10.6.2024 | The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9
A polyglot is someone who can speak fluently in multiple languages. The world record was held by Ziad Fazah, a Lebanese polyglot who spoke more than 60 languages. That’s impressive, but still a long way from knowing the more than 7,000 different languages spoken in the world! Have you ever wondered where all those languages came from?
After the flood, God had told Noah and his family to “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the whole earth.” (Genesis 9:1) As the number of people on the earth grew and grew, they disobeyed God’s command to spread and fill the whole earth. Instead, they clumped together and decided to build a tower to show how great they were!
The people of Babel seemed to be accomplishing some amazing things, but these accomplishments actually showed how sinful their hearts had become. In the garden, Eve believed the lie that the fruit would make her like God. The people of Babel believed their tower would make them as great as God. The people wanted glory for themselves, but all glory belongs to God.
So, God mixed up the words of the people so that they spoke in different languages. The different languages made it impossible for them to continue building, so they spread out across the world. The many languages of our world are a reminder that God is great, and all glory belongs to Him!
People ignored God’s plan and tried to make a name for themselves, so God confused their language and scattered the people all over the earth. One day, Jesus will gather together all of God’s people—people from every tribe and people who speak all kinds of languages—and they will worship Him. (Revelation 7:9-10)
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
Mornings
Ask God to help you focus on His glory rather than pride or selfishness today. How can God’s awesomeness be a remedy for selfishness? How can I bring Him glory in what I say and do today?
Evenings
Think of reasons why God deserves all the glory. Praise Him for those reasons! What have you learned about God from the Bible that makes Him worthy of glory? What has God done in your own life that makes you want to give Him glory?
Family Activities
For Fun
Use a language translation app to help your family practice different languages. Have some fun saying common phrases in English and allowing the app to translate into other languages. Talk about how this story from Genesis 11 is the account for how the world received so many people groups and languages. Discuss how this division came as a result of sin, but how God’s plan still includes a time when every tribe and language will worship Jesus as Lord.
To Serve
Use the translation app to learn the phrase “Jesus is Lord” in other languages. Make signs to place in your window or yard to declare this truth in multiple languages. If you know of a family that speaks another language, consider sending them a postcard with the phrase in their language and a summary of what kids are learning. End the conversation by thanking Jesus that He is Lord of all people and will one day have every language confess that He is Lord!
