“Now the whole world had ONE LANGUAGE and a common speech. They said, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” Then they said, “let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD said, “The people are united, and they all speak the same language, then NOTHING THEY PLAN TO DO WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM. Come, let us go down and confuse their language…the LORD SCATTERED THEM from there OVER ALL THE EARTH, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD CONFUSED THE LANGUAGE OF THE WHOLE WORLD.” (Gen. 11:1-9)
The reason God scattered them is because God said to Noah, “Be fruitful and multiply, and FILL THE EARTH.” (Gen. 9:1) My question is, how is the Lord going to get us all back together? “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all (the 120) with ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were ALL FILLED with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, FROM EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and WERE CONFUSED, because everyone heard them speak IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And HOW IS IT THAT WE HEAR, EACH IN OUR OWN LANGUAGE in which we were born?” (Acts 2:1-8)
God had a perfect plan for uniting us together again, only now we are serving Him. “The people from every nation said—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “WHATEVER COULD THIS MEAN?” (Acts 2:11-12) The prophet Zephaniah says, “For then I will restore to the peoples A PURE LANGUAGE, That they ALL MAY CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD, TO SERVE HIM WITH ONE ACCORD…The LORD your God IN YOUR MIDST, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zep. 3:9, 17)
-Bill Stockham