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times, they gave it two heads, back to back ... In time, this [back-to-back key symbol] became the double-headed
Eagle of symbolic Masonry." [p. 42]
What is the Tower of Babel? The Tower of Babel is a fascinating story
which helped the ancients understand God - The story of the Tower of
Babel doesn't take place in a vacuum - It falls in between Noah's flood
and the call of Abraham - The parable [from the events of Babel] tells
us that the road without God is doomed to disaster - The citizens of
Babel thought that they were able, technologically, to challenge God's
leadership - Man's pride, vanity and lust for power need to come under
God's authority - That is the theological lesson of this section of
scripture - They are the only kinds of lessons the Bible gives
The call of Abraham comes about as God decides to form a people of his own to carry the knowledge and worship
of Him into the world. The Flood did not stem man's evil ways and the activities around the Tower of Babel showed
that man loves himself more than any God. The glory of man is what was sought with that tower, not the glory of
God. So, in Abraham, God forms a people who will glorify Him. -- The story of Babel comes at a point after the
flood where everyone is seen as a descendant of Noah. Genesis 10 and 11 is a genealogy from Noah to Abraham
and an attempt to classify everyone in the known world as a descendant. I say "known" world because as far as
these early Hebrews were concerned the world was flat and rested on pillars. The sky was a shell with stars fastened
to it. Ethiopia was as far south as they could identify, Iran to the east, Armenia to the north and Greece to the west.
They had heard of a place called Tarshish (Spain - also possibly Britain) but weren't sure. Jonah had tried to go
there because it was as far as he could imagine going. -- The whole story of Babel lasts for only nine verses,
Genesis 11: 1-9. Its fame has far exceeded the space that the compilers of Genesis have given it in the Holy
Scriptures. Just before we are given the names of the descendants of Shem (Shemites or Semites) whose line brings
us to Abraham, the story of the Tower of Babel is inserted. What could be the significance of this little parable at
this point in Bible history? -- Of course, the ancients wanted to know why and how we all came to be speaking
different languages. If Noah and his sons repopulated the world shouldn't we all speak their language? Verses ten to
twenty six bring us from Shem to Abraham. The story of Babel is there to explain to a primitive society how we get
from Noah to Abraham with so many different languages having developed in so short a time. What could be the
cause of this impediment to human cooperation and understanding? -- The choice of the name "Babel" is not an
accident. The reference to Babylon reflects the way that Babylon was abhorred by Hebrew society. Babylon
represented everything that was wrong with humanity. As a city, Babylon was both envied and loathed. The city was
beautiful and graced with streets and palaces. The hanging gardens of Babylon are one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world. Writing and science were developing there. In the meantime, the Hebrews were a nomadic society
concerned with day to day survival. Babylon represented oppression, cruelty and violence by which it remained
powerful. -- So Babel (Babylon) is portrayed as a society where everyone speaks with the same language and
through human cooperation attempt to climb to heaven on a tower. This is not a God centered society but a
fellowship of men dedicated to elevating man to his proper position as God of this world. This is a theme often
repeated in the Bible. The ziggurats stand as evidence against them. So Babylon gets the blame for confusion
because they try to get up to God's level. The disdain that ancient Israel felt for Babylon is reflected in the Tower
story. -- So, is this science or theology? There is no science in the Bible. There is no point looking for it there. The
Bible is a theological manuscript. It is the story of God's dealings with humans from the viewpoint of an ancient
society. Is Babel the reason for all of the various languages in the world? Of course it isn't. Is Babel a parable? The
story of the Tower of Babel is a parable about mankind, where his heart is and how God feels about it. -- The
account of Babel's tower is lousy history and terrible science. It is terrific theology. The final judgement against any
society is its willingness to press forward in the name of progress without reference to or respect for God. The
parable tells us that the road without God is doomed to disaster. The citizens of Babel thought that they were able,
technologically, to challenge God's leadership. Man's pride, vanity and lust for power need to come under God's
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