The Power of Common Language - Genesis 8-11

Genesis 11:8-9 (ESV)

So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

The story referred to in the above verses is centered around the Tower of Babel.   After Noah came off the Ark, man and animals started to mulitple and inhabit the earth.  God told Noah to go and fill the entire earth.   Apparently the people of Babel, decided to disobey that command and, instead, in egotistical ambition, decided to build a tower.  The building of the tower had these motivations to it:

1. Bring the people together - God told them to disperse throughout the earth. The text actually reads they did this least we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. 
2. Build something that would make a name for themselves - not for God.  
3. Build something very large that reached to the heavens - exalting their name and not God’s name.  In the ancient world, building pyramids and/or large edifices was a type of worship to man’s accomplishments.

It is interesting in the parallels between this text and the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Both point out the temptation for man to want to self-exalt and to leave God out of their equation.   Man does not want to be like God, man wants to be God.   

Just think of what God could have done here.  He just wiped out the entire earth with a flood for this very reason.   He did make a covenant, sealed with a rainbow, to never use a flood again, but that didn’t exclude Him from other methods (He will one day pour out His wrath in a variety of forms ... read Revelation).   It isn’t recorded that God sabotaged the bricks or the mortar.   It isn’t even recorded that God actually destroyed this so called tower.   God did a very simple act that completely messed up this power hungry group.  He simply changed their language.   He made it so they lost communication with each other.   Imagine where you work if everyone suddenly started to speak different languages.   What would happen with your productivity.    This is not so far fetched.   Corporate communication is a multi-million dollar business.   Getting everyone in an organization on the same page and speaking the same language is more important than trust.  If fact, to have trust you must be able to communicate.  A great sign that couples quit trusting each other is their lack of communication with each other.   

Another interesting parallel of this story is what God did a Pentecost.  Note:

Acts 2:1-6 (ESV)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

In the opposite move from the Tower of Babel story is the spread of the Gospel story where God had everyone of different languages hear the Gospel in their own language.   God can separate or bring others together based upon the power of language.