ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Monite 11 Sanuali 2021 

the Lord came down to see the city...

Pea hā‘ele hifo ‘a Sihova ke ‘afio‘i ‘a e kolo 

Senesi 11 (Genesis 11)

(v. 5) But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

(v. 5) Pea hā‘ele hifo ‘a Sihova ke ‘afio‘i ‘a e kolo mo e taua na‘e langa ‘e he ha‘a ‘Ātama.

*Commentary: The Reformation Bible*

the LORD came down to see. Divine investigation prior to judgment is

frequently depicted in Genesis (3:11-13; 4:9, 10; 18:21). Rather than conflict with the doctrine of divine omniscience, this anthropomorphic description of God's activity serves to emphasize that divine judgment is always according to truth. The Mesopotamian ziggurat towers were built as descending stairways for the gods to travel. But God comes down in judgment on this tower of human pride.

hā‘ele hifo ‘a Sihova ke ‘afio‘i. ‘Oku ‘ikai ke fepakipaki ‘a e tokāteline ‘ominiseni faka-‘Otua´ (tokaimaʻananga) pea mo e fakamatala faka-‘anitolopomofika ko ‘eni (ko e ‘ai ki he ‘Otua´ ‘a e ngaahi fakamatala ‘o e anga fakaetangata) – ko hono fakamatalaʻi ‘o e  ngaue ‘a e ‘Otua´ ‘oku ne huluʻi mai kiate kitautolu, ko ‘Ene fakamaau´ ‘oku fakahoko maʻu pe ia ‘o fakatatau ki he moʻoni´. Ko e taua ‘a e kau Mesopotemia´ naʻe ‘iloa ko e Siukulate´, ko ha ngaahi sitepu fakaholoholo ke fefonongaʻaki ai ‘a honau ngaahi ‘otua´. Ka ko e ‘Otua´ eni ia ‘oku hifo mo ‘ene tautea fakamaau´ ki he taua ‘o e ‘afungi ko eni´.

* study on the Attributes of God / ako ki he natula (ngaahi ‘ulungaanga) ‘o e ‘Otua *

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, ‘OKU . . )

Knowing God

One further aspect of this study on the doctrine of God that I hope will distinguish it from others is its specific focus on Christ. Apart from Christ, the attributes of God remain meaningless to us. In Christ alone can we understand the true and living God, for Christ makes God's attributes beautiful and accessible to us as he rescues us from spiritual darkness and terror of God. Any so-called supernatural revelation of God apart from Christ is a lie, and any study of God's attributes is true only when it comes with a connection to his Son (Col. 1:16). We live and learn as Christians fixing our eyes on Jesus not just when we struggle with sin and temptation but also when we approach God in the Scriptures. To that end, no chapter on an attribute of God will omit reference to Christ, from whom alone comes an adequate understanding of such attributes.

Ko e taha ‘o e konga mahuʻinga ‘o e ako ‘oku tau fai ki he tokāteline ‘o e ‘Otua´, ‘o makehe ange mei he toenga´, ko e hono tataki kitautolu ke tau fakamaʻunga kia Kalaisi´. Ka ‘ikai ‘a Kalaisi, ‘e hoko pe ngaahi ‘ulungaanga mo e natula ‘o e ‘Otua´ ko ha meʻa noa kiate kitautolu. ‘Oku fou ‘ia Kalaisi tokotaha pe ‘a ‘etau mahinoʻi ‘a e ‘Otua moʻoni mo moʻui´, he ‘oku ‘omi ‘e Kalaisi ‘a e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ‘o e ‘Otua´ ke hā fakaʻofoʻofa kiate kitautolu pea ke tau ‘atā ki ai, ‘i he taimi tatau, ‘oku ne fakahaofi kitautolu mei he fakapoʻuli fakalaumalie´ pea mo e houhau ‘a e ‘Otua´. Ka taku ‘oku ‘i ai ha levelēsio fakatuʻanatula ‘o e ‘Otua´ ‘oku ‘ataʻatā meia Kalaisi, pea tā ko e koto loi. Pea ‘oku toki moʻoni ha ako ki he ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ‘o e ‘Otua´, ka fakahoko ke fenāpasi mo Hono ‘Alo´ (Kolose 1:16). ‘Oku tau ako mo fonongaʻi ‘a e moʻui kalisitiane´ ‘i heʻetau fakamamaʻu hotau mata´ kia Sisuu´, ‘o ‘ikai ‘i he taimi pe ‘oku tau fekuki ai mo e angahala´ mo e ‘ahiʻahi´, ka ‘i he taimi ‘oku tau fotu ai ki he ‘Otua´ fou ‘i he Folofola´. Pea ‘i heʻene pehee´, ko e vahe kotoa pe ‘i heʻetau ako ki he ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ‘o e ‘Otua´, kuopau ke ‘i ai ‘ene lave kia Kalaisi, he ko ia tokotaha pe ‘oku tau maʻu ai ‘a e mahino feʻunga fekauʻaki mo e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ko ia´.