The men of Babel had determined to establish a government that should be independent of God. There were some among them, however, who feared the Lord, but who had been deceived by the pretensions of the ungodly and drawn into their schemes. For the sake of these faithful ones the Lord delayed His judgments and gave the people time to reveal their true character. As this was developed, the sons of God labored to turn them from their purpose; but the people were fully united in their Heaven-daring undertaking. Had they gone on unchecked, they would have demoralized the world in its infancy. Their confederacy was founded in rebellion; a kingdom established for self-exaltation, but in which God was to have no rule or honor. Had this confederacy been permitted, a mighty power would have borne sway to banish righteousness--and with it peace, happiness, and security --from the earth. For the divine statutes, which are "holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12), men were endeavoring to substitute laws to suit the purpose of their own selfish and cruel hearts.

Menneskene i Babel havde besluttet at oprette en regering uafhængigt af Gud. Der var imidlertid nogle iblandt dem, der frygtede Herren, men som var blevet ført bag lyset af de ugudeliges påstande og draget med ind i deres planer. For disse trofastes skyld udsatte Herren sine straffedomme og gav folket tid til at vise deres sande karakter. Mens den udvikledes, arbejdede Guds sønner på at få dem til at opgive deres forehavende; men folket var fuldstændig enige om at gennemføre deres formastelige foretagende. Hvis de havde fået lov til at fortsætte uhindret, ville de have demoraliseret verden, mens den endnu var i sin barndom. Forbundet var grundlagt på oprør. Det var et rige, der var oprettet med selvophøjelse for øje, og hvor Gud ikke skulle have nogen medbestemmelsesret eller ære. Var dette forbund blevet tilladt, ville en stormagt have fået herredømmet, og den kunne have forjaget retfærdigheden fuldstændig fra jorden og dermed freden, lykken og sikkerheden. I stedet for de guddommelige love, der er hellige, retfærdige og gode (Rom. 7, 12), prøvede menneskene at indføre love, der tjente deres eget egenkærlige og grusomme hjertes hensigt.