groups in the world which are not necessarily related to each other. So they have developed six possible theories.
1. The Bow-wow theory. The idea that we imitate sounds made by objects. But few of our words are used for this purpose.
2. Pooh-pooh. Words develop from sounds for surprise, pain, elation, etc. Yet, animals make similar sounds without developing language.
3. Ding-dong. Speech reflects a “mystical resonance with the world”. Even evolutionists think this unlikely.
4. Yo-he-ho. Speech developing from rhythmic chants used as people work together. If I were an evolutionist, this might show most promise, but most language is not for this purpose.
5. Ta-ta. Sounds to go with gestures, like waving goodbye. But where did the gestures come from?
6. La-la. Sounds from music or poetry. But language would seem to be necessary before such artwork.
The biblical worldview is so much more sensible. The world’s language groups did not evolve; they were the original post-Babel languages, as God forced proud humanity to scatter over the face of the Earth.
We are struck, once again, by the simplicity, yet profundity, of explanations from Your word, O Lord. Thank You that the Bible explains even the simple things of life. Amen.
PRIVATE INTERPRETATION
2 Peter 1:20-21
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The Apostle Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 1:20 that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.”
In this context, prophecy refers to God’s words told forth by those who wrote Scripture. In that sense, all of the Bible is prophetic because it is all God’s word, breathed out by Him. This general principle, which applies to the whole Bible, clearly applies to Genesis, which is the focus of most of our studies in this ministry.
So, when we read in the early chapters of Genesis how God made the world and how He destroyed that first world in a worldwide Flood, we must recognize that the interpretation of these verses is not to be a private matter.
Yet, interpreting Genesis has indeed become a private matter for many Christians who refuse to believe that God’s word means what it says at this point.
So, Genesis tells us that God made the world in six literal 24-hour days. But we don’t like that because our scientific textbooks tell us that the universe is billions of years old. So we impose the billion years on Genesis in a private interpretation.
Genesis tells us that God made plants and animals directly. He made plants two days before the flying insects that can pollinate them. But our high-school textbooks tell us that animals evolved from simpler organisms, so we interpret the Creation Week in a figurative sense – another private interpretation.
It is time for Christians to get back to believing that God meant what He said.
Help us, Lord God, to be clearer in teaching people to trust Your word and to believe what it says. Amen.
2 Peter 1:20-21
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
The Apostle Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 1:20 that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.”
In this context, prophecy refers to God’s words told forth by those who wrote Scripture. In that sense, all of the Bible is prophetic because it is all God’s word, breathed out by Him. This general principle, which applies to the whole Bible, clearly applies to Genesis, which is the focus of most of our studies in this ministry.
So, when we read in the early chapters of Genesis how God made the world and how He destroyed that first world in a worldwide Flood, we must recognize that the interpretation of these verses is not to be a private matter.
Yet, interpreting Genesis has indeed become a private matter for many Christians who refuse to believe that God’s word means what it says at this point.
So, Genesis tells us that God made the world in six literal 24-hour days. But we don’t like that because our scientific textbooks tell us that the universe is billions of years old. So we impose the billion years on Genesis in a private interpretation.
Genesis tells us that God made plants and animals directly. He made plants two days before the flying insects that can pollinate them. But our high-school textbooks tell us that animals evolved from simpler organisms, so we interpret the Creation Week in a figurative sense – another private interpretation.
It is time for Christians to get back to believing that God meant what He said.
Help us, Lord God, to be clearer in teaching people to trust Your word and to believe what it says. Amen.
TROUBLE AT BABEL
Genesis 11:4
“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
For many people studying the early chapters of Genesis, the account of Babel is a troubling interlude. We like to concentrate on the Creation Week, and then the Flood, and then let’s get on to talking about Abraham. But before we get to Abraham, we have this troubling account of what all these people who were the descendants of Noah and his family were doing at Babel.
God had given a very clear and brief command to Noah and his family before making a covenant with them. He said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). It is in that context that we need to consider the words of the people at Babel.
“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)
It is not that there is necessarily anything wrong with building a city. But there were a number of things wrong with their plans for this city. The city was to be designed to prevent themselves from being dispersed over the face of the whole earth. This was clearly in direct contradiction to God’s command to them. In view of this rebellious attitude, we also see that there was something wrong with their desire to build a city and a tower “with its top in the heavens”. An attempt to get to heaven by our own effort, without reference to God, is clearly an act of rebellion and led to the disaster which God brought on them.
We pray that we might seek Your will, Lord; that we might always seek to do things Your way, and not our way. Amen.
Ref: Hodge, B. (2013), Tower of Babel, (Master Books). Image: Bruegel’s Tower of Babel, Public Domain.
Genesis 11:4
“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
For many people studying the early chapters of Genesis, the account of Babel is a troubling interlude. We like to concentrate on the Creation Week, and then the Flood, and then let’s get on to talking about Abraham. But before we get to Abraham, we have this troubling account of what all these people who were the descendants of Noah and his family were doing at Babel.
God had given a very clear and brief command to Noah and his family before making a covenant with them. He said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). It is in that context that we need to consider the words of the people at Babel.
“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)
It is not that there is necessarily anything wrong with building a city. But there were a number of things wrong with their plans for this city. The city was to be designed to prevent themselves from being dispersed over the face of the whole earth. This was clearly in direct contradiction to God’s command to them. In view of this rebellious attitude, we also see that there was something wrong with their desire to build a city and a tower “with its top in the heavens”. An attempt to get to heaven by our own effort, without reference to God, is clearly an act of rebellion and led to the disaster which God brought on them.
