Lesson 12 – Genesis 11

Division and the Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel

“let us build us a city and a tower” (11:4)

• Why did they build the tower?

• Was this a sin? Were they being wicked?

• What does the tower represent? Where else do we see towers in the scriptures?– Great and Spacious

building– Rameumptom

• What are our towers today?– Any way we take a

shortcut to try to reach God.

What did the Lord do?

• 11:7-9 – “the Lord did confound the language of all the earth”

• Did everyone speak a different language?• Brother of Jared were spared the confusion.• This is different then the punishment of Noah.• 11:9 – “from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad

upon the face of all the earth”• How does scattering the people help them be

righteous? What happened to “one heart and one mind”?

The Family of Abraham11:27

11:2711:2916:1-2

21:1-3

29:35

25:24-26

11:27

11:27

16:10-11

30:22-24

The Family of AbrahamTerah

AbrahamSaraiHagar

Isaac

Judah

Jacob (Israel)

Lot

Haran

Ishmael

Joseph

The Family of Abraham

• So many nations from one family

• These are nations that are feuding with each other

• What were other significant families in the scriptures?

Terah

AbrahamSaraiHagar

Isaac

Judah

Jacob (Israel)

Lot

Haran

Ishmael

Joseph

Muslims Jews Christians

So, why does the Lord scatter people?

• Where else have we seen the Lord performing this type of work? (Scattering, dividing, gathering, organizing)

• The creation. This is a Godly act.• In the beginning, Satan visited and tempted prophets directly, personally.

If he could get to the root of the family tree (Adam, Abraham, Moses), how much damage could he do?

• The Lord scatters and gathers His people to preserve righteousness, goodness

• The Lord divided the Saints from the rest of the US in the beginning of the church, to preserve and strengthen the root. All Saints were to gather in one place at first, now we are gathering everywhere, now we have the strength.

• Satan can no longer destroy the gospel through a single man, the Lord’s work moves forward (D&C 3:1)

Notebook Ideas

• What are your personal “towers of Babel”? How does Satan try to get you to take shortcuts to righteousness?

• What does it mean to you to know that the Lord’s work will not be frustrated or stopped, that it will not fail?

• How can you be a part of the work of the Lord, of His gathering and strengthening?