Sermon Genesis 11:1-9:

Sermon Genesis 11:1-9:
Is God mean? Is he hiding from us? Why did he scatter the people? Why is this text in the Bible? These are four main questions that occurred to me as I pondered this text. The first question I need to answer before answering these four questions would be “Are these the questions in which this passage is answering?” or am I asking the wrong questions?
Is God mean? Is God hiding from us?
It sure seems like it in this passage. These people go through all the trouble of building a city and a tower with in the city in which to use to climb up to God and say “hi” and he comes down and prevents them from communicating with each other and then scatters them throughout the earth.
One the most important things to notice in this text is that God comes down. It appears that the people of Babel have it all wrong. God doesn’t want us to climb up to him but instead he comes down to us.
This idea of climbing up to God has plagued society for centuries. Aristotle thought that we needed to turn ourselves from vice to virtue and in the process make ourselves virtuous or earn our way to a higher existence, perhaps reach God... Today we are still trying to climb that ladder to God by saying the right things, owning the right house, driving a hybrid, tithing the right amount, attending enough services, praying the right way, etc.. I think, like the people in Babel, we have missed the point; God comes down to us, we don’t climb up or earn our way up to him.
God comes down to us in two ways: hidden and revealed. When we seek God where he doesn’t want to be found in things like 401ks, stocks, homeownership, sharing the wealth, and in the government then he hides from us and all we end up finding is his wrath. The people in today’s story were trying to build a tower up to God to “make a name for themselves,” much like a person today going on T.V. to tell the world how God changed them from sinner to saint and if you only send their ministry $X then you to can have prosperity. Obviously this is not where God wants to be found and what these poor people of Babel experienced was the wrath of God.
The first commandment states, “You shall have no other gods.” The people Of Babel, much like the people in today’s society, are turned in upon themselves and are looking for their own glory thus, like Adam and Eve, are trying to become like God. Our God is a jealous God and he will have none of that. He is to be our only God and we are not to seek him in ways in which he does not wish to be found or else we will find the wrath of God. To answer the questions, “Is God mean, and is God hiding from us?” then would be to say, “Yes, God is mean when you seek him where he doesn’t want to be found and yes, in these places he hides.”
Why did God scatter the people?
God has a plan. That sounds so cliché I know, but it’s true. To attempt to peer in to the mind of God would be pure speculation so it doesn’t behoove us to look for the answer to this question in this text as it doesn’t seem to be answering this question. However there are some things that we can know about God from other passages. For instance Acts 1:8 reads “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth." and Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Our God is a God of mission and he has chosen us to be his missionaries. He won’t let a little thing like “what we want” stand in his way. God overcomes all obstacles to accomplish his plan.
In the Gospel According to St. Matthew 16:13-20 we hear about Jesus questioning his disciples. He is inquiring into the peoples’ idea of who they believe him to be. Then Jesus questions the disciples directly, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God.” Jesus acknowledges that Peter didn’t come up with this confession on his own, Peter very rarely got anything right, but that this confession came through the power of the Holy Spirit working upon his heart. Peter’s confession, according to Jesus, is the “petros” or rock upon which he will build his church. Unknowingly Peter preached a gospel sermon. Jesus then promises to give to Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and then states, “whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven." Jesus gave Peter the power to forgive sins. “Romans 10:14-15&17 says, “14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news."15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news?” 17Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.” This is how faith happens, God sends a preacher, like Peter and the scattered people in our text, to proclaim Christ through his Word in a way in which the Holy Spirit grabs hold of their heart and changes them forever. Usually this is done in the form of an absolution. If I were to speculate about God’s plan based on these other verses I would say that God scattered the people so that the message of what he had done in their lives would be spread to the ends of the earth.
Why is this text in the Bible?
From a faith stand point I would say that I have already answered this question. This is a story of God coming down to his disobedient people to overcome all the obstacles that they have created there by accomplishing his desire, his plan to send preachers to proclaim his Word in a way in which faith happens. I have also said that there are some places in which God doesn’t want to be found and if we seek him there we will only find his wrath. I have in addition stated that God promises to be our only God and he won’t stand for us turning in upon ourselves making ourselves, or our possessions, god by seeking him in places in which he doesn’t want to be found. This seems to be the points that this text communicates. This story tells us what happens when we try to impose our will over God’s.
But from an academic stand point this text is to communicating a story about our ancestors and an explanation of how there came to be so many different languages all over the world. Considering the authorship of this text, and the text by itself, this would be my conclusion.
Sending:
But here, from the pulpit, I am proclaiming to you a Word from God that you will hear in a way in which the Holy Spirit grabs hold of your heart and changes you forever. So, I stand before you today as a true preacher sent by God and I claim you for the Kingdom of Heaven by declaring to you the entire forgiveness of your sins both conscious and unconscious in the name of the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now go into the world and stop seeking God in areas in which he doesn’t want to be found. Stop putting your faith and trust in your investments, in your possessions, and your government and put your faith and trust in the preached Word of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Go in peace to love and serve your neighbor. Amen