Sharper Iron — In the Beginning - Genesis 11:1-9: Uno, Zwei, Three!

After the flood, the LORD commanded the descendants of Noah to multiply and fill the earth. In rebellion against this Word of God, people in the plain of Shinar all settled together and began to build a tower to make a name for themselves. Their tower remained puny before the LORD, who came down and confused their language in order to accomplish His purpose of spreading people throughout the earth. The place’s name, Babel, recalled this work of the LORD. He has now brought unity to languages, not by making them all the same, but by causing the one Gospel to be preached in all of them.

Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Crawford, NE and Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Harrison, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Genesis 11:1-9.

To learn more about Bethlehem and Redeemer Lutheran, visit www.belccrawford.org and relcharrison.org.

“In the Beginning” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies Genesis. The first book of Moses sets the stage for God’s entire story of salvation. As we learn the beginning of the story, God prepares us to receive the fulfillment of the story: Jesus Christ, the Offspring of the woman who has crushed our enemy’s head.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Together in faith, LCEF helps to start, sustain and strengthen LCMS ministries through financial and strategic partnerships. Visit lcef.org.

Genesis 11:1-9

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ²And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ⁶And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused^[a] the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

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Footnotes

Genesis 11:9 Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused

English Standard Version (ESV)

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).