Devo Week 3

The God of All Nations - Another Look at Babel

From the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood and the Tower of Babel, to the plagues of Egypt and the crucifixion of Christ, God's intervention at significant times in human history have included both His judgment and blessing simultaneously. It's important we remember this when engaging other peoples and considering what God has done and is doing among them.

Key Concept: the multiplication of God's name and testimony

If it's true that at the time of Babel there was only one common language spoken, then descriptions of God and spiritual reality would have been limited. Think about it: the lifting high of mankind's own name with the building of the Tower caused a divine intervention — God judged their actions with the confusion of many languages; therefore, people could not communicate and had to separate geographically.

The result? Suddenly, people began to speak about God and tell of their divine encounters with Him in other languages and in multiple geographical places throughout the earth. In addition, names were typically descriptive of people and gave insight into their nature. So, with the multiplication of God's name, the understanding of who He is became fuller. For example, the meaning of God's name in Chinese is "God of the heavens, or the highest God," in Akha the "oldest God," in Africa the "God who lives above the rain."

Ultimately, the day of Pentecost in the New Testament was the blessed reversal of God's judgment at the Tower of Babel, as the praises of God were spoken in many languages. A seed of God's glory with the lifting high of His name in every language was planted at the Tower of Babel. In the end, God's glory and praise will be spoken in every tongue, tribe and nation.

Excerpt from Devotional 3 with Key Concept:

“Most of us think judgment not blessing when considering the story of the Tower of Babel. But, quite possibly, it was both! As the languages multiplied, simultaneously God's name and testimony were multiplied among the nations.”

Scripture: Habakkuk 2:14

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." (NIV)