-
†. Gen 11:4 . . And they said: Come, let us build us a city, and a
tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we
shall be scattered all over the world.
Magnificent cities have a way of attracting tourism, commerce, and industry.
People want to come and visit, and to live there. Politically, their scheme
made good sense. More people equals more prosperity; resulting in more
power and control over the region-- and of course the larger their tax base
the more city services they could provide citizens; including an effective civil
defense program.
There's nothing really intrinsically wrong in building a large beautiful city.
But in their case, it wasn't the right time for it. God wanted the post
Flooders to move out and populate the entire globe, rather than accumulate
in one local region.
Towers served a variety of purposes in the ancient world. Some were used
as look-outs, others were used as tombs, and yet others were used as
bloody altars for human sacrifices.
The purpose intended for the tower of Gen 11:4 isn't stated but guessing
from the wording, I'd say it was intended to be a grand monument; sort of
like the 630 foot stainless steel Gateway Arch in Ste. Louis Missouri, or a
magnificent minaret like the 239-foot Qutab Minar in Delhi India. Something
like that would certainly go a long ways towards getting the Shinarians the
renown they sought.
But their wish that the tower's top be in the sky suggests their primary
motive was to use its facade to display a variety of gods popular in that day.
There's towers like that right now that in the city of Madurai in the South
Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the banks of River Vaigai.
The towers are literally festooned with hundreds of gods. So if your favorite
god is up there somewhere, there's no need for you to leave town and go
on a pilgrimage elsewhere to worship. People love their religion. So if you
give them the liberty and the means to practice it; they'll love you forever.
Tolerance is good politics. If only Islamic fundamentalists understood this.
†. Gen 11:5 . .Yhvh came down to look at the city and tower that
man had built,
That verse presents an interesting theological problem. Wouldn't it make
better sense by saying Yhvh looked down, instead of saying the Yhvh "came"
down? Why bother to come down? Doesn't the Bible's God see all and know
all? Isn't God omniscient? Can't He see everything from right where He is?
Yes, the Bible's God can do that alright; but a certain celestial being in the
Old Testament scriptures-- often labeled yhvh --is never God in person. It's
a divine agent who goes by the name of God, stands in for God, speaks for
God, speaks as God, reports to God, and takes care of God's business in this
world of ours; for example:
"I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you
to the place that I have made ready. Pay heed to him and obey him. Do not
defy him, for he will not pardon your offenses, since My Name is in him; but
if you obey him and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies
and a foe to your foes." (Ex 23:20-22)
The name of that angel is his master's name, and actually, the words Moses
heard spoken at Ex 23:20-22 were spoken by that heaven-sent messenger
on behalf of his master. That mysterious being is not only an enigma; but
also quite frightful as anyone who's studied its activities in the books of
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy can attest. In other words:
wherever the name yhvh appears in the texts of those books; it's that
mysterious angel.
"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel: and they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His
feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of
heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid
not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink." (Ex 24:9-11)
Did they really see the actual God? No.
"He said: thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see Me, and
live." (Ex 33:20)
"You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form." (John
5:37)
Moses and his entourage saw the mysterious messenger whose name is his
master's.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 11:4 . . And they said: Come, let us build us a city, and a
tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we
shall be scattered all over the world.
Magnificent cities have a way of attracting tourism, commerce, and industry.
People want to come and visit, and to live there. Politically, their scheme
made good sense. More people equals more prosperity; resulting in more
power and control over the region-- and of course the larger their tax base
the more city services they could provide citizens; including an effective civil
defense program.
There's nothing really intrinsically wrong in building a large beautiful city.
But in their case, it wasn't the right time for it. God wanted the post
Flooders to move out and populate the entire globe, rather than accumulate
in one local region.
Towers served a variety of purposes in the ancient world. Some were used
as look-outs, others were used as tombs, and yet others were used as
bloody altars for human sacrifices.
The purpose intended for the tower of Gen 11:4 isn't stated but guessing
from the wording, I'd say it was intended to be a grand monument; sort of
like the 630 foot stainless steel Gateway Arch in Ste. Louis Missouri, or a
magnificent minaret like the 239-foot Qutab Minar in Delhi India. Something
like that would certainly go a long ways towards getting the Shinarians the
renown they sought.
But their wish that the tower's top be in the sky suggests their primary
motive was to use its facade to display a variety of gods popular in that day.
There's towers like that right now that in the city of Madurai in the South
Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the banks of River Vaigai.
The towers are literally festooned with hundreds of gods. So if your favorite
god is up there somewhere, there's no need for you to leave town and go
on a pilgrimage elsewhere to worship. People love their religion. So if you
give them the liberty and the means to practice it; they'll love you forever.
Tolerance is good politics. If only Islamic fundamentalists understood this.
†. Gen 11:5 . .Yhvh came down to look at the city and tower that
man had built,
That verse presents an interesting theological problem. Wouldn't it make
better sense by saying Yhvh looked down, instead of saying the Yhvh "came"
down? Why bother to come down? Doesn't the Bible's God see all and know
all? Isn't God omniscient? Can't He see everything from right where He is?
Yes, the Bible's God can do that alright; but a certain celestial being in the
Old Testament scriptures-- often labeled yhvh --is never God in person. It's
a divine agent who goes by the name of God, stands in for God, speaks for
God, speaks as God, reports to God, and takes care of God's business in this
world of ours; for example:
"I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you
to the place that I have made ready. Pay heed to him and obey him. Do not
defy him, for he will not pardon your offenses, since My Name is in him; but
if you obey him and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies
and a foe to your foes." (Ex 23:20-22)
The name of that angel is his master's name, and actually, the words Moses
heard spoken at Ex 23:20-22 were spoken by that heaven-sent messenger
on behalf of his master. That mysterious being is not only an enigma; but
also quite frightful as anyone who's studied its activities in the books of
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy can attest. In other words:
wherever the name yhvh appears in the texts of those books; it's that
mysterious angel.
"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel: and they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His
feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of
heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid
not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink." (Ex 24:9-11)
Did they really see the actual God? No.
"He said: thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see Me, and
live." (Ex 33:20)
"You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form." (John
5:37)
Moses and his entourage saw the mysterious messenger whose name is his
master's.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=