Day 24 Devotion – The Tower of Babel

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:1-4

Picture 1: Painting of the Tower of Babel.

The Tower of Babel is a famous story of the Old Testament. It explains how and why one people group was dispersed into the various nations. When archaeologists first read about a tower in the land of Shinar they knew exactly what the Bible was referring to. The land of Shinar refers to Mesopotamia in modern day Iraq and Iran. There are numerous towers there called ziggurats that were ancient temples. The earliest peoples descended from the Zagros Mountains in the north. They used to worship on mountain tops. Now they settled in the plains for better agricultural lands. The trouble is that they believed worship was to occur in a high place so this meant that they built artificial mountains to worship on. You will notice the similarity between the ziggurat pictured and the pyramids in Egypt and the pyramids of the Incas in South America. This idea stemmed from the original single race that everyone else divided from.

Picture 2: This ancient Ziggurat still standing in Modern day Iraq is probably more what the real tower of Babel looked like.












Picture 3: Incan pyramid in South America.













Picture 4: The step pyramid of Djoser (pronounced Zoser) is the first stone structure ever built.

Archaeology has also confirmed that these structures were made from mud brick. Stone would not be used for several centuries. The famous step pyramid of Djoser is the first large stone building ever constructed. Later the Great pyramid would become the tallest structure ever built by man (almost 500 feet) until the Eifel Tower was erected. The Great pyramid is still the largest stone structure ever made. The three pyramids of Giza are the only structures still in existence that are part of the seven wonders of the ancient world. To make you appreciate their age just think that they were built before Abraham was born and he saw them in their glory.

Picture 5: The Great Pyramid at Giza is still the tallest stone structure ever built and is one of the seven wanders of the ancient world.