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Genesis 11: Give honor to the One Who gave you life
After the Flood, there is a noticeable pattern of a precipitous loss in human life expectancy.1 The conditions of the post-Flood world were drastically different from those of the pre-Flood world.2 These shortened lifespans may have been caused by the strain of climate changes and the demands of more strenuous lifestyles. In the early history of the world, animals and insects were significantly larger than they are today. For instance, dragonflies had much larger wingspans. It is possible that God actively shortened the lifespans of both humans and animals to prevent the accumulation of power and control among humans.
The people of Shinar who commissioned the Tower of Babel were actively disobeying God’s command to disperse. Those who initiated the Tower’s construction wanted to prevent others from migrating in order to maintain control. The desire for power and control is a fundamental human drive, which God thwarted by confusing their languages.
Once the languages were changed, the people naturally dispersed. To assist them, God may have assigned different angels to guide the various language groups to settle in new locations. Immediately after God dispersed the people at the Tower of Babel, the narrative introduces the descendants of Shem, who were the ancestors of Abram, later known as Abraham.
Terah, Abram’s father, had three sons: Haran, Nahor, and Abram. Terah began having children at the age of 70 and had at least two wives, as Abram and Sarai were half-siblings.
Jewish tradition suggests that Sarai is another name for Haran’s daughter Iscah. But Abram later states that they had the same father but different mothers, making it more likely that they were half-siblings rather than uncle and niece. Terah’s oldest son, Haran, had three children but died before the family left for Canaan. Nahor later married his niece Milcah, and they also had children.
As Abram’s family journeyed to Canaan, they stopped for a time in a town called Haran. From there, Abram, Lot, and Sarai continued on to Canaan.
Terah lived until Isaac was about 35 years old, but there is no record of Abram returning to Haran to bury his father. Jewish tradition emphasizes the importance of burying one’s parents as an act of respect.
However, the greatest way to honor one’s parents is by following in their footsteps and obeying them. Abram’s obedience to God was a form of honoring his father. Honoring parents involves living a life of obedience to and faith in God. Our life choices can either honor or dishonor our parents, and this is far more significant than physical acts of respect.
Isaiah 28: Prophecy against the crown of Ephraim’s pride
“Ah, the proud crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim,
Whose glorious beauty is but wilted flowers
On the heads of men bloated with rich food,
Who are overcome by wine!
Lo, my Lord has something strong and mighty,
Like a storm of hail,
A shower of pestilence.
Something like a storm of massive, torrential rain
Shall be hurled with force to the ground.”
Isaiah 28:1-2, JPS 1985
This prophecy addresses the northern tribes of Israel, focusing on Ephraim, the dominant tribe. Ephraim’s crown represents pride, manifesting as a perversion of vision and justice. Their culture suffered due to misinformation about God, leading to distortion. God’s commands were ignored, resulting in their downfall.
“Trampled underfoot shall be
The proud crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim,
The wilted flowers—
On the heads of men bloated with rich food—
That are his glorious beauty.
They shall be like an early fig
Before the fruit harvest;
Whoever sees it devours it
While it is still in his hand.”
Isaiah 28:3-4, JPS 1985
The crown of Ephraim’s pride is likened to a barely ripened fig, easily plucked and eaten, symbolizing the swift removal of their arrogance. God restores His crown and re-establishes truth, judgment, and justice. He also warns that Judah, like Ephraim, will face judgment for their pride. Many of Judah’s priests and prophets were frauds, distorting judgment and justice.
“In that day, the LORD of Hosts shall become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory for the remnant of His people,
and a spirit of judgment for him who sits in judgment and of valor for those who repel attacks at the gate.
But these are also muddled by wine
And dazed by liquor:
Priest and prophet
Are muddled by liquor;
They are confused by wine,
They are dazed by liquor;
They are muddled in their visions,
They stumble in judgment.
Yea, all tables are covered
With vomit and filth,
So that no space is left.”
Isaiah 28:5-8, JPS 1985
Now that Ephraim’s pride has been removed, God restores His crown and will re-establish truth, proper judgment, and justice. God also says that not only will He pluck Ephraim’s arrogance, but He will do the same to Judah. Judah is proud of their priests and prophets, but the problem was that most of Judah’s priests and prophets were liars and frauds who distorted judgment and justice similarly to what was happening in the Northern Kingdom. God will use judgment as a measuring line and righteousness as a plumb line to bring about this transformation.
Teaching and rejection of knowledge
“To whom would he give instruction?
To whom expound a message?
To those newly weaned from milk,
Just taken away from the breast?
That same mutter upon mutter,
Murmur upon murmur,
Now here, now there!”
Truly, as one who speaks to that people in a stammering jargon and an alien tongue
is he who declares to them, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.”
