ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Sapate Fepueli 21, 2021

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge

Ko e manavahē kia Sihova´ ko e kamataʻanga ia ʻo e ʻilo´ 

Palovepi 1 (Proverbs 1)

(v. 7-8) 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. The Enticement of Sinners 8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

(v. 7-8) 7 Ko e ‘apasia kia Sihova ko e ‘uluaki me‘a ia ‘i he ‘ilo: Ko e poto mo e ako, ko e vale pē ‘oku ta‘etoka‘i ia. 8 Tama, fanongo ki he akonaki ‘a ho‘o tamai, Pea ‘oua ‘e hiki mei he ngaahi tala ‘a ho‘o fa‘ē.

(v. 7) Paasi ‘a Uesi

Ko e manavahē kia Sihova ko e kamataʻanga ia ʻo e ʻilo: ka ʻoku fehiʻa ʻa e vale ki he poto mo e akonaki.

*Commentary: David Guzik Study notes on Genesis*

God should be regarded with respect, reverence, and awe. This proper attitude of the creature toward the Creator is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom cannot advance further until this starting point is established.

“What the alphabet is to reading, notes to reading music, and numerals to mathematics, the fear of the Lord is to attaining the revealed knowledge of this book.” (Waltke)

The beginning of knowledge: Solomon probably meant knowledge here mostly in the sense of wisdom. The idea that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is also found at Job 28:28, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10, and Ecclesiastes 12:13.

i. Beginning has the sense of “the first and controlling principle, rather than a stage which one leaves behind; cf. Eccl. 12:13.” (Kidner)

ii. “The fundamental fact, then, is that in all knowledge, all understanding of life, all interpretation thereof, the fear of Jehovah is the principal thing, the chief part, the central light, apart from which the mind of man gropes in darkness, and misses the way.” (Morgan)

iii. “The fall of man was a choosing of what bid fair ‘to make one wise’ (Gen. 3:6) but flouted the first principle of wisdom, the fear of the Lord.” (Kidner)

*Tohi Vete: Ngaahi lesoni ako ‘a Tevita Kuisaki ‘i he Tohi Senesi*

‘Oku taau ke tau fakaʻapaʻapaʻi ‘a e ‘Otua´ mo fakalangilangiʻi ‘i he loto ‘apasia moʻoni. Ko e loto totonu eni ke maʻu ‘e he meʻa fakatupu´ ki he Tokotaha Fakatupu´, pea ko e kamataʻanga pe ia ‘o ‘ene ‘ilo´ mo ‘ene poto´.

Ko e mahuʻinga ‘o e ‘alafapeti´ ki he laukonga´, pea mo e nota´ ki he musika´, pea mo e ngaahi mataʻi fika´ ki he fai fika´, ‘oku pehē ‘a e mahuʻinga ‘o e manavahē kia Sihova´ ki heʻetau maʻu ‘a e ‘ilo ki heʻene Folofola´.

Ko e kamataʻanga ‘o e ‘ilo: ko e ‘ilo ko eni ‘oku lau ki ai ‘a Solomone´, ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ki he poto´. Ko e fakakaukau ‘o e manavahē kia Sihova ko e kamataʻanga ia ‘o e poto´, ‘oku hā ‘ia Siope 28:28, Saame 111:10, Palovepi 9:10 mo Koheleti 12:13.

Ko e kamataʻanga´, ko e “ʻuluaki mo e lao pule, ‘o ‘ikai ko ha tuʻunga fika te te fakalaka ai” (Koheleti 12:13).

Ko e makatuʻunga leva eni ‘o e moʻoni´, ‘i he kotoa ‘o e ‘ilo´, mo hono mahinoʻi ‘o e ngaahi meʻa ‘i he moʻui´, pea mo hono sivi ‘o e ngaahi ke ʻilo´, ko e manavahē (‘apasia) kia Sihova´ ‘a e lao taupotu´, ‘a e konga mahuʻinga taha´, ‘a e uho ‘o e maama´, pea ka ‘ikai ia, ‘oku taufā pe ‘a e ‘atamai ‘o e tangata´ ‘i he fakapoʻuli´ pea ‘oku ne hē mei he hala totonu´.

Ko e hinga ‘a e tangata´, ko ‘ene fili ‘a e meʻa “ke ne poto ai´” (Senesi 3:6) ka ne liʻaki ‘e ia ‘a e ‘uluaki lao ‘o e ‘ilo´, ko e manavahē ki he ‘Otua´. 

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, ‘OKU . . )

2        GOD IS SIMPLE

            Doctrine

The simplicity of God helps us to fully appreciate, as we should, the glorious promise found in Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Because God is goodness, he can make this promise. But his goodness is also his power, so that he is powerfully good. Yet he is also wise, so he is powerfully good and powerfully wise. Add to this that God is unchangeably powerful and wise and good. Or, his power is his goodness is his wisdom is his unchangeability. We can therefore trust that all things are working together for our good because our God is wisdom, power, goodness, and immutability. All he does for us necessarily involves all these attributes.

