Let us pray. And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. Genesis 11:1. Lord, in the beginning, humanity had one common language. There was only one people group on the earth and one shared cultural experience. As much as you desire for us to dwell in unity and peace, humanity can often use that unity for sin. Lord, I know you want compassion in the midst of diversity. Don't let me get so dependent on others that I forget to acknowledge you. Don't let me get so comfortable in my tribe of same-minded people that I drift away from you. Keep me from finding my identity in others and not in who you created me to be. You don't want cookie cutter Christians. Nothing in your creation is the same. No two snowflakes are alike, no two blades of grass are alike, and no two people are alike. You made each of us exceptional, with special gifts and a distinctive personality. You have designed me to speak to certain people like no one else can. Help me to embrace who you created me to be. Help me celebrate the life you gave me. Don't let me try to blend in and be like everyone else.

Help me develop my own style, personality, and gifts so you can shine through me. Don't let me be afraid to be different. Let me always glorify you in all I do and say. In Jesus name, amen. Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by BibleInAyear. Com.

Hello, I'm Bishop TD Jigs. And I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to Sleep Psalms with Bishop TD Jakes on the iHeard radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

After the flood. Before this story, we learned about the flood in Noah's Ark. God cleansed the world of unimaginable evil through a flood, preserved Noah and his family, then promised to never flood the Earth again. Now we discover that just because the flood is over, does not mean the dysfunction of people is over as well. Yet God still endures with people and has a plan to expand them across the whole world. This is inspired by the Book of Genesis.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. Today's reading picks up with Noah and his sons after the flood. God has delivered them from the destruction brought upon the earth, and now Noah begins to the land to labor and toil. The curse of sin has not been washed away by the flood, and it doesn't take long for it to once again wreck havoc. Pride once again takes center stage in today's reading is a theme we've seen before and one that will be repeated again and again and again. As you listen, notice first how pride leads to family divisions with Noah's sons. Then as we look at the story of Babel, notice how the descendants of Adam and Eve repeat the sins of their ancestors, wanting to elevate themselves on par with the creator. The story of Babel is where we learn of the origin of different languages and the purposes for which God used them. It may be easy to hear these passages and fail to acknowledge the role of pride in our own lives and the way in which it causes us strife and pain. But remember that we, too, bear the seed of Adam's sin within us, and in many ways, are not different from those we'll hear about today.

Now, let's dive into our story.

Noah and his three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japhith, along with their families, made a home in the new world after the flood, determined to live a new and holy life among God. Yet even now, the subtle imperfections of humanity began to bubble forth. Noah became a man of the Earth just as his ancestor Adam. He tilled the ground and worked it with pain and labor. Noah planted a vineyard and made his own wine to drink. One morning, he became drunk and stumbled into his tent naked. His youngest son, Ham, came into the tent to find his father naked and in a shameful state. Ham delighted in this and mockingly told his older brothers, furthering the shame of his old and drunken father. The delight of Ham revealed the subtle pride reemerging in the hearts of mankind. Unamused and determined to protect their father's dignity, Shem and Japhith entered Noah's tent, walking backwards and carrying a piece of cloth over their shoulders. They draped a cloth over their father, covering his nakedness, and left the tent. Noah woke up from his drunken slumber and discovered what had happened. Dishonored and embarrassed, he cursed his youngest son, Ham, saying, Cursed be the land in which you dwell, Canaan.

' 'Your descendants will toil under the oppression of your brothers as slaves. ' And he blessed Shem and Japhoth, and blessed their descendants, too. Noah turned to Shem and said, I praise God for Shem. The Canaanites will be the slaves of his descendants. ' Then Noah turned to Japhoth and blessed him, saying, God will give Japhith more land. His descendants will live with the descendants of his brother Shem, and the Canaanites will be the slaves of Japhith's descendants. This furthered the familial strife between families for generations to come. Noah continued 350 years after the flood. He lived a total of 950 years and then passed to the dust, just as his ancestor Adam. Ham, Shem, and Japhith multiplied and filled the land with many descendants. Among Ham's line of cursed descendants was a man named Nimrod, who plagued the earth and hunted men. It was him who would lead the first kingdom to rebel against God, Babel. The people of the earth all spoke the same language, were drawn to one another, and gathered in the land of Shinnar, also known as Babylon. Their collective pride mimicked that of their forefathers. Let us build ourselves a city in a tower going up to the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.

