Scripture Reference:
Genesis 11:4
And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.
Reading Guide for Mom and Dad:
In Genesis 11 we read about the City and Tower of Babel. The people were in unity but in disobedience. God didn't want unity in uniformity all in one place, He wanted unity in diversity, He wanted different cultures and groups to fill the earth. But they said: let us build us a tower lest us be scattered and make a name for ourselves. They wanted to stay in this one place.
We see when God came down and saw what they were doing He confounds their language and causes them to disperse and move across the whole earth. He disperses them by destroying their unity:
Matthew 12:25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
From here we see the people separating into their different family groups and moving away.
Before the Tower of Babel, there was only one language. In Genesis 10 they were divided after different languages and family groups.
Genesis 10:5
From these, the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
If you count the family groups in Genesis 10 there are seventy families that were formed at the Tower of Babel: These seventy families were the descendants of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Genesis 10: 20
These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
Genesis 10:31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their generations, in their nations, and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.
We see God's grace in this, that they were divided according to their family groups. The different family groups started to speak their own unique dialect.
In the days of Peleg, the people were divided and the people started to move away from the City of Babel.
Genesis 10:25 To Eber were born two sons; the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided;
Peleg lived 239 years. During this time the languages of the family groups started to change from one language into the seventy different languages according to the family groups. Seventy nations were formed as these families moved away and started to intermarry and create their own cultures. Today we have 17 429 different people groups - all formed out of these seventy family groups that dispersed and filled the earth.
The picture of the Tower of Babel is also a picture of all religion: Man in his self-effort reaching up towards God. By doing "good works" man is reaching up, striving towards heaven.
Relationship is the opposite of religion. Jesus came down from heaven to us, He did everything for us when He died on the cross and defeated the enemy once and for all. In Christ we are at rest, receiving all by grace.
Teaching Reference on YouTube by Gavin Porter: God's Promise to Abraham
Conversation Starters with the little ones:
Read Luke 10:1 together:
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them: "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few, therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest"
We are called out of the world into the Kingdom: To be a Multitude, in His Image, Ruling with Him over all of creation.
You are welcome to read more about this in my Blogpost: They Mystery.
We are called to be a blessing to all nations. How can we do this? How did the disciples do this? In Luke 10:1 the seventy went out to every city and place. This is a symbolic picture of the nations. There were seventy nations/groups dispersed after the Tower of Babel. We are called to go to all nations and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Do you see the connection between the seventy people groups in Genesis 10 and the seventy in Luke 10?
Teach them to Rule and Multiply:
Talk to your children about the different nations and unreached people groups on earth. You can look at a World Map together and try to identify as many countries as you can. Start to pray for different nations every day, giving the children the responsibility to pray for a nation of their choice. Go to the local library or do a google search on the nations they are interested in.
Prayer points
Pray that God's Love will fill the nation
Pray that God will bless the nation
Pray that the Word of God will be made known in the nation
Pray for missionaries and evangelists that may be working in the nation
Kettle Prayer suggestions:
Lord Jesus, I pray that You will give my children a desire to go out into the World and share Your Love and Kingdom Message with the Nations. May they bring Your Kingdom wherever they go on earth. All to Your Glory, Amen
You are welcome to download this visual aid for your own personal use:
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