Pentecost
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. Genesis 11:1-2 (NIV)
The words seem harmless enough, at least on the surface. If you were looking for a place to settle, why not a fertile valley that lay between two major rivers?
Beneath the surface, however, lurked a blatant defiance of God’s will. One hundred years earlier, God had commanded the sons of Noah to spread out and populate the earth. Generations later, a tower project in Shinar would keep mankind together. God said, “Go!” The tower was mankind’s “No!”
The Lord did not destroy the people as He had done in the Flood. He merely said, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:7).
The effect was immediate. Construction was halted. Clarity became confusion. Suspicion led to fear. Fear resulted in distrust. Luther suggested that God’s action at Babel was worse than the Flood. The Flood wiped out only a single generation. The confusing of languages would cause issues until the end of time.
Jerusalem must have sounded a bit like Babel that Pentecost weekend. Jews had come from all parts of the empire. Clusters of people were separated by language. But when the Spirit was poured out, heads began to turn. Untrained disciples were speaking in tongues they had never learned. The Good News of salvation was heard, understood, and taken to heart. By the Spirit’s power, souls were saved and Babel’s curse was overcome. The Gospel is not meant for one nation or one dialect. Jesus is the Savior of all people.
Today, the Gospel has been translated into nearly every known language in the world. Wherever it is used, the Holy Spirit continues to create, sustain, and build faith.
Tell how the Father sent His Son to save us.
Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us.
Tell how the Spirit calls from ev’ry nation
His new creation.
Worship Supplement 773:4