We pray that we might seek Your will, Lord; that we might always seek to do things Your way, and not our way. Amen.
Ref: Hodge, B. (2013), Tower of Babel, (Master Books). Image: Bruegel’s Tower of Babel, Public Domain.
THE LORD CAME DOWN TO SEE
Genesis 11:5
“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.”
God was not pleased with the people of Babel when they wanted to build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens. This is because their aim of preventing their own dispersal throughout the world was in contravention of God’s command, and their intention to make a name for themselves is opposite to our commitment to seek God’s glory.
The Bible says that “the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.” (Genesis 11:5) On the surface, this is an odd sentence. Didn’t God know what was going on?
God, being omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, knew all about what people were doing at Babel, and why. So the statement that he “came down to see” was not for His benefit, but for ours. God sees everything, but we are reminded that He is focused if we engage in rebellion. God was intentionally about to prevent these rebellious actions, and He did so for our benefit because it was in the interest of the human race to scatter across the whole world.
The verse tells us that the city and the tower were being built by the “children of man”. The Hebrew word translated as “man” is Adam. Of course, this word actually means man, and is correctly translated that way throughout the Old Testament. But perhaps “children of Adam” is an appropriate phrase. These people were rebellious because their first ancestor was rebellious. They carried Adam’s sin nature in their hearts.
We pray, Lord God, that we might seek Your face and to do Your will, and not our will. Please guide us and show us Your will for our lives. Amen.
Ref: Hodge, B. (2013), Tower of Babel, (Master Books). Image: Heermskerck’s Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Public Domain.
Genesis 11:5
“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.”
God was not pleased with the people of Babel when they wanted to build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens. This is because their aim of preventing their own dispersal throughout the world was in contravention of God’s command, and their intention to make a name for themselves is opposite to our commitment to seek God’s glory.
The Bible says that “the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.” (Genesis 11:5) On the surface, this is an odd sentence. Didn’t God know what was going on?
God, being omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, knew all about what people were doing at Babel, and why. So the statement that he “came down to see” was not for His benefit, but for ours. God sees everything, but we are reminded that He is focused if we engage in rebellion. God was intentionally about to prevent these rebellious actions, and He did so for our benefit because it was in the interest of the human race to scatter across the whole world.
The verse tells us that the city and the tower were being built by the “children of man”. The Hebrew word translated as “man” is Adam. Of course, this word actually means man, and is correctly translated that way throughout the Old Testament. But perhaps “children of Adam” is an appropriate phrase. These people were rebellious because their first ancestor was rebellious. They carried Adam’s sin nature in their hearts.
We pray, Lord God, that we might seek Your face and to do Your will, and not our will. Please guide us and show us Your will for our lives. Amen.
Ref: Hodge, B. (2013), Tower of Babel, (Master Books). Image: Heermskerck’s Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Public Domain.
THE STONES AT CARNAC
Genesis 11:8
“So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”
On the southern coast of the Breton peninsula in Northern France is a small rural town called Carnac. It is a pleasant enough seaside resort. I remember enjoying a couple of days there with my family in 2010, at the end of a vacation touring campsites in the Vendée department of France. But while the town itself might be unremarkable, the same cannot be said for what you find in the fields outside the town. The sight will take your breath away. In full view of the main roads, you will discover mile after mile after mile of standing stones, arranged in neat rows, as if a huge marching army had been frozen in time.
There are three main alignments of stones, but one quickly realizes that the three were probably all joined together at one time. People in the Middle Ages did not have a concept of preserving ancient monuments, so stones were removed over the centuries for roads, farms, and buildings. The lines of stones are not straight but curved. One end appears to align with the sun at Midsummer, and the other with the Midwinter sun. Some researchers have suggested other alignments with astronomical objects.
The secular age for the stones is 4050 BC. Creationists suspect that this monument was erected very soon after the Babel incident as refugees migrated through Europe. As with so many megaliths, the Carnac stones appear to be a variation on the well-established theme of imitating the attempt of the people at Babel to get themselves to heaven without God.
Help us to tell people that there is nothing that we can achieve without You, Lord God. Our attempts to do so are folly, so we give all the glory and all the praise to You. Amen.
Genesis 11:8
“So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”
On the southern coast of the Breton peninsula in Northern France is a small rural town called Carnac. It is a pleasant enough seaside resort. I remember enjoying a couple of days there with my family in 2010, at the end of a vacation touring campsites in the Vendée department of France. But while the town itself might be unremarkable, the same cannot be said for what you find in the fields outside the town. The sight will take your breath away. In full view of the main roads, you will discover mile after mile after mile of standing stones, arranged in neat rows, as if a huge marching army had been frozen in time.
There are three main alignments of stones, but one quickly realizes that the three were probably all joined together at one time. People in the Middle Ages did not have a concept of preserving ancient monuments, so stones were removed over the centuries for roads, farms, and buildings. The lines of stones are not straight but curved. One end appears to align with the sun at Midsummer, and the other with the Midwinter sun. Some researchers have suggested other alignments with astronomical objects.
The secular age for the stones is 4050 BC. Creationists suspect that this monument was erected very soon after the Babel incident as refugees migrated through Europe. As with so many megaliths, the Carnac stones appear to be a variation on the well-established theme of imitating the attempt of the people at Babel to get themselves to heaven without God.
Help us to tell people that there is nothing that we can achieve without You, Lord God. Our attempts to do so are folly, so we give all the glory and all the praise to You. Amen.
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