Language Pre the Tower of Babel?

[Sojourner]

This morning I happened to catch "This is your day" by Benny Hinn on cable at the gym. As the programme drew to a close he had a Messianic Rabbi on with a prayer shawl and a book of prayers that were in English and Hebrew that people might pray them in Hebrew. The Rabbi pointed out that its important to pray in Hebrew because this is God's language for His people.

 

I am having some trouble reconciling this. My reading of the story of the Tower of Babel is that all language was confused and that no one was able to speak nor recall the former language?

 

Still on the other hand, the Jews are described as being God's chosen people and Hebrew is clearly the language that He chose for them.

 

So any suggestions on what I should do - continue to pray in English, or make contact with Benny Hinn ministries on the toll free number and have a hebrew prayer book and shawl sent out to me today?

 

Here is the prayer shawl on the website - http://www.bennyhinn.org/shop/all-products/prayer-shawl-and-rabbi-curt-landry-cd-the-tallit-message/

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

forget about Benny Hinn's claims...those are purely for marketing and ripping people off for their money..

 

If his God is so shallow that He'll only hear and respond to prayers made in the Hebrew language, that's pretty pathetic.  Maybe that's why Benny Hinn has to bonk people on the head when he tries to "heal" them... 

[M. T. Cross]

For one, if I am not mistaken, the language of the Hebrew people has changed so much over the years that what is spoken now is not a lot like what was spoken several thousand years ago. 

For two, that really does a disservice to the idea that the Christian God is omnipotent if he is only able to respond to one language, completely goes in the face of the Christian idea of the message being for all.

And lastly, there will always be some idiot trying to peddle a "sacred language". Its all over the place in every type of religious setting. Its stupid.

[LifeHiscost]

  Maybe that's why Benny Hinn has to bonk people on the head when he tries to "heal" them...

ROFLMHO It's always good to go to bed with a joyful heart.  

 

     God is Love! Jesus saves!  

[Kevin H]

First, there is no evidence that the different languages came from the tower of Babel. Graham Maxwell pointed out that the text only says that God confused their tongue so that they could not understand each other.

 

Second, Maxwell also points out that language tends to show a gradual change as people move out and we see the extremes but that it seems to have grown from a one language that modified as people ended up populating the world.

 

Third, Hebrew was the language of the part of the world when Abraham settled. We can learn what terms were meant in the Bible as we study the writings of the ancient Canaanites. Had Abraham gone to China the Jews would be speaking Chinese. Had Abraham gone to Norway  Jews would have been speaking Norwegian. The language was there first. Abraham moved there and picked it up.

 

Finally, God is the universal God as well as the God of Israel. He is Sojourner's God and he will listen to Sojourner pray in any language that Sojourner chooses.

[Gail]

As long as the prayer comes from the heart it will reach its destination. God knows the heart even if there are no words

[hch]

A day will come "And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day." 1 Samuel 8:18 

 

The Lord who made man's tongue speaks every language. But He will not always hear every prayer even if it has the approval of Benny Hinn ministries or the trappings of a Hebrew prayer book and shawl.

 

:flower: