Speaking in Tongues, a Clarification
"Speaking in Tongues" in Acts 2nd Chapter was part of the Empowering of the Holy Spirit and not the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,(See Other Notes on this) but we do not have time to explore the Holy Spirit at this moment,so we will limit this to a little background information concerning "speaking in tongues."
The idea of “Speaking in Tongues” actually starts in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and verse 49. Deuteronomy 28:49 is in what we know as the “Law of Blessing and Cursing.” These laws were given at Moab and were part of Israel's covenant with God. They basically say, I will give you the land and you can keep it (I will bless you) if you obey me (Deuteronomy 28th chapter). But starting in 28:15 we find that if you do not obey me, I will curse you and drive you out of the land (Deuteronomy 28:63ff).
One of the signs that God will use to notify Israel/Judah about the coming destruction is speaking in tongues (other languages).
“ The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand.” (Deuteronomy 28:49)
Now we need to move forward many years to the 8th century B.C., which is four or five hundred years in the future. Israel has been living in the land all these years. They have not obeyed God and the prophet Isaiah comes on the scene to warn them that the cursing of Deuteronomy 29 is about to be fulfilled.
“ Indeed, He will speak to this people; Through stammering lips and a foreign tongue (Is. 28:11).
In Isaiah 33:19, we find that if Israel will just repent, God will not send on them this calamity represented by “Speaking in Tongues.”
“You will no longer see a people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends.” (Is.33:19). Read the context, if they will repent they will not see the above.
But---they did not repent and guess what happened! -----See Isaiah chapter 36 and Sennacherib invades Judah. Here is a short form of the story. The prophet Isaiah and King Hezekiah are standing on the wall around Jerusalem. The Assyrian army has approached the wall. They know they are in trouble when:
“Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in “Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Judean (Hebrew) in the hearing of the people on the wall.”(Is. 36:11). See also v.13.
There you have it. The Assyrian army is standing at the gates of Jerusalem and the Assyrians are not speaking in their native language. The Assyrians, by some miracle, are speaking in “Hebrew.” How did that happen? Of course Isaiah recognized it as Deut.28:49 coming true and at that time Hezekiah did repent and was spared. But, in the context of Isaiah, who was the unbeliever? The Jews. God always uses speaking in tongues as a sign to the unbeliever!
Now, the New Testament and a misuse of “Speaking in Tongues.” The church in Corinth apparently had really gone wild with speaking in tongues [other languages ]. First, there was an apostle in the congregation distributing these miraculous gifts (the empowering of the Holy Spirit, II Cor.12:12). Paul tries to bring this problem under control and in doing so quotes Is. 28 and Deut.28.
“ With men of other tongues (languages) and other lips, I will speak to this people; And yet for all that, they will not hear me.” (1st Cor. 14:21f).
Paul just made a reference to the law (Deuteronomy 28,[v.21] and the prophet Isaiah and Israel's fall. What he is saying is: remember what happened to Israel and how God tried to warn them about their apostasy. Well, you are misusing the concept of tongues. They were using the idea of “speaking in other languages” for entertainment. Next, Paul says what speaking in tongues is really about.
“Therefore, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers.”
So,
speaking in other languages is always for the unbeliever, and in the
Bible those people are always Jews. See Acts 10:46 f.... Once again,
the Jews were the unbelievers. Back at Acts chapter two in
Jerusalem, who are the unbelievers? It should be noted that
in the Bible, "speaking in tongues" is always speaking in a
foreign language and never speaking in some unintelligible garble.
Most modern translations have it translated correctly.
For
instance, read the context of the NIV in Acts chapter 2:
|
1When
the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from
heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They
saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to
rest on each of them. 4All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues[a]
as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" |
Notice above, speaking in "tongues" is explained in the text. It is speaking in another's native language (v.6 and especially v. 11). These miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were for the purpose of confirming that what was spoken was in fact from God (Heb.2: 4ff). The Word of God was confirmed and was delivered "once and for all" in the 1st Century (Jude 3). Modern tongue speakers are misusing the concept on at least two fronts. (1) Speaking in tongues was always speaking in other (foreign) languages and not some dribble. (2) Speaking in tongues was a sign to unbelieving Jews of the 1st century and part of God's effort to convert them to Christ through miraculous works. As with other miraculous works of the Holy Spirit, they ceased to be with the development of what we call the Bible. To make any other claim, (that God speaks to you directly) other than through the pages of the Bible is heresy.
