PRESENTATION OUTLINE
All of earth had spoken the same language and had traveled east to the land of Shinar. They had decided to build a city containing of a tower that reached the heavens. God was outraged, so he spread man throughout the earth, giving them different languages.
God could have simply just punished everyone building that tower by killing them or something much worse, but he simply decided to separate them and have them speak in tongues.
God had spared them death and hell without hurting them. I believe that this was very merciful of Him.