ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Tokonaki Fepueli 20, 2021

Kiss the Son

‘Uma ki he ‘Alo

Saame 1-3 (Psalm 1-3)

(2:12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

(2:12) ‘Uma ki he ‘Alo na‘a ne ‘ita, Pea mou ‘auha ‘i he hala: He ko e kemo kuo kohu hake ‘ene ‘ita. Ha monū‘ia ka ko e kakai kuo hūfanga kiate ia!

*Commentary: Christ in the Psalms – George Harpur 1862*

To kiss the Son is to pay Him our homage; and so the kings and judges of the earth are here called on to bow themselves before Him as their King. To ''kiss the Son” in the language of the Psalm is to “take his yoke upon us” in that of the Gospel; and the meaning of both phrases is, to "do whatsoever he commands us.” The very beginning and foundation of all true discipleship is to regard Christ's laws as binding on us, and to set ourselves heart and soul to obey them. Recollect we must kiss the Son if we would be saved by the Son. Christ is our King, and therefore if we, as His subjects, do not obey His laws, we must be punished as law- breakers and evil-doers. Many people have great delight in contemplating Christ as a priest to intercede for them, while they find no pleasure in regarding Him as a king to rule over them. But recollect that Christ's offices of Priest and King are inseparable. You cannot be partakers of the sacrifice that Christ has made as a priest, and not subject yourselves to the laws He administers as a king.

*Tohi Vete: Ko Kalaisi ‘i he Tohi Saame – Siaosi Hapa 1862*

Ko e ‘uma ki he ‘Alo´, ko e fakaʻapaʻapa kiate Ia; pea ko ia, ‘oku talaki ki he haʻa tuʻi mo e fakamaau kotoa ‘o mamani´ ke nau omi ‘o punou kiate Ia ko honau Tuʻi. Ko e “ ʻuma ki he ‘Alo´ ” ‘i he hiki lea ‘a e Tohi Saame´, ‘oku hangē ia ko e “ ‘ai ‘eku ‘ioke´” ‘i he Koosipeli´; pea ‘oku ʻuhinga tatau – “talangofua ki heʻene ngaahi tuʻutuʻni´.”  Ko e kamataʻanga´ mo e makatuʻunga ‘o e tisaipale moʻoni´, ko ‘ete tali ke fai tuʻutuʻuni ‘a e lao ‘a Kalaisi´ kiate kitautolu, pea ‘oku tukupā hotau loto mo e ‘atamai ke talangofua kakato ki ai. Manatu, kuopau ke tau ‘uma ki he ‘Alo´, kapau ‘oku fai ‘e he ’Alo´ hotau fakamoʻui´. Ko Kalaisi hotau Tuʻi´, pea kapau ‘e ‘ikai talangofua ‘a hono kakai´ ki heʻene ngaahi lao´, kuopau ke tauteaʻi kitautolu ko e kau maumau lao mo e kau ngaue kovi. ‘Oku tokolahi ‘a e kakai ‘oku nau loto ke hoko ‘a Kalaisi ko honau tauʻeiki ke ne fai honau hūfaki, ka ‘oku ‘ikai te nau loto ke ne hoko ko honau tuʻi ke ne puleʻi kinautolu. Kae fakatokangaʻi ange, ko e lakanga Taulaʻeiki mo e Tuʻi ‘o Kalaisi´ ‘oku ‘ikai lava ke vaetuʻua. ‘Oku taʻemalava ke ke ‘inasi ‘i he fai feilaulau ‘a Kalaisi ‘i hono tuʻunga Taulaʻeiki´ pea ke taʻetali ‘a e ngaahi lao kuo ne tuku mai ‘i hono lakanga Tuʻi´.  

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, ‘OKU . . )

2        GOD IS SIMPLE

            Doctrine

Why is this important? The simplicity of God helps us to understand that perfect consistency exists in God's attributes. Mutability is absolutely inconsistent with simplicity, for God would not be God if he could be changed in any way. Stephen Charnock argues, "Where there is the greatest simplicity, there is the greatest unity; and where there is the greatest unity, there is the greatest power." It is therefore incorrect to argue that God is the sum of all the divine attributes. Rather, the attributes are identical with the essence of God. Divine simplicity is absolutely essential for understanding the other divine attributes; indeed, they all depend on this concept.

2        KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU LAULOTAHA

            Tokāteline

Ko e hā ‘oku mahuʻinga ai ‘a e fakakaukau ko eni´? Ko e tuʻunga laulōtaha ‘o e ‘Otua´ ‘oku tokoni ke ne fakahaaʻi ‘oku haohaoa pea ‘oku ‘ikai ha fetōʻaki ‘i he ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ‘o e ‘Otua´. Ko e feliuliuaki´ ‘oku ‘ikai ke tō tonu ia mo e tuʻunga laulōtaha´, he ‘e ‘ikai kei ‘Otua ‘a e ‘Otua´ ia ‘okapau ‘e malava ke liliu ‘i ha tapa pe. ‘Oku taukaveʻi ‘e Sitiveni Sainoke, “Ko e tuʻunga ‘oku hā lahi taha ai ‘a e laulōtaha´, ‘oku hā lahi taha foki ai ‘a e taha´;  pea tuʻunga ‘oku hā lahi taha ai ‘a e taha´, ‘oku hā lahi taha foki ai ‘a e ivi´.”  Pea ‘i heʻene pehēe´, ‘oku hala kapau te tau pehē, ko e ‘Otua´ ko e ola ia ‘o hono tānaki katoa ‘o e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga faka-‘Otua´. Ka, ‘e tonu ange ‘etau pehē, ko e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga´ ‘oku tatau pe ia mo e uho ‘o e ‘Otua´. Ko e laulōtaha faka-‘Otua´, ‘oku fuʻu mahuʻinga ‘aupito ia ki hono mahinoʻi ‘o e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga faka-‘Otua´. ‘Io, ‘oku nau fakafalala kotoa ki he moʻoni ko eni´.