Genesis 10

Verses 6-12, “The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).”  In Chapter 9, we learned that Ham was cursed for his wicked heart in wanting to expose his father's nakedness. Genesis 9:25, “Then he said: 'Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.' ”  Ham's lineage would produce Nimrod (his grandson) who started not only the kingdom of Babel, but also Nineveh, both cities known for their wickedness. In fact, many false religions can be traced back to Babylon. Some even say that ALL pagan practices had their beginnings in the city of Babel.

Genesis 11:4-9, “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.' But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”  The tower of Babel was a symbol of pride and disobedience. The people rejected God's command to spread out and fill the earth. They also did not trust God's promise to never again flood the earth, thinking that they could build a tower that would withstand a flood by using the same waterproofing material that Noah used on the ark. Their focus was on self and what they could accomplish, undermining God's power and authority.

Nineveh was so wicked that God sent Jonah to prophesy to them. When he resisted going and fled to Tarshish instead, a whale swallowed him and he remained in its belly for three days and three nights.  Jonah 1:1-3, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.' But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”  After a prayer of repentance, God gave Jonah another chance to go to Ninevah, and the people did repent and God relented from the destruction He had planned for the city. Jonah 3:10, “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”

The historical accuracy of the genealogy of man originating from Noah in this chapter, is more evidence that the Bible is entirely true.  We can also see the inherent flaw of sinful man that continues throughout the generations. It is only when God intervenes, that anyone can resist the evil that is in our nature.