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We saw last time people moved eastward, onto a plain in Shinar and settling there. The land of Shinar is near Babylon which is in modern day Iraq. Many experts believe Nimrod referred to earlier is most likely the one that founded the city of Babylon.  It seems likely that Nimrod was the instigator of what's going on in this chapter. Ancient writings outside of the bible certainly suggest so. 

Let’s pick it up the story at verse three.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

(Gen 11: 3-4)

So, what they decided to do was create artificial man-made bricks and construct the city.. Apparently, this was different to the conventional way of building something at that time . The usual way in antiquity was to build with natural stones with clay between them. This time they built a city, and the tower is man-made out of these man- made bricks instead of natural stones.  The picture this story paints for us is one that tells us that when man builds something, he builds by controlling people and stressing uniformity, but when God builds something, he does so by using individual living stones (That’s you and me- folks)  Their intent in building this tower we are told was for this city to make a name for itself.  The expression will let us make a name for ourselves means just what you think it means, it means let’s become famous.  Their motive and aim for being famous was that they would try and establish a central point that might serve to maintain a sense of single-minded unity across a city stae and a whole nation. They would do this by creating a place with a representative central societal focus.  
So, what's going on here? What's wrong with that?  They want to be unified. and they don't want to be scattered so they're going to build a symbol of power heavenward.  What's wrong with that?  Go back to Genesis chapter one and God said this to Adam and Eve.  

God blessed them and said I want you to multiply and fill the earth.

(Gen 1:28a)

 As a matter of fact. God didn’t just say this to Adam, it was repeated  again in the story of Noah in Genesis Chapter 9. What they are doing is in open defiance of God. These Babylonian builders are arrogantly defying God.  In fact, it openly says they wanted to resist Gods plan for the people to spread throughout the earth. 

There is another element here in the building of this tower. You can't help but ask, is it significant that they wanted it to reach the heavens?  This design, it seems, has a religious significance?  Many theologians have concluded the tower they built was for the purpose of religion worship or maybe even human sacrifice.  Many claim that the reference to the top extending to the heavens indicates a religious meaning.  Martin Luther, no less taught this and so do many others.  Furthermore, archaeologists found large tower constructions many times along the lines of a  Ziggurat, a wedding cake design.  That’s where there's a broad base and then a slightly smaller stories that sits one on top of another with multiple stages.  These towers have been identified across the ancient Middle East [and South America by the way] and they were identified as being of religious nature. So, this wasn’t just simple disobedience this was defiance of God of a religious nature, and sometimes used as places of ritual and even human sacrifice. These verses openly tell us that its purpose was to reach heaven and to enable the people to be unified and not be scattered and this is what caused the Lord to step in.
We shall see what God’s reaction to all this is in the next episode.