They refuse to listen.
To them, the word of the LORD is:
“Mutter upon mutter,
Murmur upon murmur,
Now here, now there.”
And so they will march,
But they shall fall backward,
And be injured and snared and captured.
Isaiah 28:9-13, JPS 1985
The priests and prophets were supposed to teach God’s words, but the adults of Ephraim and Judah rejected knowledge. God had to start from the basics, teaching their children line by line. While the adults faced destruction, hope remained for the children to learn and follow God’s ways. The same commandments and teachings that the adults of Ephraim and Judah rejected will be used to condemn them. God seeks the children, who can be taught the truth and righteousness that the adults have rejected.
Hear now the word of the LORD,
You men of mockery,
Who govern that people
In Jerusalem!
For you have said,
“We have made a covenant with Death,
Concluded a pact with Sheol.
When the sweeping flood passes through,
It shall not reach us;
For we have made falsehood our refuge,
Taken shelter in treachery.”
Isaiah 28:14-15, JPS 1985
The people were living as though they had made a covenant with the devil. They deluded themselves into believing that they had made a good covenant, but in fact, it was a covenant of death.
Assuredly,
Thus said the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I will found in Zion,
Stone by stone,
A tower of precious cornerstones,
Exceedingly firm;
He who trusts need not fear.
But I will apply judgment as a measuring line
And retribution as weights;
Hail shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood,
And floodwaters engulf your shelter.
Your covenant with Death shall be annulled,
Your pact with Sheol shall not endure;
When the sweeping flood passes through,
You shall be its victims.
It shall catch you
Every time it passes through;
It shall pass through every morning,
Every day and every night.
And it shall be sheer horror
To grasp the message.”
The couch is too short for stretching out,
And the cover too narrow for curling up!
Isaiah 28:16-20, JPS 1985
The Messiah Yeshua is the one who will ultimately crush those who have made a covenant with death and the devil. Messiah Yeshua is our King, but as King, He has a responsibility to do what is right. Those adults unwilling to change their behavior will be crushed. The Messiah will crush them because they refuse to listen to or pay attention to His commandments. Their deal with death will not stand.
In 1Peter 2:1-3, we are told that our actions should be childlike, but our thinking and comprehension should be mature. If we want to be God’s people, we should live in the world with innocence, without harm or evil intent, while maintaining a mature understanding of God’s word.
1Corinthians 14: Self-Glorification and Prophetic Roles
“Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law, it is written, ‘BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,’ says the Lord.”
1Corinthians 14:20-21, NAS95
The apostle Paul directly quotes Isaiah 28 as he instructs his readers on how to live obedient lives. We are not supposed to act selfishly or covet the spiritual gifts that God gives to others. Spiritual gifts are given not for our benefit, but for the benefit of others. Pride should not distort our understanding of our role or status in the Kingdom of God.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, he addressed a congregation struggling with self-proclaimed prophets who pridefully caused strife, claiming authority they did not have. Paul reminded them that not everyone is the same; they do not all have the same gifts, intentions, or purposes. Many needed to remain quiet and listen to those with the authority to speak on God’s behalf. Paul called their pride disgraceful.
The Corinthians also struggled with pride regarding the gift of speaking in tongues. Some used their ability to speak and understand many languages as a point of pride to belittle those without such gifts. This self-glorification of God’s gifts was disgraceful and unacceptable. God’s gifts are to be shared humbly, not used for personal glorification.
Paul warned against acting with self-importance and pride. If we refuse to do the work God calls us to do, He will replace us with someone willing to fulfill His will. God will not work with the stubborn or self-centered, as seen in the story of the Tower of Babel and the pride of Ephraim and Judah.
Biblical narratives show that once a person’s task is complete, God moves His work forward through the next generation. For example, once Terah’s role was finished, God advanced His plan through Abram. Similarly, once Isaac prepared Jacob to follow God’s path, the narrative shifted from Isaac to Jacob.
The central issue of self-importance and pride runs through these stories. The Tower of Babel, the pride of Ephraim, and the self-glorification of the Corinthian prophets all stem from self-centeredness. God cannot work with such attitudes. True obedience and faith require humility.
As followers of the Messiah Yeshua, our ultimate goal is to focus on God’s commands and actions rather than our own importance or glory.
Summary: Tammy
- Georgia Purdom, Ph.D., and David Menton, Ph.D., “Ancient Biblical Lifespans: Did Adam Live Over 900 Years?” AnswersInGenesis.org, May 27, 2010, accessed Dec. 25, 2024. ↩︎
- Bodie Hodge, “Why Did People Start to Have Shorter Lives After the Flood?” AnswersInGenesis.org, July 16, 2010, accessed Dec. 25, 2024. ↩︎
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