In the Beginning · Lesson 4
The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9; Genesis 12:1-3 Old Testament PrincipleHumility
People tried to make themselves great without God, but God brought their tower down and began His own plan to bless every nation.
We can be humble, because God is great and He is the one who lifts us up, so we don't have to build ourselves up.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it (this lesson)
- RedemptionJesus fixes it
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
James 4:10 BSB
Christ Connection · Jesus’ plan
At Babel, proud people were scattered into many languages. At Pentecost, the Spirit of Jesus let people from many nations hear about God in their own languages, and one day people from every language will worship Jesus together. And Jesus showed the opposite of Babel: He humbled Himself, and God lifted Him up.
Acts 2:5-11; Revelation 7:9-10; Philippians 2:5-11
The Big Story · Fall
After the flood, people again turned from God and tried to make themselves great. God scattered them, then immediately began His plan to bless every nation through Abram's family, the family Jesus would come from.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 45-minute class plan and prep checklist
- Object lesson: How tall can we go?
- Dasch’s Dig Site (bible-times history): Stamp your name on a brick
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Tower toss-up
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
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Preschool (ages 3–5)
God is bigger than any tower.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Build it, God is bigger!, Color the tower
- 6 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
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Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
God is great, so I can be humble.
Memory verse
“Humble yourselves before the Lord.”
Adapted from James 4:10
Start here
Say "hello" in a few other languages ("hola," "bonjour," "jambo"). Ask, "What do you think I just said?" Let kids guess. Then say, "Today we'll find out where all the different languages in the world came from."
Bible story 6 min
After the flood, Noah's family grew and grew. Soon there were lots of people. They all spoke the same words. God told them to spread out and fill the earth.
But the people did not want to spread out. They found a big, flat land. "Come," they said. "Let's make bricks. Let's build a tower up to the sky. Then we will be great!"
They baked bricks. They stuck them with sticky tar. The tower went up and up.
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
Mixed-up builders 8 min
You’ll need: Building blocks or plastic cups
- Put kids in small teams to build a tower together. Let them talk normally for one minute.
- Then say, "Now only silly made-up words!" Try to keep building without real words.
- Ask, "Was that hard? Why?" Talk about what happened at Babel.
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3rd – 4th grade
Pride tries to build its way up; God calls us to be humble and trust Him to lift us up.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Two ways to be great, Build without words
- 6 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: online and on screens, in sports and games, at school
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
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5th – 6th grade
Babel shows pride dividing people; God's plan in Jesus gathers every nation back together.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Babel and Pentecost, My tower
- 6 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: online and on screens, at school, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons on Humility
The same principle in other Bible stories.
Kings and Prophets · Lesson 6God Chooses David1 Samuel 16:1-13God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, and instead of the tall older brothers, God chose David, the youngest shepherd, because the LORD looks at the heart.Old TestamentHumility
Kings and Prophets · Lesson 11Naaman Is Healed2 Kings 5:1-19Naaman, a proud army commander with a serious skin disease, was healed when he humbly obeyed God and washed seven times in the muddy Jordan River.Old TestamentHumility