I have always struggled to understand what was so terrible about the Tower of Babel. Here is a story in which all the world’s people speak one language and co-operate peacefully towards the building of an ancient skyscraper — surely the technological marvel of its day.
And yet, God’s response was to confuse the people’s speech — so they could not understand one another — and scatter them across the earth; an act of division that would lead to future confrontation and conflict. Could it be that God would prefer separation and war over unity and co-operation?
Traditionally, we understand God’s anger to be on account of the people challenging God’s sovereignty in the heavens. However, the words in the verse above — “let us make a name for ourselves” — speak to a different interpretation.
Yes, the ancient Babylonians were able to achieve greatness through their unity, but what did they seek to accomplish with the strength of their collective? They could have solved hunger, ended poverty, or tackled any number of worthy causes. Instead, they chose to “make a name for themselves,” to elevate their status at the expense of helping others. Seeing this is their intention, an exasperated God exclaims, “This is what they do with their power?!” and duly punishes them.
