We cannot overstate the depraved, ruined condition of God’s creation at the end of Genesis 11. The construction project to build a tower in the plains of Shinar may not seem terribly wicked to us, but Yahweh recognized it for what it was: outright rebellion against his reign and rule (Gen. 11:6). At Babel, humanity sank so far into sin, rebellion, and wickedness that they attempted to raise themselves up to heaven to confront God there. They believed that if they could only build a tall enough tower, they could challenge God. This was more than simply transgressing God’s boundaries, as Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden. At Babel, men and women created in the image of God sought to overthrow God altogether. As the fruit of their evil, Yahweh confused their language and scattered them across the face of the earth (Gen. 11:7–9).

How could the story of human history possibly overcome such a setback? God was justified to confuse their language and scatter them abroad, but he would also be justified to destroy the human race altogether. Does God intend to start over, or perhaps to abandon his work in creation forever? While Yahweh will no longer relate to the whole world in a general way, he will not forsake the world altogether. Rather, Yahweh chooses to raise up one man, Abram, through whom he will bless all the families of the earth. As we will see, Yahweh does not instruct Abram to build a taller worldly tower. Instead, Yahweh tells Abram simply to believe his heavenly word.

Now, as we have seen in the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis, there will be much to do to unwind the tangled cords of sin that have gripped God’s creation. If we were in charge of planning this work of redemption, we would probably send Abram with blueprints for how to build a better, taller tower in the world. Whether that tower consisted of bricks and mortar, a program for social reform, or a path to personal enlightenment, we expect to see Abram teaching worldly solutions to solve the world’s problems. For this reason, Yahweh’s actual plan for redeeming the world will seem counter-intuitive and paradoxical to our minds: In order to bless the world, God calls his people out of the world.