TU’APULELULU ‘EPELELI 30, 20226

1 KALONIKALI 5-9; SELEMAIA 31:16-20

We should be thankful that woven into the gospel is the promise of fresh starts and new beginnings.

‘Oku taau ke tau fakafeta’i ‘i hono fatu ‘i he koosipeli ‘a e palomesi ‘o e faingamalie mo e kamata fo’ou.

One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture is Jonah 3:1: "Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time...." God's patience and grace toward Jonah surprise me every time I read this book. In the face of God's call, Jonah ran in the other direction, not only to disobey God but to escape God's presence. I probably would have told Jonah that I was done with him, that I didn't need him because I had plenty of prophets to send in his place. But our God is a God of inexhaustible patience and grace. He pursued Jonah, rescued Jonah from himself, and then called him again to his mission to Nineveh. Jonah was granted a fresh start and a new beginning, even in the face of his rebellion, because God's grace is amazing. Once God has chosen you as his own, you

cannot outrun his grace.

The history of the children of Israel was a chronicle of commitment, followed by rebellion and idolatry, followed by repentance, with the cycle repeating-but each time with a deeper falling away and deeper evil, until the sins of Israel were as great as those of the surrounding pagan nations. Because God loved his children, he could not sit by and dispassionately watch their wanton idolatry and immorality. Just as a father who truly loves his children will discipline them because of that love, God moved to discipline his own. This discipline was not a final condemnation. God was not turning his back on his own. He was not forsaking his covenant. He was not turning from all his promises. God was not casting his children away from his presence.

God raised up Babylon not as a tool of his final judgment against Judah, but as a tool of his purifying discipline. The captivity in Babylon would not be the final chapter for Judah because God is a God of inexhaustible patience and grace. There would be more chapters, culminating in the coming of the Son of David, Jesus Christ-the Lion of the tribe Judah.

So the words of 1 Chronicles 9:1-2 are heartening:

All Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith. Now the first to dwell again in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. 

Judah was exiled because of their wholesale breach of faith, but it wasn't the end, because woven into God's grace is the promise of fresh starts and new beginnings. Judah returned to the promised land, led by those who would reestablish the centrality of the worship of God. Be thankful that, in spite of our sin, his grace offers us hope for a new day.

 PULELULU ‘EPELELI 29, 2026

1 KALONIKALI 1-4; FILIPAI 3.8-14

It's important to remember that our hope in life and death is not our zeal for God, but his zeal to keep every one of his redemptive promises.

‘Oku mahu’inga ke tau manatu’i, ko ‘etau ‘amanaki ki he mo’ui mo e mate ‘oku ‘ikai makatu’unga ‘i he’etau ngaue mateaki ma’ae ‘Otua, ka ‘i he mateaki’i kitautolu ‘e IA ke ne tauhi ‘a ‘Ene fo’i palomesi kotoa ‘o ‘Ene huhu’i kitautolu.

You should dedicate and discipline yourself to keep every one of God's commands. You should work to apply the wisdom of his word to every aspect of your life. You should be a student of his word. You should be committed to understanding the theology of Scripture and live that theology out in your daily life. You should use the resources God has entrusted to you to contribute to the work of his kingdom and to meet the needs of those he places in your path. You should be committed to sharing the gospel when God gives the opportunity. You should commit yourself to having a marriage and family life that are shaped by the comfort and call of the gospel. You should build a robust devotional life of worship and study. You should be committed to counting your blessings every day and resist numbering your complaints. You should live with gratitude, even when facing trials. You should do all of these things with joy. But it is vital that you also remember that your zeal and discipline for God are not the rock of your spiritual hope.

We must constantly remember that true, unshakable hope is only ever found in God's zeal for his own glory and the plan of redemption he set in place before the foundations of the world were laid. If you faithfully do all of the things above, which God clearly calls you to do, you do so only because you have been rescued and empowered by God's grace. It's true that not only is he faithful, but we can be faithful only because he has been faithful first. All of our desires to love, serve, and worship him are the fruit of his grace. We must always resist taking credit for things that are the fruit of his faithful grace. All human righteousness is the work of his convicting, rescuing, transforming, and empowering grace.

So, when you read the genealogies in 1 Chronicles, you should be impressed with something other than the long list of names. Your heart should go to the God behind the list. First Chronicles 1-4 takes us from Abraham and his descendants, to David and his descendants, and to Judah and his other descendants. These genealogies are a tribute not so much to human effort, commitment, wisdom, righteousness, or faithfulness, but to the perfect faithfulness of God to every covenant promise he had made. He called, empowered, guided, warned, and forgave. From the early promises to Abraham, to the redemption from Egypt, to the journey through the wilderness, to the entrance into the promised land, and to the establishment of a kingdom, God acted with power and grace on behalf of his people. This is why they exist. Romans 11:36 is the best summary of these genealogies: "From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."

 TUSITE ‘EPELELI 28, 2026

2 TU’I 23-25; TANGILAULAU 3:22-33 

No matter how bad and spiritually dark things may seem, don't ever stop praying for moral and spiritual revival.

