Page 905 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

TN_09_MacArthur_Bible_Sept.qxd 8/8/03 16:44 Page 886

SEPTEMBER 5
is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I
15
will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray
with the understanding. I will sing with the
14:18 I speak with tongues more than you all. spirit, and I will also sing with the understand-
Paul emphasized that by writing all of this, he ing. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit,
16
was not condemning genuine tongues (plu- how will he who occupies the place of the
ral). Nor, as some may have thought to accuse uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of
him, was he envious of a gift he did not pos- thanks, since he does not understand what
sess.At that point,he stopped speaking hypo- you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but
17
thetically about counterfeit tongue-speaking. the other is not edified.
He actually had more occasions to use the 18
true gift than all of them (though we have no I thank my God I speak with tongues more
19
record of a specific instance).He knew the true than you all; yet in the church I would rather
gift and had used it properly. It is interesting, speak five words with my understanding, that
however, that the New Testament makes no I may teach others also, than ten thousand
mention of Paul’s actually exercising that gift. words in a tongue.
Nor does Paul in his own writings make men- 20 Brethren, do not be children in understand-
tion of a specific use of it by any Christian. ing; however, in malice be babes, but in under-
standing be mature.

DAY 4:What was at the heart of Paul’s concern for the use of the gift of tongues
in the church in Corinth?

In the section of 1 Corinthians 14:2–39,although it is not indicated consistently in some trans-
lations, the distinction between the singular tongue and the plural tongues is foundational to the
proper interpretation of this chapter. Paul seems to use the singular to distinguish the counterfeit
gift of pagan gibberish and the plural to indicate the genuine gift of a foreign language (v.2).It was
perhaps in recognition of that,that the King James Version (KJV) translators added consistently the
word “unknown” before every singular form (see vv. 2,4,13,14,19,27). The implications of that dis-
tinction will be noted as appropriate. Against the backdrop of carnality and counterfeit ecstatic
speech learned from the experience of the pagans,Paul covers 3 basic issues with regard to speak-
ing in languages by the gift of the Holy Spirit: 1) its position, inferior to prophecy (vv. 1–19); 2) its
purpose,a sign to unbelievers not believers (vv.20–25);and 3) its procedure,systematic,limited,and
orderly (vv. 26–40).
“He who speaks in a tongue”(v. 2).This is singular, indicating that it refers to the false gibber-
ish of the counterfeit pagan ecstatic speech.The singular is used because gibberish can’t be plural;
there are not various kinds of nonlanguage. There are, however, various languages; hence, when
speaking of the true gift of language,Paul uses the plural to make the distinction (vv.6,18,22,23,29).
The only exception is in vv. 27,28, where it refers to a single person speaking a single genuine lan-
guage.“No one understands him;…in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”The carnal Corinthians using
the counterfeit ecstatic speech of paganism were not interested in being understood, but in mak-
ing a dramatic display.The spirit by which they spoke was not the Holy Spirit,but their own human
spirit or some demon. And the mysteries they declared were the type associated with the pagan
mystery religions,which was espoused to be the depths that only the initiated few were privileged
to know and understand.Those mysteries were totally unlike the ones mentioned in Scripture (e.g.,
Matt. 13:11; Eph. 3:9), which are divine revelations of truths previously hidden (12:7; Eph. 3:3–6).
“Does not speak to men but to God.”This is better translated,“to a god.”The Greek text has no def-
inite article. Their gibberish was worship of pagan deities. The Bible records no incident of any
believer ever speaking to God in any other than normal human language.

the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
September 5 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!

For the LORD has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up
Isaiah 1:1–2:22
children,
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which And they have rebelled against Me;
1 he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in 3 The ox knows its owner

886