My Uncle Thinks He’s a Giraffe

Well, actually, he doesn’t (at least I don’t think so), but if he did, there’s no way I could tell you about it without using the kind of language that only humans have.

If you doubt this, just give it a try.  Try to ‘tell’ someone (without using any language--either spoken or signed) that your uncle thinks he’s a giraffe.

Let's see, how could you do this?
Pantomime, maybe?  OK, give it a try.  …  How’d that work?  Maybe add some kind of animal sounds? (barking, tweeting, growling…what sound does a giraffe make anyway)?  Still no dice? (Now you know how to win at charades--just give the 'other' team this sentence!)

Ahh…the glory of language.  There’s nothing else quite like it!

And that’s just the point...

Glory.  

Language.   

Do these two words have something in common?

It seems that at least four times in the Hebrew Scriptures (aka Old Testament), the writer uses the term ‘MY GLORY’ to refer to speech:

“O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with MY GLORY.”  Psalm 108:1

“To the end that MY GLORY may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.”  Psalm 30:12

“Awake up, MY GLORY; awake, psaltery and harp.”  Psalm 57:8

“Therefore my heart is glad, and MY GLORY rejoiceth.”  Psalm 16:9

How can we be certain that ‘MY GLORY’ refers to ‘MY TONGUE’?  Check out how God led Peter, the New Testament writer of Acts 2:26 to quote Psalm 16:9:

“Therefore did my heart rejoice, and MY TONGUE was glad.”

(Not only that, but the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) uses ‘my tongue’ instead of ‘my glory’ in these and similar passages.)

Seems that these ancient writers knew what we so often today take for granted—our ability to produce intelligible, symbolic, abstract speech is an aspect of true glory embedded in humans exclusively by the creator of man, the God of all glory!

We were, after all, created IN HIS IMAGE.  Language, it seems, is the connecting bridge between God and man.  And language truly is our glory when we use this ability to respond in praise to Him.

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”  Psalm 89:1

So, if you ever have a situation where you need to explain why your uncle is nibbling leaves from tall branches, then praise God that you can!