SAPATE ‘EPELELI 12, 2026

1 TU’I 1-2; ‘EFESO 6:1-4

It is crucial that the children of God listen to and follow their Father's counsel.

‘Oku mahu’inga ki he fanau ‘a e ‘Otua ke nau fanongo mo muimui ki he akonaki ‘a e Tamai.

My father was a broken, imperfect man. He didn't act or parent perfectly, but he left me with many words of counsel that I have carried throughout my life. So much of his counsel had to do with work. He told me that work was a dignity and not a curse. He said, "They can take away your job, but they can't take away your willingness and ability to work." He told me how important it is to always be willing to learn. He told me on one occasion that I could fool many people but that God is never fooled. True, my father could have made many better life choices, but I am thankful for the wisdom he imparted to me.

First Kings 2:1-4 records a father's final counsel to his son. David is at death's door; Solomon is going to succeed him as king. These are David's words of counsel:

When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel."

It is hard to overstate the spiritual value of these brief words of wisdom from a dying dad. I especially appreciate how David defines what it will mean for Solomon to be a strong man. His definition is not about brash, bullying, big-personality, muscled machismo. No, David knows that true strength is about walking in the ways of the Lord, as defined by the law of Moses, no matter what. The strength that really makes a difference is spiritual strength. Everyone's life is directed and shaped by what one's heart values and serves. The big battle is an internal battle, the fight for control of your thinking, desires, and choices. There is no more important show of strength than to stand strong in the way of the Lord. And, because this is a high standard, too high for us to reach on our own, this strength is only ever the result of God's grace.

When I read David's words, I think not only of my earthy father, but also of my infinitely wise, kind, and loving heavenly Father. I am thankful that, by grace, he has chosen me to be his child and has made my heart receptive to his always-wise counsel. I am aware that I have no wisdom of my own; he is my wisdom. The question is, Will I submit to his wise counsel, or go my own foolish way?

 TOKONAKI ‘EPELELI 11, 2026

2 SAMIUELA 22-24; MA’AKE 12:28-34

When it comes to biblical truth, insightful people are those not simply with the right answers but with the right questions, which lead to the right answers.

Fekau’aki mo e mo’oni faka-Folofola, ko kinautolu ‘oku nau ma’u ‘a e maamaa, ‘oku ‘ikai ngata pe ‘i he’enau ma’u ‘a e ngaahi tali ‘oku tonu, ka ‘oku nau fai ‘a e fehu’i lelei ke ma’u mei ai ‘a e ngaahi tali ‘oku tonu.

The Bible is not just a book with life-changing answers; it is also a record of profound questions. In the garden of Eden, when God asks Adam, "Where are you?" we are confronted with the fact that something is terribly wrong and that the world will never be the same again (Gen. 3:9). Divine image bearers, Adam and Eve, are now hiding from their Creator; shalom has been shattered. Later Abraham asks a thunderously important question, appealing for God's mercy: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Gen. 18:25). How about the practicality of this question: "How can a young man keep his way pure?" (Ps. 119:9)? Paul's question in Romans 6:1-"Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?"-exposes and addresses a significant misunderstanding of the gospel. The questions of the Bible are recorded to expose our hearts, enlighten our minds, guard and protect us, deepen our faith, stimulate a sense of spiritual need and hunger, and move us to love God more fully and deeply.

Near the end of King David's life, this poet and musician composes a lengthy and gloriously celebratory song of deliverance. In this song he celebrates the faithfulness of God's protection. Humbly, David makes it known that his enemies were defeated not because of his independent military prowess and power, but by the almighty presence and power of God. This song is not that of a conquering general, pumping out his chest and saying, "Look what I have done." No, it is a hymn of praise from start to finish. We would do well to stop occasionally and write our own songs of thanksgiving.

In the song David asks the best, most important questions ever. How you answer these questions will determine where your heart goes and how you will then live your life: 

Who is God, but the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God? (2 Sam. 22:32)

For David, these are rhetorical questions. His life is a narrative of the unparalleled majesty and splendor of his God. There is no one like the Lord. No one is righteous like the Lord. No one has power like the Lord. No one is faithful like the Lord. He alone is a rock of surety upon which life and hope can stand. "Who is God, except our God?" The resounding answer is, "No one." 

