Big Truth: People wanted to be great, but only God is great.
What country are you from? The United States of America? England? India? South Africa? Do you know anyone from other countries? Maybe someone from Iceland? Cuba? Kenya? Mars? (Wait, that’s not a country, it’s a planet.) Anyway, you likely have not met a Martian from Mars, but maybe you have met a Canadian from Canada. And do you know what language Canadians speak? Some speak French, but most speak English. Oui? Yes!
Why are there so many nations? And why are there so many languages? Over six thousand today! And why do so many Chinese people speak Mandarin, so many Russians speak Russian, and so many Saudi Arabians speak Arabic? Do you know? The Bible shares a story about how God created the nations, gave people different languages, and scattered them around the world. It might sound like a fun story. But it’s actually another sad story. Or, it starts fun and ends sad.It starts with God’s image bearers’ keeping God’s command to be fruitful and multiply (start lots of families!). But it ends with God’s image bearers’ wanting to make themselves as great as God, instead of showing how great God is.
Why are there so many nations? And why are there so many languages? Over six thousand today! And why do so many Chinese people speak Mandarin, so many Russians speak Russian, and so many Saudi Arabians speak Arabic? Do you know? The Bible shares a story about how God created the nations, gave people different languages, and scattered them around the world. It might sound like a fun story. But it’s actually another sad story. Or, it starts fun and ends sad.It starts with God’s image bearers’ keeping God’s command to be fruitful and multiply (start lots of families!). But it ends with God’s image bearers’ wanting to make themselves as great as God, instead of showing how great God is.
The Bible is a big book made up of many books—like Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Each of those books has lots of little stories that are all telling the Biggest Story. We also learn the Biggest Story from the songs, laws, letters, and lists we find in the Bible. The lists are called genealogies (family trees). Have you ever seen your family tree? It has lots and lots of names. Like your mom, your cousin, and your grandpa.
Well, Genesis 10 records a list of seventy names. [Open to Genesis 10 and show the names.] Do you see them? This list is sometimes called the Table of Nations. The word table is just another name for list. This table starts with the sons of Noah—Shem, Ham, and Japheth. How would you like to be called Ham? “Hey, Ham, can you make me a ham sandwich?” Ham (the person, not the sandwich) had lots of children. So did his brothers. From them came all the nations—tribes that spread across the earth after the flood.
All of these different nations, who all spoke the same language, came up with a brilliant idea. (Or they thought it was.) “Let’s stay in one place and build a great city and a tall tower!” There is nothing wrong with building something great and tall. Noah built something really big. The problem is that God told them to fill the earth—not stay in one place. Plus, they wanted to show off. “Look how amazing we are! We can create like God!” Well, God hates pride and disobedience. Do you know what pride is? These people showed us. They thought and acted like they were number one and God and everyone else was number two. But God destroyed their prideful plan by confusing their language. The place where it happened was called Babel, which means “confusion.” And God scattered them from that place so they filled the earth.
Imagine building the Tower of Babel. One day you say, “Hey, Joe, can you get me more bricks?” And he does. But the next day, after God confused the language, Joe can’t understand a word you say and you can’t understand a word he says. How can you possibly finish building a tower? You can’t, and they didn’t. The people back then were so frustrated that each tribe (the ones who spoke the same language) decided to spread over the earth and find a new place to live. Even this was part of God’s good plan for his people to fill the earth.
When Jesus came, he didn’t just save his own tribe (the Jews), but people from every language and tribe and nation (the Gentiles). That is what happened. First, people from Jerusalem believed in him. Then, people from the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Then, people from the Americas and Asia. From the North Pole to the South! And it’s still happening today. Someday, in heaven, God will be praised by people from every nation in languages that all God’s people will understand. And, then and there, we will finally work together to show just how amazing God is.
Well, Genesis 10 records a list of seventy names. [Open to Genesis 10 and show the names.] Do you see them? This list is sometimes called the Table of Nations. The word table is just another name for list. This table starts with the sons of Noah—Shem, Ham, and Japheth. How would you like to be called Ham? “Hey, Ham, can you make me a ham sandwich?” Ham (the person, not the sandwich) had lots of children. So did his brothers. From them came all the nations—tribes that spread across the earth after the flood.
All of these different nations, who all spoke the same language, came up with a brilliant idea. (Or they thought it was.) “Let’s stay in one place and build a great city and a tall tower!” There is nothing wrong with building something great and tall. Noah built something really big. The problem is that God told them to fill the earth—not stay in one place. Plus, they wanted to show off. “Look how amazing we are! We can create like God!” Well, God hates pride and disobedience. Do you know what pride is? These people showed us. They thought and acted like they were number one and God and everyone else was number two. But God destroyed their prideful plan by confusing their language. The place where it happened was called Babel, which means “confusion.” And God scattered them from that place so they filled the earth.
Imagine building the Tower of Babel. One day you say, “Hey, Joe, can you get me more bricks?” And he does. But the next day, after God confused the language, Joe can’t understand a word you say and you can’t understand a word he says. How can you possibly finish building a tower? You can’t, and they didn’t. The people back then were so frustrated that each tribe (the ones who spoke the same language) decided to spread over the earth and find a new place to live. Even this was part of God’s good plan for his people to fill the earth.
When Jesus came, he didn’t just save his own tribe (the Jews), but people from every language and tribe and nation (the Gentiles). That is what happened. First, people from Jerusalem believed in him. Then, people from the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Then, people from the Americas and Asia. From the North Pole to the South! And it’s still happening today. Someday, in heaven, God will be praised by people from every nation in languages that all God’s people will understand. And, then and there, we will finally work together to show just how amazing God is.