Gift of Tongues 2 - 1 Corinthians 14:13-20

The more I think about the concept of the gift of tongues, the more I realize that it has all the potential to be the flashy "gift" that can make you appear very spiritually strong to others, but in turn does almost nothing to benefit them. Paul says that if someone is going to speak or pray in "an unknown tongue," they need to also pray that the words can be understood, otherwise it will be "unfruitful." The whole purpose of spiritual gifts is to uplift others and help us grow spiritually but putting on a show so others can see your "strength" isn't doing either one of those things. If you pray and no one can understand you, "how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?"

Paul makes an interesting statement and we have to read it remembering that he was highly educated in not only worldly knowledge, but he's a scriptorian as well. He says that he would "rather speak five words with my understand, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." He knows that expounding the scriptures and God's word is important in helping others understand and obey them. But here he's saying that it is better to speak five words, which surely cannot explain very much, that someone can understand, than to make ten thousand words worth of noise that doesn't mean anything to anybody.

Someone who would like to use the gift of tongues to elevate their imagine among their fellow congregants would probably think that a five word statement would have almost no meaning to anyone. They probably couldn't even imagine speaking so few words and then remaining quiet for the rest of the time while someone else spoke. But that all goes back to their intentions. I guess we have to ask ourselves which we would prefer to do, how we would prefer to contribute to the spiritual teachings? Would we like to offer small, concise, powerful insights or just speak to be heard? 

I know that I have a hard time with this because of course I want everyone to know just how smart I am, it's a family problem that I have inherited and I need to work through it. But it doesn't just have to be about speaking in tongues, if I start talking and my comments don't contribute positively to the lesson, then it would be like I'm speaking in tongues because it wouldn't be helpful at all. So it's not just babbling incoherent speech that we need to be careful of, but of just babbling in general.

Paul urges the Corinthians to "be not children in understand." This could mean for them to be educated not only secularly but spiritually as well. This comes from the big three, prayer, church, and scripture study. As we do these things we show Jesus that we want him in our lives and that we are willing to put forth the effort to get closer to Him. Then he teaches us slowly but surely, as we are prepared to receive the information, and that's how we gain the "understanding" that Paul is talking about here.

In understanding we are supposed to be adults, but Paul continues, "howbeit in malice be ye children." What does this mean exactly?

I see it as meaning for us to understand the ways of Satan in the same way that we did as children. I would never steal a purse out of a shopping cart, so it doesn't occur to me that someone else will and that I need to lock mine up. I know that I talked about this before about a friend of mine who we used to make really dirty jokes together in high school but once I went away from doing that, it wasn't who I was anymore. Then one day she came to visit several years later and made a dirty joke and I was appalled. I still understood what she was saying but I didn't find it funny at all, I was actually quite disgusted. So just because we are one way at one point doesn't mean that we have to stay that way forever. It was by doing the big three that Jesus took that stuff out of my heart. It happened for me, and it still happens for me and it can happen to anyone else who wants it too.