Developing A Biblical World View

THE PATTERN OF SIN

Genesis 4:1-6:4 describes the pattern of sin as it began to spread throughout the world. Before proceeding with this lesson, read these chapters in your Bible. In these chapters we learn about

the first murder, the first lie, and how the wickedness of man grew until every thought, as well as action, was evil. Finally, the whole world was so sinful that God. . .

. . . saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. (Genesis 6:5-6)

Because of the rapid growth of sin, God decided to destroy the earth with a flood. But He saved one righteous man, Noah, and his family. Read the story of Noah and the flood in Genesis 6:8-9:17. After the flood, Noah's family began to reproduce. Almost immediately, the pattern of sin reoccurred.

THE TOWER OF BABEL

To this point in time, the inhabitants of the whole earth were still like one big extended family:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. (Genesis 11:1)

There was no division of languages or cultures. Nations did not yet exist. Because man was totally united in language, culture, and custom, he was able to do great things. This united group of people decided to build a great tower, one so tall it would ascend right into Heaven into God's presence. They wanted to make a great name for themselves. Read about the tower at Babel in Genesis 11:1-9.

God knew that with such unity of language and culture, nothing would be impossible to these men. So God "confounded" or confused their language:

And the Lord said, Behold the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do.

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. (Genesis 11:6-7)

This was the origin of the various divisions of languages of the world. Because people could not understand each other, the building project at Babel stopped:

So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city. (Genesis 11:8)