Lesson 7 - The Tower of Babel:
Problems in Family and Society
Genesis 9:18-11:32 - www.bible.com/bible/59/gen.9

In the first 6 lessons of this study we have seen many beginnings – the beginning of the earth, of humans, of family, of sin, of God’s judgment of sin. In this lesson we see the beginning of human government as it was set up by God. We are told in Romans 13 that all government authority is given by God, and God expects us to be obedient to government when it does not directly contradict God’s other commands.

The first form of government in these chapters is seen in Noah’s blessings and judgments on his sons. The judgment on Ham and his son Canaan was for the sin of disrespecting Noah, Ham’s father. This is still, or maybe we should say, even more common today – and we are told the reason for this in Romans 1:30, along with a whole list of other sins so widespread today.

In chapter 11 we read the story of the Tower of Babel. Rather than obeying God’s commands to Noah’s family in chapter 9, to “fill the earth” and multiply, they simply multiplied and remained in one place. One of the reasons God had given this command to spread out through the earth is because too many people in one area uses up all the resources of that land too quickly which brings destruction to that land. Before the flood, people had centered in cities as well, rather than spreading out across the land as God had commanded.

Do we today find ways to please ourselves in other ways, rather than obeying God’s commands? How do we look for comfort and convenience rather than perhaps that harder work of doing things as God has asked?


*In what specific ways do families today suffer from a disrespect for parents and anger among the children?
*According to Genesis 11:4, what were the two motives for building this tower?
*How do we try to accomplish these same two things today?

As we read in verse 6, God said the goals these people had in mind could be accomplished by them. From this we can see how, just because we can plan for something and achieve it, this doesn’t mean this is God’s will for our lives.