The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues. Divinely Inspired or Man’s Wishful Thinking?, Ep 2-29
Welcome Back! Welcome Back! I am your host Dawn Simmons and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are following behind our last episode where we discussed the Spiritual Gift of Tongues, with today’s episode of the Spiritual Gift of Interpretation of Tongues. This gift is rarely discussed except to challenge it’s authenticity, so today we are going to address why it is often challenged, explain exactly what it is and what it is not. Then I will share some of my experiences with this gift, Interpretation of Tongues.
For this series where we are discussing the Spiritual Gifts, we are always going to start at the scriptures that provide us with the layout of these gifts and that is:
Corinthians 12:4-11.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
To summarize what Paul shared, the 9 Spiritual Gifts are: wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miraculous powers, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.
The gifts can be categorized by what they provide to the receiver. The Holy Spirit is the giver of the gift and we, Holy Spirit filled believers, are the receivers of the gifts.
· Gifts we use out of the Power we have from the Holy Spirit are: faith, healings, miraculous powers
· Gifts we have where the Holy Spirit uses us in Revelation are: wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits
· Gifts where the Holy Spirit uses us and are Spoken are: prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues
So this is the third of the spoken gifts, we have already covered Prophecy in a 2 part episode, Tongues was last week and now let’s move on to what we need to know about Interpretation of Tongues.
Let’s start the discussion with a clarification. Interpretation of Tongues is not the same as translation of Tongues. People often make that mistake when they hear someone speaking in tongues, and then an Interpretation that follows isn’t the same length. They don’t understand the difference between interpretation and translation. I was watching a show a few months ago, some comedy, a police based comedy and the person being interrogated didn’t speak English. The cop was asking questions, the translator would translate the question and then the person answered for like a minute but when the translator turned to the cop, all the translator said was “no”. It was funny, you could feel the confusion of the cop that maybe he missed something in translation. That’s what misunderstanding does to the gift of Interpretation of Tongues.
Let’s take a look in the Old Testament at a place where an interpretation was used. We are going to Daniel Chapter 5. This is the well known story of God’s handwriting on the wall to Belshazzar as a result of his incredibly immoral behavior and a heart filled with arrogant pride. During a night of drunken partying, God pays Belshazzar a visit and terrifies him by writing these words on the wall:
mene, mene, tekel, uparsin. Belshazzar is frantic to find out what it means and eventually summons Daniel, a man he knows provided knowledge and wisdom to his father, Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel comes and is offered an enormous amount of wealth and power if he can tell him what the writing means. The words written were an actual known language, it was Aramaic, so the literal translation of what God wrote was: The numberer is numbered. If Daniel had told Belshazzar that translation, he technically would have done his job, but what Belshazzar really wanted to know was what does it mean. In order for Daniel to tell him what it meant, he actually had to receive an interpretation from God. He had to put context, the message God wanted to be known, to the words. The only way Daniel could do that is if God gave him the interpretation of what He meant when He said, the numberer is numbered.
So let’s read what Daniel tells him in Chapter 5, verse 26: 26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; UPARSIN: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”[s] 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
The same process is used when we talk of Interpretation of Tongues. One other thing I want to point out here is that although the language was Aramaic, it could have been any language Belshazzar didn’t know, it wouldn’t have mattered. The fact that Daniel knew Aramaic in this case didn’t matter either. It could have been any language to Daniel as well. When the Lord has a message and He wants it to be known, He will provide someone to give the interpretation, to speak on His behalf, His words, when He wants them spoken. Does that mean that the person receiving the interpretation is always obedient and is willing to speak up, nope! Have you always done every single thing you knew you were supposed to do when you were supposed to do it? Do you always return the shopping cart to the designated return location every single time, even in rain or snow or hail? We are human, most of us have moments when we are having a bad day and don’t feel like it, we have pain or we are tired. Understand, God provides what He wants us to receive, sometimes we don’t receive what He is willing to provide.
Let’s reflect back on the tongues episode for a minute. Remember the story I told about the woman who had the gift of interpretation of tongues but said specifically she did not want the gift of tongues. Remember that I said if you have to choose between the two gifts, always chose tongues first. The reason for that is this. Tongues is much more valuable as a gift. As we discussed, tongues can be used for yourself privately and there could be opportunity for it to be used in a church setting where the church as a whole is edified with an interpreter. The gift of interpretation, on the other hand, requires the gift of tongues in order to be operational. The gift of tongues can stand on its own as a gift. The gift of interpretation cannot. It is a gift only useful if tongues is present so the value or usefulness of it is dependent upon others. If she cannot and in her case will not allow herself to receive the gift of tongues, then what does it matter that she can interpret. I know that seems harsh, but as we discuss receiving the gift of interpretation, it is not hard to do. Anyone can have that gift at any time if you can hear the Lord and are willing to be obedient and provide the interpretation when called upon.