As you encounter this particular question, you must understand that many are battling for the rule of your heart. Many lords want to be the lord of your life. The pool of God-replacements is as deep as our wandering hearts and as wide as the creation around us. False gods whisper lies in our ears every day. David's rhetorical questions speak to the heart of the great spiritual war: "Who will be your God?" May God's grace enable us to give the right answer to this most important question of all.

 FALAITE ‘EPELELI 10, 2026

2 SAMIUELA 19-21; ‘AISEA 25:6-9

There will be a day when God will dry the last tear from our eyes, and we will never weep again.

‘E ‘i ai ha ‘aho ‘e holoholo’i ai ‘e he ‘Otua ‘a e lo’imata faka’osi mei hotau ngaahi fofonga, pea ‘e ‘ikai te tau toe tangi.

When I got the call, the life almost went out of me, and it wasn't even concerning my own daughter. The girl's mom called and told me that, after calling and searching all over the house for her daughter, she had found her in their basement. She was dead, with her suicide note lying next to her. The depth of grief in this mother's voice, interrupted by haunting wails, would suck the life out of any caring human being. I knew I had to go to her, but I dreaded entering that house. I felt emotionally and spiritually empty. All of the things I rehearsed in my heart to say when I arrived seemed woefully inadequate or inappropriate.

The theological things I knew that spoke to this horrible moment seemed distant, sterile, impersonal. When I entered the house, I could physically feel the grief. It was as though a horrible, heart-crushing cloud had filled that home. It made it hard to think and hard to breathe. The family cried and I cried. I held on to them in the silent awe of loss. I left them that night emotionally spent, but I knew they would never leave, never escape, never forget. Yesterday she was in the kitchen doing homework; today she was in the basement lifeless, a horror too powerful to grasp.

Absalom had been David's little boy. David had held him close to his heart as an infant. He had played with him as a toddler. He had watched his personality and gifts develop. He had experienced Absalom's searching mind and developing leadership gifts. David had enjoyed many loving, nurturing, wisdom-giving, discipling, fun-filled, and proud dad moments with his son. Nothing could have prepared David for what Absalom would do and the horrible way Absalom would die. David was overcome, controlled, and imprisoned by his grief (2 Sam. 18). It is right to feel and to cry out in grief, but it is dangerous to be ruled by it. So God raised up Joab to confront David, calling the king to return to the work God had anointed him to do.

Joab's words in 2 Samuel 19 may seem harsh and unloving, but grief is both appropriate and potentially destructive. It must never control our hearts, become our identity, or shape our future hope. Now, I am talking not about denying powerful and appropriate emotions, but about remembering who we are and what we have been given as children of God. 

In horrible moments of tragedy and loss, we have four things from the Lord. We have his presence. He is with us and for us in our grief. We have his power. He blesses us with the same power by which Jesus was raised from the dead. We have his promises. These represent the present and future help that he has guaranteed each of his children. We have his commands. Scripture tells us how to live, no matter what we are facing. God meets us in the worst, most unthinkable moments with the grace of his presence, power, promises, and commands, and through them he gives us just what we need in our deepest times of need. What love!

 TU’APULELULU ‘EPELELI 9, 20226

2 SAMIUELA 16-18; SAAME 44:1-26

The Bible does not present a sanitized world, but is graphically honest about the pains, losses, and griefs of life in a fallen world.

‘Oku ‘ikai ke ‘omi ‘e he Folofolaa ha ‘ata ma’a pe ‘o e mamani ko eni, ka ‘oku tala mo’oni mai ‘a e faingata’a, mole mo e mamahi ‘i he mamani fonu angahala.

Scripture portrays a world that we find familiar. It's a broken world, not always functioning as the Creator intended. It's populated by less than perfect people. All the sad, disappointing dramas that we face are found in the pages of our Bibles. The Bible reminds us that God understands what we face and hears our cries, just like he heard the cries of the characters in his word who cried out in their weakness, fear, disappointment, pain, loss, and grief. The presence, power, promises, and grace of God that we read about in Scripture are all the more comforting to us because they occur in a world that is like ours, with the high mountains and deep, dark valleys that every human travels. As the blood and dirt of this fallen world splash across the pages of Scripture, the glories of God's kingdom of love and grace shine even more brightly and beautifully.

