#DailyDevotion God Has Loosened Our Tongues To Speak Of Jesus

Acts 2:1-13 The day of Pentecost came, and they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like a violent blast of wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw tongues like flames that separated, and one rested on each of them. ⁴They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and started to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. ⁵Jews who feared God had come from every nation under heaven to live in Jerusalem. ⁶When that sound came, the crowd gathered and was dumbfounded because each one heard the disciples speak his own language. ⁷Amazed and wondering, they asked, “Don’t all these who are speaking come from Galilee? ⁸And how does every one of us hear his own language he was born in — ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people living in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphilia, Egypt and the country near Cyrene in Libya, the visitors from Rome, Jews and those who have accepted the Jewish religion, ¹¹people from Crete and Arabia? In our own languages we hear them tell about God’s wonderful things.” ¹²They were all amazed and puzzled. “What can this mean?” they asked one another. ¹³0thers sneered: “They’re full of new wine.”

Interestingly enough, the text doesn’t say the wind filled the house but the sound from heaven filled the house. The sound sounded like a violent blast of wind. What sound might this be? Did the Spirit make the sound? It was loud enough to gather a crowd to see what was going on. I think the verse that follows may give us a hint. The disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit started to speak in other languages and they were praising God. Now we don’t know if it were only the Twelve who were doing this are the 120 disciples that had been with them doing this. Certainly 120 people praising God with a loud voice all at once would be loud. Perhaps it was just a trumpet blast of heaven to get everyone’s attention. Nevertheless, it reminds me a bit of Genesis where the Spirit brooded over the water and God spoke.

Now the disciples were given by the Spirit the ability to speak other languages. Now it isn’t clear whether they spoke one language at a time or they spoke and each person heard their own language whenever they opened their mouth. We know in Genesis at the Tower of Babel the LORD scrambled humanity’s speech. It seems here he was reversing them for a while as needed. He is starting something new. He wanted the people there to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the words their hearts could understand.

Who were these people and where were they from? These were Jews of the Diaspora, who had settled in foreign lands and grew up with the language of the country they were born in as their native tongue. The LORD had said in Isaiah 11, ¹⁰“At that time Jesse’s Descendant will stand as a flag signaling the people. The nations will come to Him for help; His resting place will be glorious. ¹¹ At that time the Lord will again reach with power to get back those who are left of His people from Assyria, northern and southern Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and the lands near the sea. 12 He will raise a flag for the nations and gather the outcast people of Israel and bring together the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” The LORD is fulfilling that promise. Jesus’ is Jesse’ Descendent. He is, his cross is the flag raised for the people. Around him the Apostles, the Church, have gathered the peoples to be God’s Holy People. The cross, the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life has gathered them and you.

Heavenly Father, continually open the lips of your servants that they may speak of Christ and gather for you a Holy People. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.