I don't think it an accident that the stories of the Tower of Babel and the call of Abram (Abraham) follow each other (with the genealogy of Abram in between).
The story of Babel is about the plans and ingenuity of the human race acting our of a desire for security and greatness. This united expression of humanity embarked on a grand building project in the pursuit of self-made goals. The high level of communication enjoyed by people at that time allowed them to basically accomplish anything they wanted.
Sadly our ancestors could not foresee that our ability would actually work toward our own destruction. And so God confused our language, putting ahead to their grand scheme.
Then we read of Abram, called by God to leave what was familiar and live as a stranger in a foreign land. God promised not only to bless him, but also to bless the whole world through him.
The builders of Babel were self assertive, self seeking, and preservationist. Abram was responsive, serving, and vulnerable. Abram also had no crowd to follow. While having his household, he spent the last several decades of his life a foreigner in a foreign land, different from those around him.
The results? The tower is deserted, while the multitude of Abraham's descendants have enriched the world. The plans of the many brought confusion and disunity, while the most wonderful, multi-national family has been built through Abraham's greatest son, Yeshua of Nazareth.
Doing our own thing in our own way whatever our motive is always doomed to disaster. While those things that truly last are those which are initiated by God.
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