Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6
One way to look at Scripture is to consider that the Old Testament explains why we need redemption and the New Testament details how God accomplished it. Sometimes God’s attention to detail and the completeness of that redemption are amazing. Consider the connection between the Tower of Babel and how God redeemed that whole sorry episode on the Day of Pentecost.
In Genesis 11, the people were instructed to fill the earth in the generations following the Flood. Instead, they settled together and built the city of Babel on the plains of Mesopotamia. Then they decided to build a tower intending to reach heaven with it. They expected to make their name great. They even put forth the effort to make bricks, underscoring how much they had invested in the project. Perhaps in the back of their minds, they expected to avoid any future watery judgments with their great tower.
God in His grace and mercy, saw their arrogance, pride, and rebellion and He confused their languages. They could no longer communicate and the project was halted.
In Acts 2, the disciples were instructed to carry the gospel to all nations, but they were waiting. They intended to make the name of the risen Christ great. It wasn’t going to be accomplished through their own efforts but by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was very fresh in their minds that the only way to avoid judgment was through faith in Jesus Christ.
God in His grace and mercy, saw the arrogance, pride, and rebellion in the crowd and He miraculously took that group who spoke one language and enabled them to communicate with everyone listening. The Great Commission was put into motion.
Just as God accomplishes redemption on a grand scale, spanning thousands of years, He brings it about in our lives. I can point to times when He has turned my failures into His victories and when my weakness has become a showcase for His grace.
What has God redeemed in your life?
