Genesis 11:5-7 (NKJV) But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.”

The Tower of Babel: What Language Do You Speak?

Thank God that He stepped in to prevent things from getting worse, yet we still see the results. Scattering the people didn’t stop them from being sinful. And so today we have the confusion of billions of people seeking to glorify themselves in a million different ways in thousands of different languages.

 

In the end, it amounts to the same language. It is the language of rebellion and sin. And though we know the language of God, we all have to admit we are bilingual. We know the language of rebellion, the language God does not want us to use. It was our first language. This language does not save. It confuses. It arouses suspicion of others and of God. Finally, it brings the wrath of God who will not allow such language in His kingdom.

 

God invites all people to return to His language. Notice the pronoun the LORD uses in verse seven above: Us. We are given a glimpse into the Trinity and we see how the three Persons of the Godhead speak the same language and are in total agreement. They speak the language that saves us.

 

The Father speaks the language of love for a fallen world. The Son speaks the language of offering Himself once and for all as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The Holy Spirit speaks the language of repentance for the remission of sins through the universal language of the Word and Sacraments. By faith God’s children speak this one language too, joining the seraphim in heavens singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”