Valley View Baptist Church Tim’s Pastor Curt Audet
6N656 Route 25 August 9, 2026
St. Charles, IL 60174 vvbcil.com
“Give Glory To Who?” (Genesis 11:1-9)
20th in the series Harbors For Our Soul
BI: God opposes the arrogant proud and seeks to bless the humble in His great plan of redemption.
Psalm 1 is a beautiful passage on the two ways we can choose to live throughout our lifetime. Once our moral capacity and awareness rises within us, we move from moral choice to moral choice.
Psalm 1 (NLT)
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
We have been watching these choices unfold since the second chapter of Genesis. Each moral choice you make forms your life and history.
The Narrow Way The Broad Way Scripture
Psalm 1:1-3 Psalm 1:4-6 Psalm 1
Abel Cain Genesis 4
Seth / Enoch Lamech Genesis 4-5
Noah +7 1 Billion people (+/-) Genesis 6-9
Shem, Japheth Ham, Canaan Genesis 9
Abraham / Redemption Nimrod / Babel Genesis 10-12
Genesis 11 embodies both of these paths and all the moral questions of a day in the life of humanity. Will I live for God’s glory or pursue and assert my own glory? God opposes the arrogant proud and upholds and blesses the humble in His plan of redemption.
We met a man named Nimrod last week. Nimrod’s city of Babel is one of the most glorious, influential places in the Bible. Babel was the high point of human achievement and human accomplishment. Historically, archaeologically, and theologically, it became the prototype of human civilization organized in willful independence from God. The city later became known as Babylon, one of the greatest empires of the ancient world.
8 Cush [Ham’s oldest son] fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (10:8-10)
Ham’s first son he named ‘Cush’ which meant black in appearance. And the descendants of Cush settled primarily in regions south of Egypt—Nubia, Ethiopia, and Sudan. But the genealogy also includes peoples associated with southern Mesopotamia (meaning, ‘The land between two rivers’) through Cush’s son Nimrod. Those two rivers are the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Most of ancient Mesopotamia is located in modern Iraq, with portions extending into Syria, Turkey and Iran.
I. The Broad Way arrogance (11:1-4)
Come let us build a name for ourselves! Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 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. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and [Come] let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
his own path pursuing greatness in the Land of Shinar, which is another Biblical term for the southern Mesopotamia region. After all, it was near there that God began His Creation in the Garden of Eden!
Nimrod’s fame spread in influence as well with his expanding Empire. The Kingdoms of Babel (eventually known as Babylon), Erech, Accad, Calneh and Ninevah, in the land of Shinar.
Three times Nimrod rallies his citizens, his troops, his workers and no doubt, his slaves as well with powerful unity: COME LET US! Let’s do this together! Let’s join minds and forces to accomplish the impossible! Nothing can stop us! No one will stop us!
v.3 – Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly!
v.4 – Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens!
v.4 – [Come] let us make a name for ourselves!
All of this sounds just like American hard work, stick-tuitive-ness and tenacity—just 4500 years ago! But something was tragically missing in Babel. Humility and glory toward God. Nimrod’s pure human determinations became calls to pure human action. They had mastered the way to make and form bricks to create strong and durable buildings. There human strength led them turn from God. They were excelling in human boundaries so they built a Tower.
Why build a tower? The tower itself was probably not an attempt literally to reach heaven. Ancient Mesopotamian cities built ziggurats, stepped temple towers dedicated to their gods. The Babel tower was likely a religious center, a political center, a symbol of human achievement and a monument to human independence from God.
Their statement reveals their motivation: “Let us make a name for ourselves.” Contrast that with God’s promise to Abraham in the very next chapter: “I will make your name great.” (Genesis 12:2)
They had learned how to lead men in mathematics, engineering, stone cutting and artisan carpentry skill. They works hard to design and build this masterpiece, the Tower of Babel and its surrounding city. How high could they go? The apocryphal book Jubilees states about 8000 feet! This can only be error, or illustration of the builder’s expanding ego and pride! Even Chicago’s Willis Tower stands impressively at ‘only’ 1,450 feet tall with 110 stories, built 52 years ago in 1974. Nimrod’s builders had the goal to pierce so high as to taunt Heaven itself! We are enough. We don’t need God! We can do this ourselves.
The name Nimrod in the Bible means, ‘rebel and revolt’. He was greatly gifted by God. His reputation was as a heroic, mighty man. But his pride and arrogance had taken away this great name. In today’s slang a Nimrod is a fool. This is how this highly-effective leader led. I think now how this name represents the ‘fool who says in his heart and lives like there is no God’. That is what a fool believes.
Finally they threw off all pretense and embraced human pride to declare that the glory of this Tower will be remembered forever as the zenith of human achievements!
What is missing again? Recognition that God has given us our lives, our bodies, our minds, our imaginations, our strengths and our skills. Nimrod, Inc. became the company that no longer sees, needs, recognizes or glorifies our Creator.
Nimrod’s / Babel’s Way
Human effort
Human pride
Human glory
Ends in confusion and scattering
Abraham’s / City Of God’s Way
Faith
Obedience
God’s promise
God’s glory
Becomes a blessing to all nations
Nimrod’s Kingdom. Built by human power. United around human ambition. Designed to make Man’s name great. Ends in judgment and scattering. Romans 1 explains why:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23)
II. The Narrow Way blessings (Hebrews 11:1-9; Genesis 12:1-3)
Next week we will be studying Genesis 12. There, we see the contrast:
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Hebrews 11 elaborates on the Narrow Road Blessings Abraham pursued,
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (11:8-10; 4, 6)
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
“The Scriptures . . . say that God is passionate that the spirit He has placed within us should be faithful to Him. 6 And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” (James 4:5-8)
III. God’s stunning redemptive intervention (Genesis 11:5-9)
God had given the world another chance. God told all people to fill the whole earth. The flood should have been a warning not to allow the arrogant pride to have no bounds. But not long after the Ark came to a rest on the mountains of Ararat, the groundswell of sin and deceit and human pride rose to the noted attention of God–again. God saw what was happening. God said, Come let us confuse their language!
The Trinity Council acted on behalf of God’s redemptive plan.
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 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. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 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.
Two previous times we saw the Trinity Council intervening was at earlier critical times in Redemptive History. The first time when God created made Man in His own image, and the second time when God protected humanity from eternal extinction by removing them from the pressence of the Tree of Life in the Garden of eden. :
Genesis 1:26-27 – “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them.”
Genesis 3:22-24 – “The LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like One of Us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—’therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
Just outside the gates of Eden with the flaming angels was the Land between the rivers (Tigris & Euphrates), Mesopotamia.
Since that day work, translate and pray for communication of the Gospel across 7000 known languages. In ancient Meopotamia it was God who confused the languages to stave off for the ‘right time’ for the Plan of Redemption to take place. Later in Acts 2, another large group from around the world gathered to worship the Lord at the Feast Of Pentecost. There, God addressed the language confusion with another intervention of God for His Redemption Plan.
Languages Overcome In Acts 2
2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
GIVE GLORY TO GOD!
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