1/9 Genesis 11* - The Dark Backdrop

The Tower of Babel is one of those events that is incredibly important but often misunderstood. Today, we'll study Genesis 11 and see why this passage is in our Bibles and how it serves as a dark backdrop to the entire message of God's Word. Join us for a key study in the key chapters in God's Word!

DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. Read through Genesis 11 and place a box around any words or phrases that speak of man’s unity. Place a triangle around any words or phrases that speak of man’s disunity. How does man’s inability to communicate contribute to the disharmony among people?
2. Read through Genesis 11 and circle the names Shem (in verse 10), Eber (in verse 14), Terah (in verse 24), and Abram (in verse 26). Then draw a line that connects them all, starting from Shem and ending with Abram. What is the significance of these connections?
3. How did the study suggest that Genesis 11 serves as a dark backdrop to the rest of the Bible? What is so dark in this chapter? What is the diamond at the end of it?
4. In verse 4, what reason did the people give for wanting to stay in the land of Shinar? What command was this in direct disobedience to? What was the purpose of that command?
5. Looking at how the people were reasoning in verses 3 and 4, would you say they were taking God’s instructions into consideration or disregarding them? Why do you think they had this mindset?
6. In verse 4, was their sin “building the tower” or something else? How is that significant to the plan of God given in Genesis 1:28 and 9:1?
7. The people used God’s blessings to sin against Him. How might a person still use their God-given blessings to sin against Him? What, instead, should we do with God’s blessings?
8. How did God’s judgment redirect the people to obey His commands? What does this tell us about one of the purposes of God’s judgment?
9. Who is the key person mentioned in verse 26? According to Genesis 17:5, what was his name later changed to? What did this new name mean?
10. The people who settled in the Plain of Shinar were doing what seemed good to them, but they completely disregarded God’s commands. When you look at your approach to life, how do you make decisions? Do most of your decisions simply reflect what you think is best? Do you normally consult God’s Word for what He says on that matter? Why or why not?
11. Would the people who know you describe you as a person who is actively seeking live according to God’s way? Are you a person who seeks to please God, obey Him, and glorify Him? Why or why not?
12. What implication does the meaning of “Abraham” have for the kind of nation Abraham was to be the father of? What does the study tell us about God’s plan for choosing Abram from among the nations?
13. Although we ought to obey God, none of us do perfectly. None of us can fully obey Him in our own strength. As we end our study in Genesis 11, take a moment to seek God’s transforming grace, so that He might transform your heart, mind, will, and actions to conform to His holy standard in submission to His Son, who is our Lord and God and King?

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