10. The Tower of Babel

Noah lived many years after the flood and died at a great old age. His descendants, with God's blessing, again became many, great nations.

With the passage of time they made progress in the arts and culture. But again, sin managed to lead astray most of the people into its nets. Many people began to forget the holy will of God and to live without respect and love to the one true God. Among the other passions that possessed their souls, was also pride, the worst of all sins.

The people then had the same habits and they were speaking the same language. Most of them were living on a very fertile plain in the country of Shinar. 

But as the years passed and their numbers increased, they saw that they could not stay there any longer. So they decided to separate and go to other places, so they could live more comfortably.

But before they separated, they decided to build a very high tower. A tower so tall, that its top would touch heaven. They were proud and wanted to provoke the admiration of the next generations, but also to show to God, how they can also make great works like Him.

So they tried to carry out their frivolous idea and began to build this very tall tower. They imagined they had a power similar to God. They believed that they could reach the heaven. Their pride had no limit.

This made God angry and to say: "People are fools and disrespectful. If they make such a tower, pride will lead them to worse things. So I will confuse the language they speak, so they do not understand each other, so they cannot complete the building of the tower."

People have never been able to understand what a great evil pride is and how far, even from God, it can lead someone!

God, therefore, in order to save and protect the people from the great trap of pride, decided to punish them in this way.

At some time, while they were all working together building the tower, everyone began to speak in a language that the other did not understand. In vain they were trying to communicate with each other.

Because of this, the work could not progress. Whatever one said, the other did not understand. So without being able to communicate, how was it possible for them to build? So they had to stop building the tower, which has since been called "the Tower of Babel". Babel means "confusion of languages".

After this, the people were scattered all over the earth. With the passing of time, different nations with different languages and different ways of life were created.

During that time the people again forgot the true God and began to worship whatever made a great impression on them. They were worshipping the sun, the moon, the stars, the rivers and even the animals as gods.

So they began to believe in many false gods and made statues of them from stone or wood. These stone or wooden images of false gods are called idols, and those who believe in them are called "idolaters".

God, however, did not leave mankind alone and helpless, but from time to time, was sending enlightened people to reveal His holy will and guide mankind again to goodness and virtue.