I’ll even take this a step further and say that surprisingly to most people, of all the gifts of the Spirit, Interpretation of Tongues is actually the least of the gifts. Not surprisingly, if you have a knowledge of the gifts and function in other gifts. It does not take nearly the amount of time and “training” with the Lord to receive it. I think it sounds intimidating so not many people seek it, but it’s an easy one for anyone willing to follow the Lord’s ask of you. You do need to be able to hear the Lord, but you need to be able to hear the Lord for all the gifts. This is why I wrote the Loving Conversations book and mention it after every podcast, it’s not to make a quick buck. It is because I know that the Lord wants more people to hear Him. Once you hear Him, then you can start learning to receive these gifts and live your life using these gifts for the Kingdom, changing lives around you and the lives of people you don’t even know. I get requests from all over the world every week to use my gifts. I am no different than anyone else other than I have invested the time in hearing the Lord and have allowed Him to train me in the use of His gifts.
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 14:13, 13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,[d] say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
If we pray in tongues, it should be natural that we are also interpreting. It should be an easy add if you think about it. If you can only pray, but not interpret, it’s as if the gift of tongues is not completely fulfilled in you. You don’t have a full understanding. God does not give half gifts, so one should seek to have the related gift so that more can be learned and others can be edified not just you alone. This is why Paul is then compelled to go and say this in verse 18: 8 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
I will tell you I once thought it was an elusive gift, a specialized gift, and thought because I have great difficulty picking up other languages I would have difficulty getting this gift. Let me tell you, there is a huge difference between being able to conjugate verbs in the past present and future in another language and speaking them conversationally all while adding the necessary vocabulary to build a grammatically correct sentence before the person you are attempting to talk to grows older waiting and the Lord divinely handing an interpretation readily made for you to simply speak on His behalf. With interpretation, there is no work, only obedience and a focus on the Lord.
Let’s talk a bit about when it is needed. It seems clear enough but people get a little confused about a few things so let’s clear that up here. There are 2 times when it is needed. The first is always, whenever the Lord calls for it. Second is when he wants to build up His people. Two nights ago I was meeting with a young woman who was wanting to learn more about hearing the Lord’s voice. As a result of what was discussed in the meeting, the Lord told me to lay hands on her head and pray for her. I knew when I did, I would at some point be praying in tongues but I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it because we never discussed tongues. I had no idea if she had any experience with it or any biases against it. Before I began to pray I did let her know what was going to happen, but also told her, if that happens, then the Lord will give me the interpretation so we will know what He has to say. As I laid hands on her I was immediately praying in tongues followed by the interpretation. I would go back and forth between English, obviously my first language, and tongues. Okay English is my only language besides tongues, but not for a lack of trying.
My point here is, that was a situation where God was instructing me to pray and gave me the interpretation. In addition to that, because it was public, even though it was only one person, because the prayer was for her benefit, an interpretation was necessary. It would not have done her any good for me to be standing there praying over her and she had no idea what was said. Who wants that. I don’t care who you are, unless God says otherwise, if I don’t know what you are saying, I don’t want you praying over me. I don’t want to come into agreement with any words over me that I don’t know what they are, it’s just not wise.
Where is interpretation not required? Well I can tell you I am in a meeting on Sunday mornings and there are probably half of us who do pray in tongues, but we all actually whisper it to ourselves. We are doing it to ourselves but for the benefit of the congregation as a whole. In this meeting is anywhere from 5 or 6 to 12, depending on the day. If any one of us praying on tongues did so out loud openly, then an interpretation should be given because that makes it a public setting. If one of us were so instructed to do pray out loud, which is the only time someone should be doing praying out loud in a public setting, then God will provide the interpretation. Two points I want to make here. First point, because the people who pray in tongues at this meeting are doing so quietly to themselves, in a whisper tone, that does not need to be interpreted. The intent is not to benefit the group in that moment. The main prayer over the congregation is always done in English as we each take turns. Second point, if the prayer were out loud it should only be at the direction of the Holy Spirit. There are times when people are overwhelmed by the Spirit and rightfully so, and think they are supposed to pray out loud and just start shouting it out. The problem is, if it is done in a way that is contradictory to what is happening in the meeting, then chances are they were meant to pray in tongues but to themselves quietly. It happens on occasion. It can usually be easily corrected without embarrassing anyone. The way you can identify if this was done in error is if the Holy Spirit tells you so, if in doing so this person has interrupted or interfered with what was happening in the room, or if what they are doing does not bear witness with anyone in the room. You will feel the disruption in your spirit.
