The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11
This week our children are learning about the Tower of Babel. After the flood and the earth began to be repopulated, once again the people rebelled against God. God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and fill the earth. They were supposed to multiply, they were supposed to cultivate the earth God had created, and were supposed to spread out over the entire earth. But on a plain in Shinar, the people decided to stay together and make a name for themselves. They believed that they could prove through the work of their hands that they were the greatest and through their work could reach all the way up to heaven, to the presence of God. But when God saw what was happening, he intervened and forced the people to separate and go their separate ways. Below are some questions and themes to help with your discussion of the Bible lesson this week.
- What did the people want to do after the flood? The people wanted to stay together and make a big city to protect themselves. They also wanted to build a tower that would reach into heaven to show how great and how strong they were.
- Is this what God wanted the people to do? No. God wanted the people he had created to spread out all over the world. He wanted the people to live all over the world because he had made people to represent him and rule over all the earth.
- What did God do in response to the people’s pride? He came down and confused their languages. He made everyone speak a different language so that they could not keep building and would have to separate from each other. The people were proud because they thought they did not need to listen to God. But God knew that if they didn’t listen him and spread out, they would end up hurting themselves and destroying themselves. Just like when God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden so they would not eat the fruit of life and live forever in their sin.
Character Trait: Humility
I don’t think too much of myself, or too little of myself. But I see myself as God sees me.
Memory Verse:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
