The Tower of Babel, Junior - I, Lesson - 3

JUNIOR

AGE: 10 - 11 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: V & VI

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LESSON – 3

THE TOWER OF BABEL

Have you heard people speaking in a foreign language?  There are thousands of languages in the world. Do you know how these languages came to be? Let us learn in this lesson!

After the great flood, God told Noah and his descendants to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Noah’s three sons who had entered the ark along with their wives had children and grandchildren and slowly the number of people on earth started to increase. Through them the nations were divided into different countries based on their clan or tribe.

There were also mighty men who lived on the earth. Nimrod was one such man. He was a mighty hunter. There was a saying in the olden days which said “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord”. It means that he was a mighty hunter who was facing God and rebelling against God. He also built and ruled many kingdoms. During that time the whole earth had one language and one kind of speech. The people on the whole earth could understand each other!

They slowly started to move from the east and when they found a plain in the land of Shinar they settled there. Plains are flat lands which are very convenient for human settlement. Suddenly a thought arose in them that they should be together and they should not scatter in all the directions. But God had instructed Noah’s descendants to multiply and fill the earth.

To achieve their plan, they decided to build a city and a tall tower that would reach till the heavens. They thought that by building a tall tower they could make great name for themselves and by building a city they can all live together without dispersing on the earth. They said to one another, “Come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly”. By baking the bricks and building the city it would be very strong. They had bricks for stone and asphalt for mortar, things that are essential to bring a strong and great city.

Although it is not mentioned in the Holy Bible who was their leader, many Bible scholars think that it was Nimrod who had gathered all the people to rebel against God, because it is mentioned in the Holy Bible that he was a rebel and he ruled Shinar during these times in Genesis 10:8-10. 

God came down from heaven to see what they were doing and also to teach them a lesson. God saw that the people were confident that they could achieve anything because they were all united in their language. There was no thought about God or what he had said. So, God confused their language that they were unable to understand one another’s speech. 

Thus, they were scattered from that place to all over the earth. They also stopped building that city where they all wanted to live together. Therefore, that place is called “Babel” because God confused the language of all the earth and scattered the people from there to all over the earth.

Bible Reference: Genesis 10:1-10; 11

Memory Verse: Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. (Psalm 115:1 NKJV)

             

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Fill in the blanks:

1.     Nimrod was a mighty …………. 

2. The people decided to build a city and a tall ………………. that would reach till the heavens.

3. They had ……………….  for stone to build the city.

4. The place is called “……………….” because God confused the language.

Give short answers:

1. What was the command given by God to Noah and his descendants?

 

2. Who was Nimrod?

 

3. Why did the people plan to build a city and a tower?

 

4. With what did they plan to build the city?

 

Answer in brief:

1. Why did God confuse the language at Babel?