DWDP-Gen 11: 5-7 The Lord Came Down

A single sentence in Genesis can wreck the comforting myth of a distant God: “the Lord came down.” We lean into Genesis 11:5–7 and the Tower of Babel to ask what it means that God watches nations, weighs motives, and intervenes when human pride hardens into organized rebellion. If you’ve ever wondered whether God is actually active in the world or whether history is just spinning on its own, this devotional draws a clear line from Scripture to the headlines in your own heart.

We walk through why the Babel story is more than an origin tale about languages. The real tension is unity with the wrong aim: one people, one language, one coordinated project set against God. We talk about Nimrod, the spiritual stakes behind centralized power, and why confusing language can be an act of restraint and mercy. Along the way, we unpack anthropomorphism, connect “Come, let us go down” to the Trinity, and echo Psalm 2’s picture of rulers taking counsel against the Lord while heaven remains utterly unthreatened.

Then we widen the lens to hope. From real-life mission travel and cross-cultural ministry, we reflect on how language and culture can create distrust, yet worship in Christ can knit believers together in a way nothing else can. Finally, Revelation 5 lifts our eyes to Jesus purchasing people from every tribe and tongue, reversing Babel’s fracture with a deeper unity grounded in the Lamb. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What do you think is the difference between godly unity and dangerous unity?

Transcript

Welcome And Gather Round

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Welcome to More Than Medic, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr. Robert Jackson.

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Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go get your brother and your sisters, and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr. Papa. Gather round, grab your Bibles, and let us look into the written word, which reveals to us the living word, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reading Genesis 11:5-7

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Well, today we're at Genesis chapter eleven, verses five through seven. Let me read those verses to you. Genesis eleven, verse five through seven. The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech.

God Is Not A Watchmaker

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All right, so have you ever heard it said that God is like a watchmaker that wound up the universe and then stepped back to watch it unwind without his intervention? Well, these verses give the lie to that entire notion. In verse five, God comes down to take a closer look. Now that's an anthropomorphism. Say that word three times fast with a real big wad of chewin' to back in your mouth. That's an anthropomorphism, which is used for our sakes because God sees all and knows all from his throne in heaven. But just so our puny minds will comprehend in human terms what is happening here, the writer, either Shem or Moses, we're not certain, says that God came down. Now I agree with you that it seems to me that in the normal course of events that God allows men to be free moral agents and allows them to enjoy the consequences of their choices. But yet the Bible says in Jeremiah that his eyes roam to and fro in all the earth, seeking whose heart is fully devoted to him, that he may show himself strong on their behalf. Does that sound to you like a God who just wound up the universe and then steps back to let it unwind? Of course not. His eyes are always watching, seeking whose heart is fully devoted to him, that he may show himself strong on their behalf. But the Bible also said, says that there is no peace for the wicked. You see, God's always watching the wicked, and he orchestrates the affairs of the wicked to make sure that there's no peace for them. So while we may think that God is not active in the world around us, these two verses alone inform us that the Creator is always active in the affairs of individual men and nations. The demonically inspired rebellion at Babel was one occasion when God decided that he needed to come take a personal look see. Now, why would God decide to intervene? We don't really know. We can only speculate. Perhaps like in the days of Noah, the violence and corruption had become so great that it required another divine intervention just as in the days of Noah.

Unity Turned Into Rebellion

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Now verse six tells us that the real issue was their unity. They are one people is what God said. But I thought unity was a good thing. Jesus told us we would be one in the spirit, right? Yes, but these folks were unified in their rebellion against God, just like in the end times there will be a unified one world government headed by Antichrist in rebellion against God. Be wary of all one world government schemes and propositions. There is nothing wrong with individual liberty, nationalism and national sovereignty. More than their unity, their common language enabled their unity in rebellion against God. On the world stage today, finding commonality is difficult because of different languages and different cultures and nationalism. As it should be, God intended it to be that way ever since Babel. If our presumption is correct that Nimrod was being motivated and empowered by satanic forces, then we understand why God said nothing will be impossible for them, which they purpose to do. Nimrod was building a tower in an attempt to dethrone the true king of the universe and capture the devotion of all mankind. And who was behind all of this? Well it was Satan himself. Satan, who is the god of this world, had no doubt falsely promised Nimrod all manner of worldly position and power and possessions once his rebellion was successful. Now let's look at verse seven. Beginning with the same Hebrew word Yahab, which means, as we discussed in last week's message, giving as in give authority. Give as in give authority. So look at verse seven. It says come, let us go down the and there confuse their language so that they will not understand one another's speech. It's the same word used when Nimrod called a council of family leaders to obtain authority to make bricks and build a city and a tower.

