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Starting in the Book of Acts, Chapter 19...
Acts 19: 2-6
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No," they replied, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3. "Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked. And they replied, "The baptism of John." 4. Paul said, "John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus." 5. As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 7. There were about twelve men in all.-
This passage from the Book of Acts suggests that the gift of tongues is given simply for the sake of believing in Jesus as their savior. It also says that 12 men had been endowed with yet another gift, that of prophecy. Perhaps the meaning is not clearly mentioned here, but the Old Testament's 12 minor prophets also used tongues and each one of them revealed hidden secrets of God's commands. Commands that would alter the lives of both the gifted and the sinner whether innocent or guilty. This parallel are considered to be example of a 'come on to' gift given for a divine purpose.
In the Book of Isaiah tongues is understood as "strange language". This also is 'speaking in tongues' called a gift, and an example of 'tongues' foretold centuries before the event of Christ's resurrection that's called Pentecost. This use is because of guilt. In the biblical passage just before this Isiah example, the bible says that the prophets themselves were the guilty ones because they scorned the language of God. Below the passage clearly says the use of 'tongues' as a foreign language will bring about a calamity.
Isaiah 28: 9-12
So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! 12. God has told his people, "Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest." But they would not listen. 13. So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.-
Though very little is mentioned about just what the 'gift of tongues' was clearly about, the Old Testament studies shows that tongues is a very good means to forsake and cause them to 'stumble' in guilt. Remember the story of the Tower of Babel...God chose to confuse that Babylonian language and divided and regathered together each of them into separate languages that only God could translate the meaning. Looking at Isaiah again, 'tongues' is used to separate, or the 'tongue' is separated. The disciple John says people can receive the gift of tongues simply in the belief of a present messiah, and they can separate themselves from the others through that gift.
Though just what the meaning of 'tongues' means at the Pentecost gathering no one can clearly say, but biblical history has some powerful messages that give clues to the message of the messiah's gifts, 'tongues' is no exception.
Ending the Easter season, it's important to gather together rather then to separate ourselves from family and Our Lord. Give the gift of tongues to service those who have the greatest need, so we can fully understand this wondrous gift of Pentecost. It is in the way of God that only the thoughtful can fully achieve the gifts of the Almighty. Amen.
