Sometime opposites attract. Pairing Scripture passages through contrast, like the Tower of Babel and Pentecost, gives us a deeper meaning and connection between the Old and New Testament.
Scripture pairings
As I’ve spent time reading the Bible, I’ve noticed patterns and pairings of Scripture. Passages that stand well on their own are enhanced when viewed in light of another related passage, even a contrasting one.
I think it’s fun to be able to recognize correlations between the Old and New Testament.
The Tower of Babel in the Old Testament (Genesis) and the Day of Pentecost in the New Testament (Acts) are one such pairing.
Tower of Babel
The story of the Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-8. To summarize, the people, who at that time all spoke the same language, wanted to build a tower to reach heaven for their own personal gain. This was not such a good idea. The Lord scattered the people and confused their language so they couldn’t understand one another.
“That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:9 NIV
In summary,
- man tried to reach heaven
- man wanted to make a name for himself
- God scattered the people and confused the language
Scripture contrast
Another short passage in Scripture presents a different association between heaven and earth. This one’s found in the New Testament.
Day of Pentecost
In the Book of Acts on a day called Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a rushing wind upon the apostles who were gathered together.
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:4 NIV
A crowd heard the sound, but not only that,
“Each one heard their own language being spoken.” Acts 2:6b NIV
What words did they hear?
“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Acts 2:11b NIV
In summary,
- the Holy Spirit came down to man from heaven
- people heard their own language and understood
- God’s name was praised, not man’s
The connection
Do you see the connection? The pairing of these two passages?
Each set of verses on its own is a self-contained story or event. Together they give us a deeper connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
How?
Through contrast
In this case it’s through the contrast of what occurs.
Did you see it?
If not, take another glance back at the two storylines.
Experience the connection
Much like tasting food instead of just looking at it, I think experiencing the connection in Scripture for ourselves leads to a more meaningful and lasting impression from words read.
Expect to see deeper connection
Are you new to making this kind of connection in Scripture? I think seeing them is just a matter of practice of expecting to see a deeper connection than what’s in plain sight or on the surface. The more we open ourselves to the possibility that a passage pulls from another place in the Bible, the more we allow ourselves to see the bigger picture and deeper significance of what we’ve read.
The more times we open our Bible, the more we see in the Scriptures.
The contrast
The people building the tower sought to elevate their own name and status.
The people at Pentecost praised the Lord’s name.
The pattern
We can simplify this into a short phrase:
Man reaches for heaven.
Heaven reaches for man.
The contrast.
Why this matters
Why does this matter?
We see the bigger picture when we recognize connecting points, even contrasting ones. Recognition simply comes from having seen something before. If we train ourselves to consider there could be a more significant correlation, we open ourselves up to being able to see these meaningful connections.
As you may have noticed, I’m a proponent of reading the Old Testament to shed light on the New Testament. Yes, the New Testament gives us Jesus. The Old Testament gives us the backstory and deeper meaning.
Want to see where the Tower of Babel fits into the context of Genesis?
Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey
Want a glimpse at where Acts stacks up in the New Testament lineup?
A bike and the Bible – The Gospels, Acts, and Romans – part 14
Loved this Susan. I enjoy your insights and your Bible study interpretations! It feels like those building the Tower of Babel were arrogant…making assumptions about what they could achieve! God reached down…as you mentioned~He scattered them. Those waiting for God on the day of Pentecost were humbly seeking Him…and He reached down again pulling them together…as you mentioned~He connected them!! Arrogance and humility are certainly opposite! 🙂
Great observations, Kate!