To the heavens they ascended, determined to be like God. A mistake once made by their ancient parents, Adam and Eve. God lamented over their tower because it represented the same pride that continued to fracture their relationship with one another. Once again, filled with both anger and compassion, God said, 'Come, let us go down and confuse their language so that they cannot mingle together to build one kingdom under the mission of pride and arrogance. So the Lord dispersed them all over the face of the earth. Unable to communicate with one another, they left the great city and tower. The tower was then called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. So the people scattered, forming new and smaller kingdom with those they had a common language with. Just as Noah had declared, Shem's descendants multiplied greatly. Out of the seed of Shem came forth great nations and people groups, the most important among them being Abram, one of God's greatest heroes and the Father of all nations.

Hello, I'm Bishop TD Jakes, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms.

Close your eyes and focus on God. Picture him as your shepherd that knows you and surrender to him.

Each episode guides you on a serene exploration of Psalms, tranquility calming every nerve and restless mind-turning adventure that keeps you up in the middle of the night, transposing you into the safety of his arms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to Sleep Songs with Bishop TD Jakes on the iHeard Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

It was a brand new start for Noah and his descendants. But as I've said before, Noah was righteous, not perfect, and neither were his sons. We began this story today with a son who failed to respect his father, the evidence of an ongoing struggle with pride. The first lesson we learned today is how pride poisons family relationships. Three brothers, one whose family line is cursed to live as slaves, oppressed by the other two brothers descendants. This is not the unity and community God has designed for us. It does not reflect the loving fellowship that reflects the true God, the Triune God. We then turn to the story of Babel, a kingdom united with one goal. Up until now, there was only one language on Earth, so everyone understood each other. They began to talk and plan, and an idea was hatched. We can be like God. It's the same lie the serpent told Eve in the garden. Pride once again taking hold, this time not just in a couple, but in an entire kingdom. Look what Genesis 11:4 says, And they said, 'Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let's make a name for ourselves.

Otherwise, we will be scattered abroad over the face of the earth. ' Now, rather than filling the Earth and subduing it as God intended, mankind has decided to stay in one place and seek equality with God, to seek faith and recognition and power. This may seem like a feat of human cooperation, and in some ways it is, as even God acknowledges in Genesis 11:6. And the Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they will all have the same language. ' And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be impossible for them. But here's the lesson from this story. Just because you are creating something great and impressive, it doesn't mean that it is in line with God's will. Unity by itself is not enough. Their hearts were set on making themselves great, making a name for themselves and not glorifying God. They were not living with a God-honoring purpose in their lives. So God confused their languages, and then the cooperation ceased. But here's what is important to note. In his solution to the problem, God brought about beauty. Think about all the wonderful sounds of different languages, the richness of expression that each different tongue brings.

Now unable to understand each other, they're scattered into their own smaller kingdom, which very soon would be at war with each other. Among those scattered groups were the descendants of one of Noah's sons, Shem. ' And from that line, God was already working his plan to bring about the ultimate redemption of the world, beginning with a man named Abram. And we'll meet him in our next episode. Heavenly Father, thank you for what today's story teaches us about the dangers of pride and the importance of being together for the purpose of glorifying you and not ourselves. Thank you also for the wonderful beauty of languages that we hear in our world today and how one day every tongue in every language will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. It is in that name of the Lord Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the pray. Com app and make prayer a priority in your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love. By sharing this podcast, you can make a difference in someone's life.

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God bless.

Hello, I'm Bishop TD Jakes, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to Sleep Psalms with Bishop TD Jakes on the iHeard radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.