A Monument to Ourselves

As a citizen of the city of God, Noah found grace from his Lord in the time of the flood. However, the destruction of the human race aside from Noah and his family did not eliminate the city of man. Through the descendants of Noah and his three sons (Gen. 10), the world was repopulated. And when we come to Genesis 11, the city of man begins to rise visibly once more as the human drive for autonomy again asserts itself.

As Noah’s descendants spread out, they settled on a plain in the land of Shinar, probably in the area later known as Babylonia. The area was blessed with materials for making bricks, as well as asphalt for mortar. That sparked the idea for a major building project, one such as never had been undertaken before. The people made up their minds to build a great city and a tower “whose top is in the heavens.” All this was well and good; there is no moral quotient attached to a construction project in and of itself. However, the motive behind the building project was most revealing: “Let us make a name for ourselves,” the people said. In saying this, they betrayed a lust for self-exaltation that has manifested itself throughout all human history. The pyramids, the Acropolis, the Eiffel Tower—these and many other works of men’s hands are all attempts, to a greater or lesser degree, to lift up the human race. It was this same impulse that drove the man and the woman to pluck the fruit in the garden. The serpent subtly suggested that it was not right that God should have all the glory, and they concurred. The descendants of Noah became just as convinced as Adam and Eve that they could be like God. Their construction project showed that the city of man was alive and well on planet earth.

Genesis goes on to say that God came down to see the city and the tower which the people built. He then proceeded to confuse the language of the people, bringing the construction project to a halt. This was a merciful act on God’s part. Just as He drove the man and the woman from the garden before they could bring further harm to themselves (Gen. 3:22–23), He stopped the people from exalting themselves unduly. But He also acted because He will not share His glory with another (Isa. 42:8). He will thwart any attempt by the city of man to exalt humanity above its rightful place.