Pentecost and the Tower of Babel

The story of Pentecost has some telling similarities to the Tower of Babel.

At Pentecost, the disciples, Mary and the others who followed Jesus, met in the Upper Room. Jesus had told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit.

In time, He came with a rushing wind, tongues of fire appeared on their heads and the all those in the room ran out into the streets. When they spoke, all those that heard them, heard them in their own language. The onlookers accused them of being drunk, even though it was only 9 o’clock in the morning.

Then Peter stood up and addressed all those gathered together. On that day 3,000 people became followers of Christ.

Pentecost and Babel

The obvious connection between Babel and Pentecost is the mention of language. At Babel, God confused the language of the builders. If they were of one language, God said they could achieve anything.

At Pentecost, God undid this curse. Therefore, allowing those in Christ to achieve everything God calls them to do.

The Charismatic and Pentecostal churches see this event as an incidence of the spiritual gift of ‘speaking in tongues’. Though when we carefully read the text, the disciples weren’t talking a ‘heavenly language’, but the people who heard them could understand them in their own tongue. This is different to their understanding of speaking in tongues today, where the person speaks what seems like nonsense phrases and others are expected to interpret.

We Make a Name

At the Tower of Babel, the common interpretation of the reason why the early peoples built the tower, was to make themselves famous. They wanted to make a name for themselves.

Genesis 11 v 4

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

If we accept that Pentecost reversed Babel’s Curse, then rather than the people becoming famous and so they wouldn’t scatter, Christ is made famous and scatters His followers across the World, spreading God’s Word.

Other interpretations suggest they were trying to replace God in Heaven. Their plan was to reach the tower to the Heavens and take over. They would become gods and be in charge. In contrast, at Pentecost, the people waited on the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to fill them.

Making a God to Control

Making a name might actually mean making a god for themselves to control. We see in Genesis 4, the descendants of Seth call on the Name of the Lord.

Genesis 4 v 26

At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD

In the ancient world, some gods were called the ‘face of’ or the ‘name of’ a higher god (see note 1). So it could be conceivable that the phrase, the Name of the Lord was another name for God.

So making a Name for themselves suggests they may have been trying to bring God down to them. As the tower was built in Shinar (Babylon), it was likely a ziggurat. Usually, an ancient ziggurat had a temple or home for a god at the summit. So these early people may have been trying to bring God into this temple. But God stopped them.

The other side of this interpretation could be that they were trying to craft a god for themselves. One they could control. So here, God shows his disapproval of idolatry.

In contrast, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit entered into the temple of the hearts of each believer, through God’s will.

Covenant Connection

Another element which connects the Tower of Babel story and Pentecost is the pattern of covenants in the Bible.

Throughout the Old Testament, whenever a covenant is given by God, unruly behaviour or drunkenness seems to occur afterwards in the narrative.

For example, God makes a covenant with Noah. Within a few verses Noah becomes drunk.

Another time, God makes a covenant with Abraham and within a few chapters we are told of the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

When God makes a covenant with Moses and the Children of Israel, as Moses comes down the mountain, he finds the Children of Israel getting drunk, worshipping the Golden Calf.

Similarly, when God makes His covenant with the Church at Pentecost, we see the followers of Jesus accused of being drunk. This fulfils the pattern in the Old Testament and points to Pentecost as a covenant with God.

I think these associations of inappropriate celebrations are shadows of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 19 v 9

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

At Pentecost, let us open the temple of our lives to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to indwell in us more deeply and to change us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Have a blessed Pentecost.

1 - The goddess Astarte was sometimes called the Face of Baal and the Name of Baal.