Praised With One Voice

Praised with One Voice

The people of Babel wanted to make something of themselves that would be impressive.

They said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” (Genesis 11:4-7)

They wanted to make a name for themselves, and they succeeded, but it wasn’t the kind of fame they’d hoped for. Babel came to mean “mixed-up, confused,” signifying meaningless babble. Then came Jesus. His death and his resurrection were followed by Pentecost, when “everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (Acts 2:4). Whereas God had once used divided languages as a judgment on human pride, at Pentecost he gave his people the ability to speak in other languages so they could proclaim the gospel to people of every nation gathered in Jerusalem.

The judgment of Babel was not God’s last word, yet neither was Pentecost’s tongues of fire. Zephaniah prophesied, “I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the LORD together” (3:9). The day is coming when God will unify the language of his people so they can praise him with one voice and tongue. John was given a vision of that day: “I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb . . . shouting with a great roar, ‘Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10).

Jesus, how I long for the day when I am in that holy crowd of worshipers from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing in front of your throne, lifting up to you the magnificent praise you deserve.