A TRUMPET WITH UNCERTAIN SOUND

1 Corinthians 14:8-9 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air.

Paul opens this chapter of his letter to the church at Corinth by telling them that all Christians are to seek and demonstrate, in their lives, charity, which is love. Also, they are to pursue after other spiritual gifts offered by our heavenly Father to his children - members of His church, to be used in furthering the cause of Christ. All have the gift of prophesy. Not in the sense of foreseeing, or predicting future events, but all, either, by the words we speak, or the deeds we do in our conduct of life, are able to teach those within our sphere of influence. With this teaching ability comes a great responsibility to teach only the will of God. Never, do we want to teach error - to mislead anyone, cause him or her to stumble, and possibly lose the hope of eternal life.

Speaking in tongues was a spiritual gift bestowed on apostles and other first century disciples of Christ. It was given in order that the teaching of God's will could be understood in all languages, even languages that first century evangelists were not trained to speak. There are no biblical examples where God's word was preached in an unknown tongue - one that could not be understood. This gift of God endowed men to teach Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world - to edify, exhort, and comfort (Vs. 3 above). God's children, members of the church of Christ, could never receive any benefit from one speaking in an unknown tongue unless it was interpreted, and or was understandable (Vs. 5). Similar to that truth, musical instruments must give forth distinctive, exact sounds if one is to understand the melody being played or the military signal being given (Vs. 7).

The lesson text compares speaking in an unknown tongue to the uncertain sound of a trumpet. The trumpet was a musical instrument that was commonly used by the military. With a certain melody it wakes up military personnel, and with another tells them it is time to retire for the night. In warfare the trumpet was used to send messages to advance, retreat, assemble, etc. The blare of a trumpet that gave forth an unrecognizable sound would result in chaos. Soldiers would not know how to go about accomplishing their military mission, and the battle could be lost.

The application of this example is made in verse 9. So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air. While in military service, I was privileged to assemble in a bilingual worship service while stationed in Japan. The missionary preacher, coming from a small town in Indiana, delivered a sermon to the English-speaking persons that were assembled, and seated on the left side of the church building. The same sermon was delivered to the Japanese-speaking persons that were assembled and seated to the right, by a Japanese preacher/interpreter. If the two preachers were interchanged, no one would have benefited from the sermon lesson taught from God's holy word. Unless the gospel message of salvation in Christ is spoken in words that are understandable, there will be no edification. Speaking in an unknown language falls on deaf ears - it is as if one spoke into the air, and the winds carried the words away into the silence of the surrounding countryside. Another example would be that the noise of a tree falling in a wilderness is never heard. It may also be said that the use of words, in teaching the gospel of Christ, that are beyond the comprehension of the hearers, would be as useless toward edification, just as speaking in unknown tongues.

The remainder of this chapter of Paul's letter to the church at Corinth is given to a further explanation of the uselessness and futility of speaking in an unknown language. This applies to all parts of a scriptural worship service. How can the meaning of the Lord's Supper be explained in preparation of partaking of it, if spoken in an unknown tongue? Verses 14, 15, and 16 that follow tell us that this also applies to prayers being offered and congregational songs being sung. How can one say "Amen" to a prayer being offered unless they understand the content of the prayer? How can there be an uplifting edification with singing unless all can understand the words being sung? Referring to his own preaching of God's word, hear Paul's conclusion: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. For any Christian to teach, by word or deed, it must be understood - not as a trumpet with uncertain sound.