Tower of Babel

1
Tower of Babel

• Two things we see here
• Mans plan tower of Babel
• Gods plan vs. 10 Abrahams family line (next
  week)-idol worshiping Gentile
• Job lived in the land of Uz may have been a
  contemporary of Abram
• Probably lived between the events of chapter 11
  and 12
• Life span was about 200 yrs near to the flood
  generation
• Knew about (God his character, He was creator
  and judge, eternity, sacrifice)
• Man was w/o excuse, a true and intimate knowledge
  of God existed in Job and his friends
• One Language
• Some scholars say was ancient Hebrew
  (speculation)
• Journeyed from the East
• not the North, where Mt. Ararat in Turkey would
  be
• Some conjecture that the Ark may be in the
  mountains of Iran (east of Shinar)
• Purpose?
• Not stupid know they cant walk into heaven
• They were trying to approach God, on their terms
  not His.
• Probably a Temple
• 7 levels 7 naked eye planets (Mars in the early
  evening, Venus in the early morning from my back
  yard)
• Probably was used to chart Astrology

2
The Lords visit

• vs. 6 The Lords Observations
• One unified in rebellion (3-4 generations after
  the flood)
• Same Language (work together, communicate)
• Nothing they propose will be withheld from them
• Vs. 7 The Lords solution
• Confuse the language (Babel confusion)
• Scattered them (probably grouped up according to
  Language)
• I wonder if God divided up households?
• Husband and Wife couldnt understand one another?
• Mother and daughter?
• Tower (city) project was abandoned
• Pyramids (ziggurats) are found all over the
  world?
• Egyptians ones are a little different
• Aztecs and Mayan Pyramids are very similar to
  Babylonian Zugs
• When people scattered, they took the common
  knowledge with them

3
Abrams Family LineGen 1110-26

• Get your chart
• How is this geneology different?
• Not like the table of nations list we looked at
  last week
• Has ages and only focuses on the important son
• Like the one in Gen 5 that focused on the line
  from Seth to Noah
• This list will take us from Shem Abram
• Notice the life spans are decreasing
• Noah and Shem are still alive when Abram is born
• By the time we get to Abram, lifespans are
  dropping below 200 yrs.
• God is focusing our attention on Abraham.
• Unlike the Tower is His plan

4
Abraham FAQ

• Descendant of Shem
• Remember the table of nations map?
• What religion(s) are most of Shems descendants?
• Abram is the founder of Judaism
• Father of Ishmael who Muhammad claims is the
  legit line, source of Islam
• More info listen to Sword of Allah
• Venerated by the three major monotheistic
  religions
• Abram was an idol worshipping Pagan
• Probably Worshipped the moon god Sin
• Ur and Haran were the two main centers for
  worship of the Moon-god, Sin. The names Terah
  (Abrahams father) and Laban, and possibly Milcah
  and Sarah, may be linked to the moon cult. Terah
  may well have been associated with the worship of
  the moon (see Joshua 242).
• Josh 242 Abraham was an idol worshipper before
  God called him
• So were most of us
• My sources say this is the actual source of
  Islam again listen to the teaching.
• May have been (later in his life) the richest man
  on earth
• Had to separate from lot because the land
  couldnt support them both
• Raised up his own army defeated 5 kings
• Come to the end of his Life God called an
• Idol worshiping pagan, family business was
  selling idols
• Barren wife

5
Abrams life In his BC daysGen 1127-32

• Daddy was Terah
• 3 sons Abraham, Nahor and Haran
• Haran Dies in Ur of the Chaldees
• Leaves his son Lot w/o a father
• Abraham marries his sister
• She is barren
• Nahor marries his own niece
• Takes these 2 boys, their wives and Lot and
  leaves Ur of the Chaldees intending to go to the
  land of Canaan
• But, ends up in Haran
• Here we need some help from Stephen in Acts 71-4
• God spoke to Abram before he left for Haran
• Did God speak again (Gen 12) to get Abram moving,
  or did Abram just remember

6
Where is Ur of the Chaldeans?

• Where is Ur of the Chaldees?
• Ur, now Tell el-Muqayyar in Southern Iraq
  (traditionally Babylonian area)
• Chaldeans were associated with Babylon
• Or in Southern Turkey
• Location nearer to Haran
• Who cares?
• 5 Miles from Haran or 1000 Miles God said GO!
• What was Ur like?
• Found it at least the southern one (Oct 1922)
• Steam baths
• Theaters
• Medical records
• Writing
• Sophisticated, City
• Abram was a city boy, now he was going to be a
  nomadic shepherd

7
God Chooses AbrahamGen 121-3

• Instructions
• Get out of your country
• Leave your family / Your fathers house (why leave
  his family?)
• Separate from
• Go to a land I will show you.
• Imagine selling this to Sarai? Or to your Dad?
• Stephen Gives us more detail
• Acts 71-4
• Was Abram obedient?
• Names Terah Delay Haran Barrenness/Parched
  (mountaineer)
• Obedience keeps you from delay and barrenness
  in your walk with God.
• Calling Very similar to our own? Abram was
• In the world
• In sin (doing his thing) Jewish Tradition says
  his family made Idols, very prominent religion
  business.
• Worshipping other gods
• Calling was leave the bad influences-family
  (repent) and follow God (to his new home)
• Life was lived step by step with God Got step
  A, followed step A then Got step B
• Conditions (the Covenant)
• We will see God explain this more and confirm it
  many times in Abrahams life.

8
Abram moves outGen 124-9

• Finally obeys heads south
• Takes Lot problem later but not a biggie now?
• Where are they headed?
• Land of Canaan
• What do we remember about Canaan?
• Cursed, him and all his descendants
• Ages vs.4 Abe is 75, Sarai is 65
• Find out later she is 10 yrs younger than him.
• Not Old (Abes got another 100 years in him) but
  its not young either
• Vs.7 God starts to explain the covenant more
  fully
• Abram builds and altar there
• Vs.8 Abe builds and altar in the area between
  Bethel and Ai
• We leave Abram tonight journeying south towards
  his first lesson in what NOT to do.

9
Next week

• Review Genesis 12-13
• Memorize the names of the first 17 Books of the
  OT