2        KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU LAULOTAHA

            Tokāteline

Ko e tuʻunga laulōtaha ‘o e ‘Otua´ ‘oku tokoni ke toe mahuʻinga’ia mālie ange kiate kitautolu ‘a e palomesi fakatalutalu ‘oku tau maʻu ‘ia Loma 8:28: “Kae‘uma‘ā ‘oku tau ‘ilo, ‘ilonga ‘a e kakai ‘oku ‘ofa ki he ‘Otua, ‘oku fengāue‘aki ‘a e me‘a kotoa pē ma‘anau lelei; he ko e kakai kinautolu kuo ului ‘o fakatatau ki he‘ene tu‘utu‘uni.” Koeʻuhi´, ko e ‘Otua´ ko lelei, ‘oku malava ke ne fai ‘a e palomesi ko eni´. Ka ko ‘ene lelei´ foki ‘a hono malohi´, pea ko e malohi ko ia´ ‘oku lelei. Ka ‘oku toe poto foki, pea ko ia ai, ‘oku malohi ‘ene lelei´ pea toe malohi ‘ene poto´.  Pe, ko ‘etau pehē, ko hono malohi´ ‘a ‘ene lelei´, ‘a ‘ene poto´, mo ‘ene taʻeliliu´. Ko ia ai, ‘oku tau falala, ko e meʻa kotoa pe ‘oku fengaueʻaki maʻa ʻetau lelei, koeʻuhi´ ko hotau ‘Otua´ ko poto, malohi, lelei mo taʻeliliu. Ko e meʻa kotoa ‘oku fai maʻa kitautolu, kuopau ke kau kotoa ki ai ‘a hono ngaahi ‘ulungaanga´.

*Lesoni mei he Taukapo´ 

Siope 40:15 – 24; 26:14; Sa 104:14  

Siope 40:15     “Vakai muʻa ‘a Piimoti, ‘A ia kuo u nagohi ke feʻoa mo koe; ‘Oku ne kai mohuku ‘o hangë ha pulu”.

Ko e ivi ‘o e ‘Otua´ naʻe fakahaaʻi ‘i he Pimoti, ko e faʻahinga manu eni, lalahi hange ko e ‘elefanite pe ko e hipo.  He ko e ‘Otua´ naʻa Ne fakamoʻoniʻi ‘a Hono ivi ‘Oʻona, ‘o Ne fakamatalaʻi Hono ivi´, ‘o fakatätä ‘aki ha ongo monumanu ‘e ua ko eniʻ, pea ‘oku mamaʻo atu hona ivi ‘o kinaua mei he ivi fakaetangata.  Pea ko e monumanu lalahi ko ‘eni kuo ‘omi kiate kitautolu ‘o ‘uhinga ke fakavaivaiʻi kitautolu, ‘i he fuʻu ‘Otua lahi Kafakafa, koeʻuhi´ he naʻa Ne ngaohi ‘a e monumanu lahi ko ‘eni he ‘oku fakalilifu mo fakaofo ‘a hono ngaohi ka ‘oku na maʻu meʻatokoni pe mei he mohuku, pea ‘oku ‘ikai hano tatau ‘a e malohi ‘o e uouaʻ mo e ivi lahi, ka ko e fuʻu mafi ia ‘o e ‘Otua. ‘Oku ‘ikai fiemaʻu ke tau tö mamaʻo ‘i he fakamoʻoni mo hono fakahaaʻi ‘o e ivi Mafimafi ‘o e ‘Otua´ mo ‘Ene pule fakaleveleva, he ‘oku nau ofi pea ‘oku nau ‘iate kitautolu ‘i he feituʻu kotoa pë ‘oku tau ‘i ai.  He naʻe ngaohi ‘e he ‘Otua ‘a e monumanu´ ‘o Ne fakanaunau ia ‘aki ‘a e meʻatau.  Pea hangë pë ko e tangata ko e ‘eiki naʻe oange ki ai ‘e he ‘Otua hono ‘uhinga mo e feituʻu ke teuteuʻi ai ‘a e kotoa ‘uhinga fakalao, maʻa hono tauhi mo hono maluʻi.  He kuo ngaohi ‘e he ‘Otua ‘a e tangata ko ha meʻa moʻui foʻou ‘o ‘oange kiate ia ha heletä, ke maluʻi mo tauhi ‘aki ia ‘i heʻene moʻui fakalaumälie.  Ko e tangata lotu kotoa pë ‘oku ‘i ai ‘ene meʻatau fakalaumälie ko e teunga tau ‘o e ‘Otua, koeʻuhi´ ko hono maluʻi mo fakafepakiʻi ‘a e tevolo ko hono fili fakalaumälie.  Ko e ‘apositolo ‘ia ‘Efeso 6:13,14 ‘oku ne fakahaaʻi mai aʻe mahutafea mei he ‘Otua ke tauhi ‘aki ‘a e tangata ‘i hono tuʻunga fakalaumälie.