- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Nov 26, 2021 16:22:42 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 11:1-32
Haftara- Isaiah 28:1-16
D’rash: Now we get to the story of “The Tower of Babel.”
H894 בָּבֶל bâbel- confusion; Babel (that is, Babylon).
So the word “babel,” and the city and empire of Babylon are loan words from the Hebrew to English.
Genesis 11:1-2 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
This was the founding of the city of Babylon. It sits on the Euphrates River in the most desirable lands of the Fertile Crescent, just north of Ur and the Persian Gulf to the south. Since the land mass between the Euphrates river basin and the Red Sea was all desert, the Euphrates River formed a (if not the) major leg of the trade routes between Egypt and the entire world to their east. What this means is that they would have been very wealthy, having more than ample food supplies from the fertile river plain. They could have quickly transported their excess along the river to be sold. They also could have imposed tariffs on goods being transported along the river. And they were far enough north of the Persian Gulf (about 300 miles) to have been a major stopover for the boats and merchants. With everyone speaking the same language it must have been an uproarious, roisterous, and wanton place to stop.
Cities on trade routes tended not to be very godly. But, they are wealthy enough to sustain standing and well armed professional armies. They also could afford building projects like city walls, so they tend to be very secure. And while they were not godly as we understand the term, they did have gods that ruled their region.
Genesis 11:3-4 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then 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.”
The tower would most likely have been a ziggurat- an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top. (Webster). The name they would be making would be for their gods. A very short list of the gods of Babylon (some of which were imported from other regions over time) would include:
Marduk: national god of the Babylonians
Enlil: god of weather and storms
Nabu: god of the scribal arts
Ishtar: goddess of love
Ea: god of wisdom
Enurta: god of war
Shamash: god of the sun and of justice
(Wikipedia)
Genesis 11:5-9 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And 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. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
People have built temples to other gods everywhere, why destroy their works here by confusing their language? The stated reason is that men could do anything they wanted. But we are seeing a lot of that today despite the language problems. We also see a push for one world government, which at the time in ancient Babylon would have been possible since rivers were also a means of efficient communications. And with one world government always comes one world religion, which will never include the God of Abraham. Now they never could have brought “all” the world under absolute control. But if you wanted to trade with the outside world they could have demanded everyone prostrate themselves before their gods and swear loyalty to Babylon. However without their protection they and others could raid you mercilessly.
I think there is another reason also. According to Isaiah the king of Babylon, being used as a metaphor for ha’satan said:
Isaiah 14:13-14 (KJV) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
But God hates prideful man:
James 4:6b Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5c for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Indeed, our haftara starts out with an admonition to the pride of Ephriam:
Isaiah 28:1, 3 Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! …
The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot;
However it ends with a Messianic promise:
Isaiah 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid [Dead Sea Scroll I am laying] as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
Whatever is built on God’s foundation will last. All else will fade away like a man’s pride when he is gone.
Mekorot: all scripture from the ESV unless otherwise noted; Miriam Webster Dictionary; Wikipedia; Dr Cyndi Parker; JPS Study TNK; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 12:1-13:18
Haftara- Josh 24:3-18
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Genesis 11:1-32
Haftara- Isaiah 28:1-16
D’rash: Now we get to the story of “The Tower of Babel.”
H894 בָּבֶל bâbel- confusion; Babel (that is, Babylon).
So the word “babel,” and the city and empire of Babylon are loan words from the Hebrew to English.
Genesis 11:1-2 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
This was the founding of the city of Babylon. It sits on the Euphrates River in the most desirable lands of the Fertile Crescent, just north of Ur and the Persian Gulf to the south. Since the land mass between the Euphrates river basin and the Red Sea was all desert, the Euphrates River formed a (if not the) major leg of the trade routes between Egypt and the entire world to their east. What this means is that they would have been very wealthy, having more than ample food supplies from the fertile river plain. They could have quickly transported their excess along the river to be sold. They also could have imposed tariffs on goods being transported along the river. And they were far enough north of the Persian Gulf (about 300 miles) to have been a major stopover for the boats and merchants. With everyone speaking the same language it must have been an uproarious, roisterous, and wanton place to stop.
Cities on trade routes tended not to be very godly. But, they are wealthy enough to sustain standing and well armed professional armies. They also could afford building projects like city walls, so they tend to be very secure. And while they were not godly as we understand the term, they did have gods that ruled their region.
Genesis 11:3-4 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then 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.”
The tower would most likely have been a ziggurat- an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top. (Webster). The name they would be making would be for their gods. A very short list of the gods of Babylon (some of which were imported from other regions over time) would include:
Marduk: national god of the Babylonians
Enlil: god of weather and storms
Nabu: god of the scribal arts
Ishtar: goddess of love
Ea: god of wisdom
Enurta: god of war
Shamash: god of the sun and of justice
(Wikipedia)
Genesis 11:5-9 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And 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. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
People have built temples to other gods everywhere, why destroy their works here by confusing their language? The stated reason is that men could do anything they wanted. But we are seeing a lot of that today despite the language problems. We also see a push for one world government, which at the time in ancient Babylon would have been possible since rivers were also a means of efficient communications. And with one world government always comes one world religion, which will never include the God of Abraham. Now they never could have brought “all” the world under absolute control. But if you wanted to trade with the outside world they could have demanded everyone prostrate themselves before their gods and swear loyalty to Babylon. However without their protection they and others could raid you mercilessly.
I think there is another reason also. According to Isaiah the king of Babylon, being used as a metaphor for ha’satan said:
Isaiah 14:13-14 (KJV) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
But God hates prideful man:
James 4:6b Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5c for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Indeed, our haftara starts out with an admonition to the pride of Ephriam:
Isaiah 28:1, 3 Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! …
The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot;
However it ends with a Messianic promise:
Isaiah 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid [Dead Sea Scroll I am laying] as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
Whatever is built on God’s foundation will last. All else will fade away like a man’s pride when he is gone.
Mekorot: all scripture from the ESV unless otherwise noted; Miriam Webster Dictionary; Wikipedia; Dr Cyndi Parker; JPS Study TNK; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 12:1-13:18
Haftara- Josh 24:3-18
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