The Trinity In “Let Us”

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So let me ask you a question. Who is us mentioned in this divine council and granting divine authority to whom? It is none other than the three persons of the Trinity. It is the Godhead. Just as in Genesis chapter one and verse twenty six and chapter three and verse twenty two, when the divine counsel met and made a divine decision saying, Let us make man in our image. The great triune, tripartite holy God of the universe sat on a single throne of justice and righteousness, made a divine unalterable decision, and that decision was that he came from nothing, because there was nothing to come from. And coming from nothing God stood on nothing, because there was nothing to stand on. Standing on nothing he reached out for which there was nothing to reach, and reaching out for nothing he caught hold of something and hung something on nothing and told it to stay. He took the hammer of his will and struck the anvil of his omnipotence, and sparks flew therefrom, and he caught them in the tips of his fingers and flung them out into space, bedecking the heavens with stars. And nobody said a word because there was nobody there to say anything. Then God said that's good. And that was just the beginning of his handiwork, as the great three in one pondered their next move, and the creator of the heavens and the earth breathed the breath of life into the inanimate clay that he had fashioned into a man, thus beginning all of what you and I call time and history.

Psalm 2 And Holy Defiance

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When the Psalmist states in Psalm chapter two verses two through three, let me quote those verses to you, the kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us tear their feathers apart and cast away their cords from us. Do you think he is looking back to the days of Nimrod and his rebellion and all of his rebellious followers? Do you think he has pulled back the curtain in heavens in verse three when he states He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. The King James Version says that he holds them in derision. He may very well have been thinking about Nimrod and all of his rebellious followers when the Psalmist penned those very words. Fundamental to this rebellion was their ability to communicate, organize, and unify themselves into one unified, regimented government entity with an anti god religious philosophy. The triune God recognized this in verse six when he said they are one people with one language. Therefore, the executive decision of the heavenly council was to confuse their language. The result was that although their thoughts continued to be the same, synonymous, they would no longer understand one another's speech.

Missions And Unity In Christ

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Many of you know that I have traveled all over the world to more than twenty different countries on short-term mission trips, both medical and evangelistic. I have noticed that language and cultural barriers inevitably create both suspicion and distrust. However, when I am with brothers and sisters in Christ, despite language and cultural barriers, the suspicion and distrust melts away. Why is that? Because the Spirit of God makes us one in Christ. When we begin to worship God together, we are one in the bond of love. We are all in the family of God, and our spirits are knit together supernaturally. It is a God thing.

Revelation And Restored Worship

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The book of Revelation tells us that in the end the effects of the curse and the rebellion of man will be removed. It will be reversed. And Revelation chapter five, verses nine and ten tells us a remarkable thing. And it says that they sang a new song saying, Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seal. For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and tongue, and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. Oh my goodness, do you understand that Jesus is in the process of purchasing with his blood people of every language and every nation to be a kingdom of priest unto God that will erase all of the prior confusion and division. In God's kingdom there will be unity as we worship the Lamb around his throne. There was confusion of languages at Babel, but in the end God is going to bring the children of the king all together, and we will worship the true King, the Lamb of God, all in one spirit and in one family as priest unto God. What a glorious day that will be.

Closing Blessing And Next Steps

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Alright, you're listening to devotions with Dr. Papa. If you like what you hear, I pray that you would follow, like, share, tell your friends about it. We'll be back again next week. Until then, remember that Jesus loves you, your doctor loves you. We'll be back again next week. And until then, I just pray that the Lord will bless you real good.

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Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, Instagram, or web page at Jackson Family Ministry dot com. Also, don't forget to check out Dr. Jackson.