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Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 14:20-21 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

Today's passage is very interesting. In it Paul begins to give the purpose for speaking in tongues, and he goes back to the Old Testament for his evidence. He begins in verse 20 by telling the Corinthian believers that they need to become more mature. He has already referred to them as "babes in Christ" in I Corinthians 3:1, and now he instructs them that they need to stop being children in their understanding of truth, particularly the truth about tongues. He adds to this that they need to become children in regards to "malice", which is simply another word for "evil". Part of the Corinthians' problem was that they were very immature when it came to the Scriptures, but their ability to tolerate and practice evil had matured greatly. Paul wants them to stop being experts in sin, and start being experts in Bible knowledge.

Part of that knowledge involved understanding the purpose for tongues. The Corinthians saw tongues as a way to receive honor and praise. Paul is about to set the record straight on that. In verse 21 he takes them back to the Old Testament. Isaiah 28:1-12 contains the principle found in I Corinthians 14:21. Verses 1-8 of Isaiah 28 warn of impending judgment on Israel. In verses 9-10 the Israelites mock Isaiah (and God) and basically say, "Does he think we are babies?". Then in verses 11-12 we read,

"For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear."

Let's look further at some Old Testament passages. Deuteronomy 28:45-49 reads,

"Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand."

"For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say."

So, in the Old Testament, what was the purpose of hearing people speak in a foreign language? It was to let the Jews know that the judgment of God was coming upon them because of their unbelief. We will continue with this idea tomorrow.