Neongo pe ‘oku fe fe fau e fakapo’uli fakalaumalie ‘oku tau mamata ki ai, ‘oua e fo’i he lotu ki he fakaakeake mo e liliu fakalaumalie.

Just when you get to the point where you want to stop reading the Old Testament because it has become so dark and discouraging, out of the darkness rises young King Josiah. Rather than reading about more idolatry, infanticide, desecration of the house of the Lord, or consultations with fortune tellers and necromancers, you find real spiritual revival. In the darkness, a bright light shines through the moral commitments of a young and godly king. One of the first things this king does is to lead the children of Judah in a revival service. He leads the people in a covenant-renewing ceremony, in which they again vow their allegiance to the covenant of the Lord. Josiah then leads his people in a wholesale destruction of idol high places and idol practices. Out of utter spiritual darkness comes this moment of spiritual revival. God's law is observed and his covenant renewed. It had not seemed that this would be the next chapter for the people of Israel; and, yes, God would later raise up Babylon to purge his people and call them back to himself. But the beauty of this moment of revival should not be diminished.

A rallying cry for the Protestant Reformers was the Latin phrase post tenebras lux: "after darkness, light." Spiritual darkness had blanketed Europe, and the light and glory of the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ seemed like a tiny flickering flame. But out of the darkness God raised up Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other gospel lights. The flames of the gospel burned bright in Europe, spread throughout the world, and burn brightly still today.

Between the "already" and the "not yet," post tenebras lux is and has always been the hope of God's people. This hope is rooted in the goodness, holiness, power, promises, and grace of God. It is about holding on to the belief that God will not let his grace die, that he will not let his plan fade away, and that he will keep every one of the promises he has made.

The birth of Jesus was a monumental post tenebras lux moment. He came into this dark world as the light shining in darkness (John 1:5). Jesus is the eternal light, the eternal torch that nothing or no one could ever extinguish. He shines into the hearts of all who put their trust in him.

The world might seem dark to you today, but another post tenebras lux moment is coming, when the light will come for his own, ushering them into his final kingdom of light, life, peace, and righteousness forever. Darkness will not ultimately defeat the light, and so, with the same hope as the Reformers, we say post tenebras lux.

 MONITE ‘EPELELI 27, 2026

2 TU’I 20-22; SAAME 110:1-7

When you look at the moral, spiritual darkness around you, you might wonder, Will evil win in the end?

‘I he taimi ‘oku ke vakai ai ki he fakapo’uli faka-molale mo fakalaumalie ‘i ho ‘atakai, ‘oku ke fifili nai pe ‘e ikuna ‘a e kovi ‘i he ‘aho fakamui?

When you read the following passage, it should make you weep. And it might make you wonder, Is this the end? Can it get any worse for God's children than this?

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem will I put my name." And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them." But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. (2 Kings 21:1-9)

This is a hard passage to read. It seems as though righteousness has been soundly defeated and evil now reigns. Manasseh had led God's children into a level of evil that was worse than that of the surrounding pagan nations. He had turned the house of the Lord into a place of idolatry, burned his own son as an offering to a false god, sought the counsel of those who communicated with the dead, and refused to heed the warnings of the Lord. Could this be the end? Would evil finally have its way? The resounding answer of the biblical narrative is, "No!" Righteousness will triumph because there is a holy one who sits on the throne of the universe, and he will have his way in the end.

No matter how evil things get, the future of God's holy plan and his chosen people is not at stake. God will finally put the last enemy under his feet, and he will usher in peace and righteousness forever. In the darkness of the days we live in, do not panic. Our Lord is on his throne in power and glory, and he will win.

 SAPATE ‘EPELELI 26, 2026

2 TU’I 18-19; KOLOSE 2:8-10

Nothing is more sure, faithful, and hope-giving than the perfect goodness of the Lord.

‘Oku ‘ikai mo ha me’a ‘e toe pau ange, faitonunga ange, mohu ‘amanaki ange, ka ko e lelei haohaoa ‘a e ‘Otua.

Years ago I came across a brief epitaph, but it was perhaps the best summary of a life one could give. In fact, I would like these five little words to be said of me: "He was a good man." More than being successful, more than being powerful, more than being rich, more than acquiring public acclaim, I aspire to live a life that is good. To be good is to be morally pure, patient and faithful, loving and generous. It means you live a Godward life. But as much as I am encouraged by a person's life that can be characterized as good, there is no goodness like the goodness of the Lord. God's word records Israel's moral wandering, the chaos of their idolatry, and the works of evil king after evil king. But what jumps off the pages of Scripture is the stunning goodness of the Lord. He will not return evil for evil, and he will not forsake his covenant promises.

