Lesson 6: The Tower of Babel - Humility vs Pride Before God

1. Key Bible Reading

Passage: Genesis 11:1 – 11:9 (also referencing Genesis 9:1 and Proverbs 16:18, World English Bible – WEB).
Teachers and parents: Read Genesis 11:1–9 aloud with the children. Have fun asking the children how many different languages they can say “Hello” or “Praise God” in!

2. Memory Verse to Learn by Heart

“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.”
— Genesis 11:9 (WEB)

3. What We Will Learn Today

• How the whole earth once spoke only one language and used the same words.
• How the people settled in a plain in the land of Shinar and learnt to make baked bricks for stone and tar (bitumen) for mortar.
• Why building the city and the tall Tower of Babel was wrong: the people were filled with pride (“let’s make a name for ourselves”) and disobeyed God’s command to spread out and fill the earth.
• How Yahweh came down, confused their language so they could not understand one another, and scattered them across the whole earth.
• Why God wants us to be humble and obedient, honouring His name rather than showing off in pride.

4. The Complete Story of the Tower of Babel

Part A: One Language and the Plain of Shinar (Genesis 11:1–3)

After the Great Flood ended, God gave Noah and his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—a clear command:

“God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.’” — Genesis 9:1 (WEB)

God wanted families to grow, travel across the continents, and fill the whole world with people who loved and worshipped Him. At that time, everyone on earth was part of one big extended family, and they all spoke the exact same language! The Bible tells us:

“The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. As they travelled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.” — Genesis 11:1–2 (WEB)

Instead of continuing to spread out across the earth as God had commanded, the people stopped on the flat plain in the land of Shinar (later known as Babylonia). Since there were few large rocks on that flat plain, they discovered a clever way to build:

“They said to one another, ‘Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.” — Genesis 11:3 (WEB)

Part B: A Proud Plan — “Let’s Make a Name for Ourselves!” (Genesis 11:4–5)

Having clever skills like making strong bricks is a gift from God when we use it to serve Him and help others. However, the people on the plain of Shinar became proud in their hearts. They did not want to honour God’s name, and they did not want to obey God’s instruction to fill the earth. Listen to what they said:

“They said, ‘Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top may reach to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.’” — Genesis 11:4 (WEB)

Notice two big problems in what they said:

• First, Pride: They said, “Let’s make a name for ourselves!” They wanted everyone to look at how great and powerful they were, instead of praising Yahweh their Creator.
• Second, Disobedience: They said, “Lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.” God had told humanity to multiply and fill the earth, yet they stubbornly decided to stay huddled together in one spot.

No matter how tall the builders stacked their bricks, their tower was still tiny compared to God in heaven! The Bible says gently:

“Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.” — Genesis 11:5 (WEB)

Think about that! The people thought their tower reached all the way to the sky, yet God had to come down just to look at it!

Part C: God Confuses the Languages and Scatters the People (Genesis 11:6–9)

Yahweh saw that if the people stayed united in stubborn rebellion and pride, they would keep planning more and more ungodly things together. So God acted wisely and peacefully to stop their proud project without hurting anyone:

“Yahweh said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’” — Genesis 11:6–7 (WEB)

Suddenly, right in the middle of their work, the builders could no longer understand each other! When one worker asked for a brick, his neighbour heard completely different words and handed him a bucket of tar or a hammer instead! Because they could not understand one another’s speech, they had to stop building the tower.

“So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.” — Genesis 11:8–9 (WEB)

The city was named Babel (which sounds like the Hebrew word for “confused”). Families who spoke the same new language gathered together and travelled out across the mountains, rivers, and continents—finally fulfilling God’s good plan to fill the whole earth!

5. Quick Revision Table: Key Facts of the Tower of Babel (WEB)

6. Class Discussion Questions

1. Is it wrong to build houses or work together? Why was God displeased with the builders of the Tower of Babel?
2. What is the difference between working hard to honour God and bragging to “make a name for ourselves”?
3. Why did Yahweh have to “come down” to see the tower (Genesis 11:5)? What does that teach us about how great God is compared to human pride?
4. Today, people all over the world speak many wonderful languages! How can we use whatever language we speak (English, Kiswahili, Dholuo, and others) to praise God and be kind to everyone?

7. Fun Children’s Activity

8. Closing Prayer

“Almighty Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us clever minds, hands to build, and voices to speak. Keep our hearts free from pride and boasting. Help us always to obey Your Word, walk in humility, and use every language we speak to bring glory and honour to Your holy name. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.”