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It dawned on me one day that everyone not only speaks their language of origin, they also think in it. I guess I imagined that while I heard someone speaking a language foreign to me, they were translating it from English in their heads. But obviously that's not true. English may be universal-ish, but it's not common to everyone. My 2 year old granddaughter, Rayna Kate, told me yesterday "I bumped my head, Grammie. I need a band-aid". (Oh, she's so smart!!!) She knew the problem, and knew how to communicate the solution. She thought and spoke that sentence because she has learned and is learning the English language. And I understood her because I also speak English. Someday she may become fluent in another language, one I've never learned, I'll have to say "In English, please!" because English will be our, mine and Rayna's, common language. (And because old brains don't learn as well as young brains 😅)
There was a common language once. Way back in Genesis. It was a gift to humankind from their Creator. They were able to build, travel, thrive because of this one language. But humanity used this gift to try to reach heaven their own way. We may never know the building's original purpose, but soon the thought popped into someone's mind that maybe they could build bigger. When the original thinker conveyed it to another, he hopped on board with the idea, and added even bigger plans. There's nothing wrong with dreaming, nothing wrong with using your talents to build and fluorish. But as they brainstorm, using the gift of one language, they start puffing up with all they can do. They see only their own dreams, their own talents. They get so full of themselves that someone finally says out loud what they are all thinking--
"Come let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let's make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth."
We shouldn't be surprised. Their ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve, thought they could live in Eden, God's world--God's gift to them--their own way. Their closer ancestors, Noah and family, were found faithful enough to be spared death by flood, but weren't two steps off of the ark in a new world--God's gift to them--before they were choosing their own way.
So, when these people built the tower, God intervened by "confusing their language so they couldn't understand one another's speech". Can you imagine that first conversation? Maybe they were still thinking the same common language, but they couldn't convey that through speech. Language barrier is frustrating because we know what we want to say, but can't make the other understand. We've learned to use certain signals--your hand in a circle and tipped up to your mouth means "drink". Your hand in a fist brought multiple times to your mouth means "eat". Bending a finger at someone means "come here". Putting a palm up means "Don't come here." A new one in our generation is hand bent, pinky and thumb extended and held up to your ear means "call me", or "I'm on the phone." I'm sure they did something similar. But you can't build a city, a community, a family--you can't thrive--when you have an extremely limited way to communicate. So, in their frustration, they stopped building the city. God scattered them, which was ironically part of the original fear that led them to try to make a name for themselves with this heaven-reaching tower. Humanity made a name for themselves alright--Babylon.
Although ancient Babylon, the ancient valley of Shinar, is modern day Iraq, Babylon in the Bible is portrayed as the place of sin, worship of false gods, and exile. Revelation shows Babylon as the great city fallen. Revelation 18 God's people are called to come out of her, out of exile brought on by sin; the world--those who continue to choose their own way-- will mourn her fall.
But how do we get from Genesis 11 to Revelation 18? How do people become God's people in a world cursed by a limited ability to communicate?
The disciples of Christ Jesus are gathered to celebrate Pentecost, known in the Old Testament as the "Feast of Weeks". In Leviticus 23, the Israelites were instructed how to conduct worship, sacrifice, daily life on these holy days. For this holy day, they were to count 7 full weeks after Passover, and on the 50th day, they celebrate the festival of weeks. So the disciples have gathered on this holy day, 50 days after their Master had presented Himself as the only perfect passover sacrifice, forever accepted by God the Father on our behalf, paying for our sins. Maybe the disciples were just now starting to wrap their minds around all the connections between these ancient holy instructions, and the reality they are now living in. But, even if they understand in their minds, how can they convey the truth of it to the people around them? Because God redeems language on the day of Pentecost. He reverses the curse of the tower of Babel for the purpose of the Gospel. Tongues like flames of fire rested on each of the disciples. Fire that refines and purifies, a picture of the reversal of the tower of Babel. Malachi 3:3
They spoke their own language, but each one there heard it in their own language. And when Peter realized the crowd could understand him, he stayed true to the original instruction for the Feast of Weeks in Leviticus 23:21 and he made a PROCLAMATION!!! He shared the gospel with boldness--as much a gift from the Holy Spirit as the language. He laid the truth of God's Word from beginning to end before them. There were still those in the crowd that identified with the original tower builders--scoffers, mockers, earth dwellers, Babylon-mourners. But there were 3,000 added to the church that day. 3,000 added!! 3,000 new "God's people" 💕
Jesus had commissioned His disciples--the first leaders of the New Way--to tell others about Him and the place He goes to prepare. And He made that possible by redeeming the curse, removing the barrier for them as a seal of approval on His New Way. I believe this gift was largely situational, was given multiple times over the course of early history, is not necessarily needed today now that the miracle of the Bible is in our hands; yet, I would not begin to put God in a box and say He doesn't use this still today to proclaim His beautiful New Promise to the people He loves. The same Spirit that entered the disciples that day lives in us. There isn't some magic formula, language class, heavenly tongue. It's truly this simple--Speak His Word. He will do the rest. He already has.
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