Your Bible contains stories of war, political intrigue, family betrayal, famine, religious persecution, suicide, injustice - the list goes on. This lets you know two things. First, God fully understands the broken world that is your address. Your world is accurately painted on the canvas of Scripture. Second, God's grace addresses all of the brokenness both inside and outside of you. Someday this broken world will be made completely new, free from all the sad things that you find in your Bible and in your own life.

One of the saddest stories in all of Scripture is the story of King David and his seditious son, Absalom. Absalom is obsessed with his father's power and begins to conspire to take his father's throne, the throne David had received by the anointing of God. In a monarchy, if someone is going to take the throne, the sitting king must die. David is forced to leave the throne and hide out in caves from the murderous intent of his own son. As you read this story, you know that there is no way it is going to have a good ending. Eventually, it is reported to David that Absalom has been killed, but there is no joy in David's heart. Hear the words of this distraught and grieving father: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"  (2 Sam. 18:33).

It's heart-wrenching to read. The account of Absalom and David is in your Bible to tell you not simply that God will preserve the line of David out of which the Messiah will come, but also that God understands and hears our deepest cries of grief and dismay. David's cry represents the cries of thousands and thousands of grieving fathers and mothers, cries that do not go unheard by our tenderhearted and compassionate Lord.

 PULELULU ‘EPELELI 8, 2026

2 SAMIUELA 12-15; FILIPAI 2:12-18

God's gift of forgiveness is not a guarantee of the removal of sin's consequences.

Ko e me’a’ofa ‘o e fakamolemole ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku ‘ikai te ne kaniseli ai pe ‘a e nunu’a ‘o e angahala na’e fakamolemole’i.

The Bible is full of reminders that the one who sits on the throne of the universe is a God of glorious grace. It shows us God's grace in story form, in poetic utterances, and in doctrinal explanations. Grace is a central theme in every part of the biblical revelation. But the Bible never presents God's grace in a way that would cause us to be less than serious about sin. You can't read your Bible and walk away saying, "Because God is a God of grace, it doesn't make any difference how I live, because, no matter what I do, I will be forgiven." The Bible never presents God's grace in a way that would make you feel free to go out and do what is wrong in God's eyes. Grace is not God's being permissive. God's grace always takes sin seriously. If sin were okay, there would be no need for grace. The cross of Jesus Christ stands as a monument to the fact that sin has penalties because God takes sin seriously.

One of the ways that the Bible protects us from misunderstanding the grace of God is by reminding us of the consequences of sin. Because God loves us, because he is jealous for our love, and because he is always seeking to draw us near, he has ordained many biblical stories that portray the consequences of sin. But Scripture does even more. It makes it clear that the grace of God's forgiveness doesn't always mean the removal of the consequences of sin. God is ready, willing, and able to forgive us, but often, for our spiritual good and his glory, the consequences remain. In this way, God welcomes us to run to him for the forgiveness that he is ready to offer while also cautioning us to be serious about the destructive nature of sin.

Grace and consequences do not work in opposition, but are meant, together, to draw us into a life of deeper gratitude and greater surrender to God. We see the operation of grace and the consequences of sin in the life of David after he commits adultery and murder. The prophet Nathan confronts David after his sin, and King David repents. Note how forgiveness and consequences come together in Nathan's final words to David: "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die. Then Nathan went to his house" (2 Sam. 12:13-15). Forgiveness and consequences in the same statement. God's message is obvious: grace is glorious, sin is serious, and we need to hear both notes loudly and clearly. May we never celebrate grace while our actions scorn the Lord. And may our celebration of grace be even more exuberant because we grasp, with seriousness, the utter destructiveness of sin.

 TUSITE ‘EPELELI 7, 2026

2 SAMIUELA 8-11; SIONE 5:37-41

Besides Jesus, no human hero is the Messiah; no human hero is divine; no human hero is perfect; and no human hero has unlimited power. So, besides Jesus, no human hero is worthy of your worship.

Tukukehe pe ‘a Sisu, ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ko ha Misaia; ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e ‘Otua; ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e haohaoa; pea ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e ma’u ivi ta’e fakangatangata. Ko ia ai, tukukehe pe ‘a Sisu, ‘oku ‘ikai ha helo tangata ‘e taau ke fai ki ai ha hu. 

