“A Perfect Mess”

Thursday, September 26, 2019

     When God confused those who were building the tower of Babel, He gave them all their own language.  Was that mixed language perfect because God gave it to them?  God is perfect; man is flawed.  How could fallen builders understand and use perfect language?

Sincerely,
Linguist

Dear Linguist,

The word 'perfect' simply means that something is 'suitable or fit for the task'.  A perfect car part is the part that fits your car.  Sometimes, we get confused into thinking that perfect always means that something is without any flaw or problem, but that isn't true.  Two people can get married and be a perfect marital match... but that doesn't mean they won't have struggles or that they both don't sin at times.

The languages that God created at the Tower of Babel were perfectly suited to the task at hand – confusing the crowds and getting them to scatter (Gen 11:9).

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