The Exile

This week we read about the story of the Tower of Babel. In the story, mankind, in disobedience to God's call to fill the earth, decides to stop in the plain of Shinar, build a city with a tower, and attempt to reach God. The people believe that doing so will allow them to make a name for themselves- a way of saying that they will become immortal through this great deed.

However, when God sees what is going on (as an aside-God always sees what is going on. The author is infusing some humor into the ridiculous belief of the people of Shinar) He comes down and confuses their language so that they cannot work together. In effect, this causes the people to become scattered.

In a sense, this confusion of language, brings to the people a type of exile. An exile that comes about because of their disobedience. As we ponder that exile, we cannot help but notice a pattern in the book of Genesis. 

In Genesis 3, mankind is exiled from the garden because of disobedience (the eating of the fruit). In Genesis 4, Cain is exiled from the people as a result of killing his brother (another sense of disobedience, in that God tells Cain he is to master his sin, but Cain allows sin to master him). In Genesis 6, God states that He will not contend with mankind because of his disobedience, and he places the number of years for men to 120- this is an exile from longevity. In the flood narrative itself is an exile that comes about from disobedience as mankind is exiled (through death) from the face of the earth. Finally, in the sin of Ham, he ancestors are exiled from freedom to become slaves to his brothers because he was disobedient to his father.

The plot line of disobedience and exile are repeated throughout the Old Testament, and stresses the importance of a messiah who would bring the people from exile into the promised land.