Readers Guide: “The Word for Today” Thursday, September 13, 2012 Read - Genesis 11:1-9, 27-32 & 12 The last of the five-part story that began with the second creation story is the story of the “Tower of Babel”. This is probably the least familiar of these stories. In it the main theme of the “Adam and Eve” story is revisited. The people desire to be like God – in fact they attempt to build a tower to break into heaven which is God’s abode. The story is filled with irony. God looks down from heaven at their puny attempt – what human beings think is grand usually isn’t in God’s eyes. One should notice that the “Adam and Eve” story, the “Cain and Abel” story, the “Flood” story, and now the “Tower of Babel” story all follow a distinctive pattern. Each story begins with an offense on the part of human beings. This offense is followed by an investigation by God. Next comes a word of judgment by God. Finally each story ends with the proclamation of God’s grace. That pattern appears to be broken in the “Tower of Babel” story – no proclamation of grace is made. However, the “Tower of Babel” story creatively moves right into the historical story of Abraham and the people of God. The call of Abraham is the proclamation of God’s grace in answer to the “Tower of Babel” offense and judgment. The “Tower of Babel” story describes the confusion of languages and the beginning of nations – the end result of which is a world filled with conflict as we know today. God calls Abraham and in that call God is creating a nation of his own. The mission of that nation is to bring salvation to the world. All of the events in Genesis 1-11 lay in a misty past. History as we know it begins with Abraham – we can attach Abraham to other historical accounts. Genesis 1-11 is really a foundation story upon which to build the rest of the story of God and God’s people. We turn to that story now.