Prophecy is much better than tongues.
1/ I Corinthians 14: 14,15 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
And here God uses two illustrations to prove what He means. First of all, He uses the illustration of prayer, and secondly of singing. All this had to do with worship in the congregation – in the assembly. He said if you pray and people speak in tongues, that prayer is valueless. He didn’t say they should pray in a foreign tongue, but He is saying, just carry this thought on. What if you pray in a foreign language you do not understand, what good would that prayer be? You are not communicating with God, and prayer is man communicating with God and telling Him his problems, his troubles and his joy, and the Bible is God communicating with man, telling man what he should know. So, He says if you have prayer on the same basis as you have speaking in tongues, it would be valueless.
2/ Then He talks about singing. And He says, I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with understanding. We ought to know a lot about this in our present day and age. So much that passes for singing is just sheer noise, it is just trash. Sometimes I turn the radio on and listen to some of these popular songs, not very often – if I am waiting on some program that is coming on such as Paul Harvey or something of that nature, and the music is absolutely unbearable. They sing trash, they sing nonsense and I don’t know what they are singing most of the time, and most of the people do not listen to it for the words, but for the rhythm, the pounding of the drums and the strumming of the guitars, and God is saying, this is not worship. You cannot worship apart from the mind. Take in the church service. We do the same thing. We sing songs that do not make sense – “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.” – That is not true – I refuse to sing this or, “Will there be any stars in my crown?” or “Do, Lord” – this is fine for children, but adults singing “Do Lord, Do Lord“--it is just a lot of nonsense.
3/ Singing is very important. Ephesians 5: 18, 19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Some folks say, well, I could just do without singing in the church service. I couldn’t, because it’s the first results of being filled with the Spirit. You know why the devil has such a big industry, and the world has such a big industry in music – because man is a singing being, whether he has ability to sing or not. Satan, the world, is trying to fill this void in man that could only be filled by singing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. That is your mind. You sing with your mind, so you should sing with understanding, and we are to sing songs, hymns and spiritual songs. Just what is difference? A hymn is usually addressed to God, something like, “My Jesus, I Love Thee, or, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past“, or “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty.” or “I am Thine O Lord, I Have Heard Thy Voice.” Then we come to the Psalm. A psalm is just one of the Psalms set to music, and we said that Psalms is just a song book to Israel. Then, spiritual songs – they are songs of praise. Example, a song of testimony – what the Lord has done for you – “Love Lifted Me, when nothing else could help, love lifted me.” Or “Redeemed”, how I love to proclaim it, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.“ A spirit- filled believer will sing with understanding.
4/ Let me give you an example of what I mean. Psalms 13: 5, 6 But I have trusted in thy mercy: my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Here he said, I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me. The children Of God sing because of God’s dealing with them. Let me give you another illustration, Exodus 15: 1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Here we have Moses – when we think about him, we think of one too busy to bother himself with songs. He carried the woes and the worries of a great nation upon his shoulders. How could he sing? Israel got into trouble and into sin so often and rebelled against God time and time again, yet we read, then sang Moses and the children of Israel the song of the Lord, and spoke saying, I will sing unto the Lord for he Hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. So, they were singing with understanding something that happened to them.
5/ Acts 16: 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
The believer sings not only when the sun shines brightly, in the darkest of night. Here we have Paul and Silas locked in a prison in Philippi, their feet locked in stocks, singing to the Lord. Here is a terrible situation. Here they were singing, but I can guarantee you they were singing in the Spirit, and they were singing with understanding. So, the whole thought again goes back to the thought that these folks at Corinth were to know that if they were to sing they had better sing in the Spirit. And if they prayed they had better pray with the Spirit and with understanding.
Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Therefore, understanding is the key, and this is why the gift of tongues was the least of all gifts, and why it was an inferior gift.
6/ I Corinthians 14: 14 - 16 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
Now, bless here means to worship, Else that when thou shalt worship in the Spirit, how shall he be that shall occupy the room of the unlearned. Who is that? It could either be the person who is speaking in tongues, giving the doctrine, or praying, or singing in tongues. He doesn’t understand what is going on. He is unlearned. In his mind he doesn’t understand one thing he is praying, saying or singing, and here the caption to it all, he cannot say…”Amen”. “Amen” means, I believe it, or so be it, because he doesn’t know what is said, what he has prayed or what he has been singing, so he cannot say, I believe it.
7/ Then also the one that has been listening does not understand his tongues He can’t say “Amen” to it, because he doesn’t know what it is all about
8/ I Corinthians 14: 17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
For thou verily giveth thanks well, in other words, as he has been praying, he did a beautiful job in it because the Holy Spirit was giving him the ability to do this, but yet, it didn’t edify anyone, it didn’t build up anyone.
This is why prophecy, doctrine is so much more important than some ecstatic experiences, some emotional experience. Truly the unknown tongue is not to be sought.
AMEN
Ref: KULP / 07/08/1973 / 341 – THE UNPROFITABLE TONGUE / 05/25/2020
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