You can't read this history without concluding that hope is never found in human plans or power. Hope is never found in human strength or wisdom. Hope is never found in human spirituality or righteousness. Hope is never found in dabbling in the philosophy or religions of the world. Hope is only ever found in one place: the goodness of the Lord. That goodness shines in 2 Kings 18:1-8:

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

Just when you think things will only get darker for God's children, God raises up a righteous, faithful, and God-worshiping king - not because the people deserve it, but because God is that good. Because of Hezekiah, Israel experiences moral and spiritual renewal and renewed power against their enemies. When his children are faithless, God remains faithful. This was the hope of God's children of old, and it is our hope today.

 TOKONAKI ‘EPELELI 25, 2026

2 TU’I 15-17; SELEMAIA 7:30-34

It is dangerous to minimize or forget the horrible sinfulness of sin.

‘Oku fakatu’utamaki ‘etau fakasi’isi’i pe fakangalo’i ‘a e fulikivanu ‘a e angahala.

It is easy to minimize, deny, or forget the evil that still lives within us and will continue to live there until God's redeeming work is complete and we are with him forever. Yes, he has given his children means of grace, such as his Spirit, his word, and his church, but we still must not minimize the presence or power of remaining sin. Think about the following realities:

We are still capable of going to where lust leads us.

We can still let anger drive our actions, reactions, and responses.

We are still able to be consumed by bitterness or jealousy.

We not only fail regularly to love our neighbor, but we also give way to                 contempt.

We often love our own way more than God's way.

We often seem to love the world more than we love our Lord.

This list could go on and on. It is clear that our struggle with sin is not over, but something else is just as clear. Sin doesn't always seem sinful to us. Sometimes what God says is ugly looks beautiful to us. We tell ourselves that we can sin and everything will be all right in the end. But sin is a liar. It never keeps its promises, and it never produces good in us or through us. Sin whispers to us promises of life, but it leads only to death. Sin is more deeply sinful than we tend to think or imagine. So God has recorded shocking moments of history in his word; he wants us to be confronted with the horrible nature of sin. One such shocking moment is recorded in 2 Kings 16:1-4:

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, as his father David had done, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. 

When we read about these horrible idolatrous practices, including infanticide, we must remember that this passage is not describing some animistic, pagan nation. This is Judah, the tribe of David, out of which the Messiah will come. These are God's people, who have progressively, step by step, walked away from their Lord. They have walked so far away that they are now burning their children on altars to false gods!

This sickening passage screams to us of why the cross of Jesus Christ was necessary. Grace had to flip the script. A penalty for sin had to be paid, and sin had to be defeated. Today, remember the sinfulness of sin and celebrate the eternal victory of God's grace in Jesus.

 FALAITE ‘EPELELI 24, 2026

2 TU’I 12-14; 2 KOLINITO 5:18-21

Our hope in life and death is found not in our faithfulness, but in the perfect faithfulness of our Savior.

Ko ‘etau ‘amanaki ‘i he mo’ui mo e mate ‘oku ‘ikai makatu’unga ‘i he’etau ngaue tonunga, ka ‘i he ngaue tonunga haohaoa ‘a hotau Fakamo’ui.

It was not my finest moment, by any measure. I was impatient and irritated. We had made plans, and I was watching my plans evaporate as Luella was waylaid by a phone call from work. The call seemed to last an eternity, and the delay seemed personal, although it wasn't. I paced the floor, making sure she knew I was not happy that we weren't leaving. When she got off the phone, I was cold and distant. But by God's grace, conviction set in quickly. It was all very humbling. I confessed my impatience, and Luella graciously forgave me. As we drove away, the gospel exploded in my brain. This is why my hope is never in my obedience, my faithfulness, my wisdom, or my righteousness. This side of eternity, I will never have a perfect track record to lay before the throne of God. I am not an intentional rebel against God or a heretic. I do not mock his existence or flaunt my transgression of his law. But even though I am a child of God, I am not yet sin-free. The longer I walk with the Lord, the clearer it is to me that my hope is not in my faithfulness, but in the absolute perfection of the faithfulness of my Lord.

You could argue that one of the main themes of the Old Testament is divine covenant faithfulness cast in contrast to human unfaithfulness. The story of the people of God is one of sin, repentance, and temporary obedience, followed by apostasy once again--and the cycle repeats. You want to scream, "Is there anyone faithful in Israel?" The answer is, "Yes, the Lord of Israel, Jehovah alone." You see this unfaithfulness/faithfulness contrast in an important passage in 2 Kings 13: 

"Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now" (2 Kings 13:22-23).

In spite of Israel's rebellion and idolatry, God keeps the Syrians at bay. He does so not because the Israelites have earned his favor through a track record of covenant faithfulness. No, the opposite is true. If their relationship to God had been based on their performance of the law, then God would have abandoned them long ago. Instead, God had compassion on Israel and turned toward them because he is faithful and will fulfill his covenant promises.

So it is with us. Our standing before God is based not on our righteousness but on the perfect righteousness of Jesus. He perfectly measured up for us in every way, because he knew that we never would. Here in 2 Kings, during the dark days of Israel's rebellion, the gospel is preached to us once again. Our hope in life and death rests on our Savior's faithfulness, not our own.