When you read your Bible, it's important to know what you're reading. Although the Bible is full of doctrine, it is not first a tome on systematic theology. Your Bible is loaded with divine wisdom, but it is not merely a book of wisdom for everyday life. The Bible has many great and interesting stories, but it is not simply a collection of stories with morals for your daily life. The Bible is not solely a compilation of lives of great heroes for your admiration or imitation. The Bible is a story, God's story. It is his biography; he is the hero of every story, and he is always on center stage. Every part of the Bible is meant to reveal God to us, that is, his attributes, his character, his plan, and his redeeming grace. The Bible should cause us to fall on our knees in humble confession and willing submission before the great Creator, Sovereign, Savior King whose glory splashes across its pages.

The Bible confronts our tendency toward hero worship by reminding us of two things. First, the Bible reminds us of the one who is behind every form of human success. The credit for the amazing heroic feats the Bible records always goes to the Lord. Second, the Bible reminds us that every human hero is flawed in some way - except Jesus. David's story is a clear example of both of these facts. His feats of strength, courage, and battle are many and amazing. But David is not actually the hero of David's story; God is. Second Samuel 8 records a list of some of David's many conquests, but note the summary of David's heroics in 2 Samuel 8:14: "And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went." None of these victories is independently David's. None of them are solely the result of his wisdom, strength, or military prowess. David is victorious because the Lord fights for him. Credit for the defeat of every enemy he faces belongs to the Lord.

But something else is revealed in David's story. Like every other human here, except one, David is a sinner, capable of succumbing to temptation and disobeying the clear commands of the Lord. How sad it is to read about David's lust for Bathsheba, his taking her for his own, his murder of her husband, and then his claiming her for his wife. This is the same conquering hero. It is hard to imagine. We find another summary statement about David in 2 Samuel 11:27, this one the polar opposite of the first: "But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD." Great victory and tragic failure in the same man. The story is told this way to remind us that only one great hero is worthy of our worship: the God whose glory is revealed in every biblical story. May we worship him and him alone.

 MONITE ‘EPELELI 6, 2026

2 SAMIUELA ; SELEMAIA 7:1-15

Minimizing, ignoring, or doubting the perfect holiness of the Lord will never produce anything good in you or through you.

Ko hono fakasi’isi’i, fakasikaka’i, mo hono fehu’ia ‘a e ma’oni’oni haohaoa ‘o e ‘Otua, ‘e ‘ikai te ne fakatupu pe fou ha lelei ‘iate koe.

We don't have the vocabulary or categories to describe adequately the infinitely perfect holiness of our Lord. Nothing and no one is perfectly pure all of the time and in every way. The Hebrew word for holy means "other," set apart from everything else. In the complete holiness of his holiness, God is the great eternal other. There has never been and never will be anyone like him. His holiness is not a part of him; it is his essence. He is holiness through and through. He is holy in love, holy in wisdom, holy in power, holy in faithfulness, holy in anger, holy in grace, holy in patience, holy in judgment, holy in mercy, and so on. In all that he is, all of the time, he is perfectly holy. In this way he is unlike us. Here's why this is so important. Only when you understand the utter holiness of the Lord will you understand the horrible sinfulness of sin. Only in light of the holiness of God will you take his holy law seriously. Only when you understand the holiness of  the Lord will you be blown away by the generosity of his gift of redeeming grace. Easy-believism and moral boundary-breaking begins with forgetting the shocking holiness of God.

I am convinced that this is why God, in protective love, has preserved for us shocking reminders of his uncompromising holiness. These stories are hard for us to read. As sinners, we are tempted to think that God is overreacting or that his anger has too much control over him. It is important to humbly admit that when we wince at accounts of God's acting in holy anger, we do so because we wish God were just a little bit more flexible, a little more like us, and maybe not so holy all the time and in every way. His otherness makes us uncomfortable--and it should, because confessing how unlike him we are is the doorway to seeking his grace.

One of these uncomfortable holiness stories is found in 2 Samuel 6. The ark of the covenant, over which God's presence rested, was being transported on a cart (6:1-11). This was a violation of God's law concerning transportation of the ark, a visible representation of God's presence. God had commanded that priests carry it with wooden poles. The cart began to tip, so Uzzah, walking beside the ark, reached out to steady it, touched the ark, and was immediately struck dead. Our holy God is serious about his law and will not compromise his holy standards. This is why the cross was necessary. God would not turn his back on our sin; a penalty had to be paid. Rather than making us question the goodness of God, the death of Uzzah should cause us to celebrate the grace of Jesus that allows sinners to stand in the presence of a perfectly holy God.