For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
Everyone on earth speaks one language — and they get a big idea to build a tower all the way to the sky. But they leave Someone important out of their plans.
Today's Story
After the flood, the whole world spoke just one language. Everybody understood everybody.
The people traveled together and found a wide, flat plain, and they had a big idea. “Let's build a city — with a tower so tall it reaches the sky! We'll make ourselves famous. We'll be the greatest!”
They learned to make bricks and started building, higher and higher. But notice what they wanted: to make themselves great. They left God right out of it. They thought they didn't need Him at all.
God looked down at the tower. He saw that their proud plans would only grow and grow. So God did something clever and kind — He mixed up their languages! All of a sudden, nobody could understand anybody. One worker asked for a brick and got a bowl of soup! They couldn't work together anymore.
So they stopped building and spread out all over the world, into different lands with different languages. The place was named Babel, which sounds like the word for “mixed up.”
God wasn't being mean. He was gently reminding people of something true: we're not meant to make ourselves great without Him.
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- The people wanted to make themselves famous — without God. What's the difference between doing something great with God and trying to be great without Him?
- Suddenly nobody could understand each other! Have you ever had a hard time understanding someone, or being understood? What happened?
- The people forgot to include God in their big plans. How could you include God in your plans this week?