After the flood God told Noah that a murderer should be put to death. This was an important change to human society. This means that God was establishing human government to limit and punish evil deeds. Without government human society cannot exist. Too many people would commit all kinds of evil and violence against others without restraint. So the purpose of human government is to reward good and punish evil on behalf of God.
One thing about Noah's history was not so good but it shows how things have changed since God gave men authority over others. Noah planted a vineyard and made wine from the grapes. Then he got drunk from the wine and uncovered himself inside his tent. One of his sons, Ham, saw the nakedness of his father and told his brothers outside. The other two brothers took a garment and walked backward into the tent so they could cover their father without seeing his nakedness. When Noah found out what had happened the brothers who covered their father's failure received a blessing but the one who told others about it received a curse.
It did not take long after this before a government the way we think of it began to take shape. Noah's great grandson, Nimrod, was a mighty hunter. He began to rule over others and establish a kingdom for himself. He established quite a number of cities including Nineveh, the city that Jonah preached to (Jon. 3:2-3). One of the main cities that Nimrod founded was called Babel. The city was built with clay bricks that had been baked in a furnace. The people in that city decided to build a tower that would reach up to heaven. They wanted to exalt their own name. This was their way of declaring to God that they didn't need Him.
It was also at this time that people began to worship idols. It wasn't that they didn't know about God. At least one of Noah's sons was still alive. Everyone knew about the flood Noah and his family had passed through. They knew God was real but they did not want to acknowledge Him. So instead they began to make idols of all kinds of things and call them gods. They were rejecting God.
The Lord looked at all they were doing, especially the tower they were building to exalt themselves. He saw that they were all agreeing together to reject God. So He came again to judge them. This time He didn't send a flood to all. After the flood God promised Noah that He would never send another flood to destroy everyone. God always keeps His promises. Neither did God send a big earthquake to knock down the tower they were building. They would have built it again.
The Lord had a better way to stop them. At that time everyone still spoke the same language so it was easy for them to work together. God simply changed everyone's language so that no one could understand others. Right away the building stopped. Instead of working together the people scattered abroad over the face of all the earth. Since then the different races, tribes and nations have been fighting each other rather than uniting against God. The wars with all the misery they bring have come about because mankind does not want to be under God's rule. They are just one of the results of man's rejection of God.
What was wrong with Ham telling his brothers about their father's failure?
What was the result of people's building a monument to declare their independence from God?
Verses in the bible that refer to this story: Gen. 9:5-6; 10:8-12; 11:1-9