The Tower of Babel was God’s antidote to the corruption he saw on earth. God confused the language of what was previously one unified, but evil, culture. This diffused the unity of mankind and drove people apart to form new groups where they could better understand each other. Each language
group then developed its own culture and government. This was the way God established the institution of nations. It was also during this time, just one hundred years after the fountains of the deep burst open through the continental plates causing the flood, that the single land mass formed
in Genesis 1 was divided. It broke apart to form several land masses separated by water. In this way, cultures were able to separate themselves entirely from other cultures. Shem, one of Noah’s sons, had a son named Arphaxad who had a son named Eber who had a son named Peleg. The Hebrew word “peleg” means “divided” or “split” and refers to divisions caused by water-channels. Peleg was
named after this great event—when the land masses were divided by water.

“One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided.”
- Genesis 10:25; I Chronicles 1:19

Only four generations after the flood, people were already divided into different cultures with various languages living in separate lands. Each of these nations developed its own form of government. Genesis 10 lists the original seventy nations that came about as a result of God creating this new institution. Nationalism remains a safe guard for the world today. It stops us from having a corrupt one-world government. Now, when one nation goes astray, God can deal with that nation directly through a cycle of discipline over a period of generations. If that nation is unwilling to repent,
God can eliminate it from human history without wiping out everyone else, as he was forced
to do in the worldwide flood.

John Chrysostom was born in Antioch, Syria to a beautiful 20 year old from a well do to family. His father, a Roman military officer, died shortly after his birth. John was well educated, studied law and grew up courageous, committed, confident (even a little arrogant. Since, John was a great speaker he quickly became a leading preacher in Antioch, a city that followed a literal approach to scripture. We still have the text of the long exegetical series’ John Chrysostom preached on the books of Genesis, Matthew, John and Romans. In 398 John preached a series of 20 sharp, powerful sermons to help subdue the people who were revolting against the emperor’s tax increase. John ran into conflict with a jealous bishop, Theophilus, and the Eastern Empress Eudoxia who was offended by John’s preaching against immodest dress of woman. Eventually, John was exiled, but continued to communicate, so they took him to a more remote location in 407, but he died on the way.