By Dawn Kruger

1. Language and Relationship

"Language was not just a resource to provide noun-names for creatures, nor was it a utilitarian instrument for the transfer of information. Rather God was using language to fellowship with his image-bearers, sharing himself and his activities with them." (16)

Comment:

So, when Adam named the animals, it was not simply labeling the animals' information and characters, but to make relationship with animals. And this is the reason why the Scripture concludes that "Adam no suitable helper was found" (Gen 2:20b), in a sense that he could not find helper among the animals, in other words, there is no such a relationship to be found in animals.

2. Tower of Babel and God's Mission

"… his benevolent act of dispersing the people at the Tower of Babel, were intended to fulfill his missional purpose of filling the earth with the knowledge of his glory." (16-17)

Comment:

So, at the Tower of Babel, the scattering of people by changing their languages is to fulfill God's purpose of creation?

3. God's Ultimate Goal: Live with Humanity

Glaser declares, “we could say that the whole Bible is about how God fulfils his desire to live among human beings” (2016, 129). (20)

Reference: Glaser, Ida. Thinking Biblically about Islam: Genesis, Transfiguration, Transformation. Carlisle, UK: Langham Global Library, 2016.

Comment:

Therefore, the ultimate place for those do not want God is the place without God!

4. The Natures and Purposes of the Word

"… the Word here represents more than a unit of language. It encompasses the full essence of God, an expression of God who existed pre-creation and continues to exist as the Word post-resurrection. This Word is the bridge between divine and mortal, the channel through which we humans are able to commune with a transcendent God, our divine Creator. … . It is simply the Word. God. It is also interesting to note that God projects his identity linguistically through the word “Word.” We, made in his image, also root our identity in language, as a finite reflection of an infinite God. Yet, the Word is not identified as a language, implying that God speaks one particular language and would need to learn other languages in order to communicate with people." (20)

Comment:

If God speaks one particular language and need to learn other languages, then we as well need to learn other languages to communicate with others. In such a process, we are reflecting the goodness of God. If such a Word can bridge between divine and all humans with different languages, the Word would be the unity of all human languages and the source of all languages for humans are created in the image of the Word: if God identifies Himself through the Word, humans as image-bearers, who identify themselves through languages will at the same time identiy their languages as the Word-bearers. This is my theological foundation of "道一分殊" .