Spectacular Sins: The Pride of Babel and the Praise of Christ

John Piper addresses human pride in the account of the tower of Babel. Rather than being fruitful and multiplying, people “clustered” in direct disobedience to God, to pursue their own agenda:

Building a city is the way one avoids being dispersed over the whole earth. And building a tower into the heavens is the way one makes a name for oneself. So the city and tower are the outward expressions of inward sins… God’s will for human beings is not that we find our joy in being praised, but that we find our joy in knowing and praising him. His will is not that we find our security in cities but in God whom we gladly obey.

Are you seeking to make a name for yourself, at the expense of finding joy in making much about God? Are you experiencing the joy the Bible speaks of over and over? If not, could it be that you are looking for happiness in someone or something other than Jesus?

1. On page 66, John Piper gives an overview of peoples, nations and languages. He says that people were clustering. Why do you think people come together in groups? That’s a pretty open-ended question. Do you think clustering is in our nature or the result of the fall?
2. In this chapter, Piper highlights some literary devices… a few times the Biblical authors employ language to emphasize a point or bring out an important feature in the story. Did you catch that and can you identify at least 2?
3. On page 69, the author talks about how and why God scattered the people of the earth. Was this simply a judgment or do God’s actions serve a larger purpose?
4. Do you agree with the author’s statement on page 70 that the gospel spreads better “because of 6,500 languages, not in spite of them?” Why or why not?
5. Babel and Babylon point to a future uprising, opposing God, which will be universal. Can you think of other Biblical accounts or times in history that serve to illustrate that universal uprising we see in Revelation? In other words, are there other similar markers along the road of history, pointing to a final battle between God and evil?
6. The author states that Christianity is “not provincial” or merely a “tribal religion.” How does he come to that conclusion? Do you agree or disagree? How can we, as Christians, make Christianity appear “tribal” or “provincial?”
7. How does a diversity of people and languages praising God, “image” Him to others and result in His glory? When people of all kinds come together in Jesus, in what sense does that foreshadow the new heavens and new earth?

Tags: Bible, gospel, Jesus