Why is there such confusion over how many can pray and how does this get misapplied? I’ve been in prayer meetings or just meetings in general not just focused on prayer, and even the Sunday morning meeting I brought up applies here, the meetings are a gathering of multiple people. In these meetings people separately are praying in tongues. There is no issue there. The confusion is that people are reading scripture literally and saying no more than 3 people can pray in tongues at a time, even in a whisper. That’s not what Paul was discussing in 1 Corinthians 14:26 Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. He then clarifies in verse 30: For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. Paul could have said 4, but he was trying to instill the idea of control and maintaining order. God does not function in chaos, so if a meeting is chaotic, then it is not moving under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. When things are not in order, man has allowed himself to influence and control the meeting. In our Sunday morning meeting, there is one person that always tries to interpret the whispers of the individuals praying, I think because she is misapplying this scripture. There is no chaos in the room as we are each doing it quietly to ourselves as a whisper. She is still learning so I don’t say anything. We want to give people grace as they are learning to move. If it came to a point where what she was doing was disruptive, then I would pull her aside and talk to her about it. We don’t want incorrect behaviors to grow when the Lord is moving, so you have to find the balance between learning and disrupting.
Let’s round up this discussion with the reasons why this is gift is challenged. First off, as we have discussed numerous times, cessationists would never believe in this gift because they believe these gifts have ceased. Second, non cessationists feel tongues is babble so there can’t possibly be an interpretation of something that is mere babble. Third, the misunderstanding of the act of translation versus interpretation. These people will apply logic to a supernatural event which you cannot do, you end up deceiving yourself that way no matter what the topic. Fifth, ignorance, a hard heart, an unwillingness to hear and understand how God works with us. I’m sure there are many more, but those are the common areas that come up frequently. You could say fear of the unknown as well. Bad theology.
I hope you have enjoyed our time discussing the spiritual gift of Interpretation of Tongues and I hope it has helped to build your understanding. We cannot fully conquer our unseen enemies until we understand everything the Holy Spirit makes available to us. If you know anyone who might benefit from this, please share.
As always let’s discuss our Top Show Points:
· Discussing the Gift of Interpretation of Tongues
· 1 Cor 12:4-11
· To summarize what Paul shared, the 9 Spiritual Gifts are: wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miraculous powers, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.
o Gifts we use out of the Power we have from the Holy Spirit are: faith, healings, miraculous powers
o Gifts we have where the Holy Spirit uses us in Revelation are: wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits
o Gifts where the Holy Spirit uses us and are Spoken are: prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues
· Interpretation of Tongues is not the same as translation of Tongues.
· Daniel 5, where Daniel interpreted the words of God to Belshazzar
· When the Lord has a message and He wants it to be known, He will provide someone to give the interpretation, to speak on His behalf, His words, when He wants them spoken.
· The gift of interpretation, on the other hand, requires the gift of tongues in order to be operational. The gift of tongues can stand on its own as a gift. The gift of interpretation cannot.
· Of all the gifts of the Spirit, Interpretation of Tongues is actually the least of the gifts
· 1 Corinthians 14:13
· If we pray in tongues, it should be natural that we are also interpreting
· 1 Corinthians 14:18
· With interpretation, there is no work, only obedience and a focus on the Lord
· There are 2 times when it is needed. The first is always, whenever the Lord calls for it. Second is when he wants to build up His people
· Where is interpretation not required. People who pray in tongues quietly to themselves, in a whisper tone, that does not need to be interpreted. The intent is not to benefit the group in that moment.
· Why is there such confusion over how many can pray and how does this get misapplied? The confusion is that people are reading scripture literally and saying no more than 3 people can pray in tongues at a time, even in a whisper. That’s not what Paul was discussing in 1 Corinthians 14:26
· God does not function in chaos, so if a meeting is chaotic, then it is not moving under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. When things are not in order, man has allowed himself to influence and control the meeting.
· Discussed reasons this gift is challenged today
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· If you want to learn more about how to Hear God's Voice, take a look at my book, Loving Conversations: How to Pray and Hear God's Voice. There is also a Study Guide available and two new devotionals out based on the Loving Conversations Book. One devotional is for women and one is for men.
· Class coming up 8/2 based on the Loving Conversations book on how to hear God’s Voice, sign up at lovingconversationssalo.com
I have enjoyed our time this week and look forward to spending time with you again next week!
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