Tongues Speaking
1 Cor. 11:1-2 with vs. 11; 14:18, 20-21. The attempt by these Corinthian believers to prove their spirituality by seeking and demonstrating signs was viewed by the Apostle Paul as a characteristic of spiritual immaturity. (But it still goes on today) Read it for yourself. Tongues were a judgment against non-believing Jews, not a blessing. They should not have been concerned about charismatic gifts which were later discovered to be temporal 13:8-12, but instead concerned with the abiding and eternal character traits and fruits of the Spirit 13:13; Gal. 5:22-23.
1 Cor. 14:19 Tongues were not for edifying believers.
Isaiah 28:11-12 This is Isaiah's prophecy against Israel and explains the judgment. Because Israel refused to listen to God's message proclaimed by His prophets, Isaiah predicted another message would come, and would be delivered in a tongue foreign and unintelligible to Israelites yet ambiguous 2 Kings 17:23. The foreign tongue symbolized God's rejection (Deut. 28:49; Isa. 33:19). This was His response to Israel's stiff-necked rebellion (2 Kings 17:14; Acts 7:51).
The intended audience for the message was not believers but non-believers (Matt. 13:10-15).
Uninterpreted tongues had their place but not in the church where prophecy benefited believers (1 Cor. 14:3).
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