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1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9 NIV)
Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! I pray God's grace and peace are filling your life with meaning and purpose! There's much to do and God needs us to chip in and give our all to reach the world.
It seems like full circle week in terms of language, doesn't it? This passage tells us the story of how all the languages came to be; and yesterday's passage from Acts 2 told us how God allowed the Disciples to speak different languages to share God's mighty deeds to all people. Languages can divide as well as unite. I love the YouTube videos of an American kid from NYC who studied in China for two years and mastered several dialects of China and he records himself ordering food in their particular dialect and the people go crazy with joy especially if theirs is a small regional dialect and they can't do enough to show their delight in him. I've shared how one year we were in Epcot at Disney World when the Mexico Pavilion when it first opened. Our youngest was a baby when we walked up to a take-out window and we greeted the young lady in Spanish and she flipped out with joy! She said she had just gotten to Orlando and there was no one who spoke Spanish (in those years) and she gave us free food for "la bebita!" And most of us have had those memories of being frustrated at not knowing the language of someone who wanted to communicate with us.
The sin in this story is pride. The people were not satisfied with the name of God being what it is; they wanted to make a name for themselves. This was a move towards humility rather than allow people to be self-centered and self-serving.
At first glance, the story of the Tower of Babel seems like the opposite of Pentecost. In Genesis 11, humanity—unified by one language—attempts to build a monument to their own greatness. Their ambition? To “make a name for ourselves.” God intervenes, not in anger, but with purpose. The languages are confused, the tower is abandoned, and the people are scattered.
But here’s the deeper truth: Babel was never about punishment—it was about protection and redirection. God saw how quickly unity, when fueled by pride and self-interest, could lead people away from divine purpose. The scattering wasn’t a curse; it was a course correction.
Now fast forward to Pentecost (Acts 2). In a moment that mirrors and reverses Babel, God brings people from every language and nation together—not to build a tower, but to build a Church. This time, the unity doesn’t come from human effort or ego. It comes from the Holy Spirit.
At Babel, one language became many. At Pentecost, many languages were understood as one.
God is not threatened by diversity—He creates it. But He also longs for unity—not uniformity—in the Spirit. Pentecost tells us that God’s dream is not to reverse the scattering of Babel by forcing sameness, but by bringing all people together through love, understanding, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
In a world still scattered by division—language, politics, prejudice—Pentecost invites us to become translators of grace. People who speak in ways others can hear and understand, not to make a name for ourselves, but to lift the name of Christ.
PRAYER: Lord, in a world of confusion and clamor, give us ears to hear your Spirit and tongues to speak your love. Heal what divides us and fill us with courage to carry your message across every barrier. May our lives become places where heaven and earth meet. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Look around. Where there is confusion, be a voice of clarity. Where there is division, bring understanding. Let the Spirit speak through you.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
