Genesis 10, 11 and 12

As I continue to think about the number 11 in the bible and consider it, I have to consider chapters 10, 11 and 12 of Genesis.  Even though we know there are no chapters in the original manuscipts, still we can consider the soverenty of God, and we can see a pattern in each of these.

In Genesis chapter 10 we see spelled out the natural lineage from the time of Noah until the Tower of Babel.  With the understanding that 10 signifies the highest level of natural order, we see the natural ordering of life as time passed and men re-populated the earth.   Even though this bleeds into 11, we see how they were trying so hard to naturally order themselves that they were reaching for the heavens in their endevors.

In chapter 11 we see the confusion the Lord sent to man that caused a scattering because they were trying to build, in there own strength, a tower to reach into the heavens.  As we consider 11 meaning transition (which encompases judgement: judging something as needing to be changed or falling short,  disorder: as to begining to make changes and things have not come back into alignment yet, and confusion: as to things are not totally clear yet as to what will be), then we can see how the Lord judged what man was doing as needing change and brought confusion and disorder on them so they would have to transition into what he had for them (or at least a remnant of Noah's decendants).

Finally in chapter 12 we read how the Lord called Abram (and a remnant) to leave from his father's house and go to the land the Lord would show him, which was Canaan.  He went there and built an altar to the Lord.  It was in this new place of God's choosing that the Lord said He would make Abram a great nation, and bless him and all the families of the earth.  The ultimate blessing to the world was not in man building a tower to the heavens in their own strength as Abram's forefathers had tried.  

There is so much more to be understood in looking up the names of all the places, people and things in these chapters.  I don't have time right now to go into it but I encourage each of you to do it yourself.  What I can say is that even if the above were not located in chapters 10, 11 and 12, the pattern is still one of  transitioning from the highest order man can accomplish in his own strength to what God has planned for man.   This is not the only place in the Bible that chapters 10, 11 and 12 lined up to form this pattern, but then that is for another day.