ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Tu‘apulelulu Fepueli 25, 2021

“I am who I am.”

KO AU KO AU AI PĒ 

'Ekisoto 3 (Exodus 3)

(v. 13-14) 13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

(v. 13-14) 13 Pea tali ‘e Mōsese kia ‘Elohimi, Ko eni, ka u ka ‘alu ki ha‘a ‘Isileli, pea u lea kiate kinautolu ‘o pehē, Ko e ‘Otua ‘o ho‘omou ngaahi kui kuo ne fekau au kiate kimoutolu; pea te nau pehē mai kiate au, Ko hai hono huafa? Pea ko e hā ai ha‘aku lea ‘e fai kiate kinautolu? 14 Pea folofola ‘a e ‘Otua kia Mōsese, KO AU KO AU AI PĒ. Pea ne toe folofola, Ko eni ‘a e lea te ke fai ki ha‘a ‘Isileli, Ko KO-AU-AI PE kuo ne fekau au kiate kimoutolu.

*Commentary: David Guzik Study notes on Genesis*

Rightfully, Moses sensed he needed credentials before the people of Israel. Before, he thought he had the credentials because he was a prince of Egypt. 40 years of tending sheep took away his sense of self-reliance.

When God revealed Himself to man in the days of the patriarchs it was often associated with a newly revealed name or title for God.

· Abraham, in the encounter with Melchizedek called on God Most High (Genesis 14:22)

· Abraham later encountered Almighty God (Genesis 17:1)

· Abraham came to know the Lord as Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33), and The-Lord-Will-Provide (Genesis 22:14)

· Hagar encountered You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees (Genesis 16:13)

· Jacob met El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20) and El Bethel (Genesis 35:7).

Yahweh was not a new name, nor an unknown name – it appears more than 160 times in the book of Genesis. Moses’ mother’s name was Jochabed meaning Yahweh is my glory. Moses and Israel knew the name Yahweh. God did not give Moses a previously unknown name of God, but the name they had known before. God called them back to the faith of the patriarchs, not to something “new.”

In the English-speaking world, for a time people pronounced Yahweh as Jehovah. The pious Jews of later years did not want to pronounce the name of God out of reverence, so they left the vowels out of His name and simply said the word Lord (adonai) instead. If the vowels of the word adonai are put over the consonants for YHWH, you can get the name “Jehovah.” All this came about much later; in the days of the Bible, the name was pronounced Yah-weh or Yah-veh.

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

Naʻe fiemaʻu ‘e Mosese ha tohi fakamoʻoni ke ‘alu mo ia ki he kakai ‘Isileli´. ‘I hono kuonga kimuʻa´, ko ‘ene tohi fakamoʻoni´, ‘a ‘ene nofo palasi ko e pilinisi ‘o ‘Isipite. Ka ‘i he hili ‘a e taʻu ‘e 40 ‘ene tauhi sipi ‘i he toafa´, kuo mole haʻane toe falala ki hano tuʻunga fakaetangata.

‘I he kuonga ‘o e kau Peteliake´, naʻe fakahā ‘e he ‘Otua Ia ki he tangata´ ‘o fou ‘i he ngaahi huafa foʻou.

· ‘Epalahame, ‘i he ‘ene feʻiloaki mo Melekisēteki´, naʻa ne tautapa ki he ‘Otua Taupotu (Senesi 14:22)

· ‘Epalahame, na´a ne maheni mo Sihova, ko ‘Otua-Laui-‘Itāniti (Senesi 21:33), pea mo Sihova-siaila (ko Tokonaki pe ‘e Sihova) (Senesi 22:14)

· Hekaʻā, fehangahangai mo ‘OTua-hā-mai (Senesi 16:13)

· Sekope, feʻiloaki mo ‘Ela-Lohe (Senesi 33:20) mo ‘Ela-Peteli (Senesi 35:7).

Ko ‘Iāuē, naʻe ‘ikai ko ha hingoa (huafa) foʻou pe taʻeʻiloa – ‘oku hā tuʻo 160 ‘i he tohi Senesi´. Ko e hingoa ‘o e faʻē ‘a Mosese´ ko Siokāpesi pea ko hono ‘uhinga´, ko ‘Iāuē ‘a hono langilangi. Naʻe ‘osi ‘ilo pe ‘e Mosese mo ‘Isileli ‘a e huafa ‘o ‘Iāuēe´. Naʻe ‘ikai ke talaange ange ‘e he ‘Otua´ kia Moses ha huafa naʻe teʻeki ‘iloa, ka ko ha huafa pe naʻa nau maheni mo ia. Naʻe toe ui pe ‘e he ‘Otua´ kinautolu ki he tui ‘a e kau peteliake´, ‘o ‘ikai ki ha meʻa “foʻou”.

‘I he taimi naʻe liliu mai ai ‘a ‘Iāuē ki he lea ‘Ingilisi´, naʻe liliu leva ia ki he Sihova. Ko e kau lotu Siu´, ‘i heʻenau ‘aʻapa´, naʻe ‘ikai te nau fie puʻaki ‘a e huafa tapuhā ‘o e ‘Otua´, ko ia ai nau toʻo ‘ekinuatolu ‘a e ngaahi vauele´ mei he foʻi lea´, pea nau ngaueʻaki pe ‘a e ‘Eiki (‘Atonai.) Pea ka fakahū ‘a e ngaahi foʻi vauele´ ki he ‘Atonai´, pea ‘oku maʻu ai ‘a e foʻi lea Sihova´. Ka naʻe toki hoko eni ‘i he ngaahi taʻu kimui´ ni. ‘I he kuonga ‘o e Tohitapu´, naʻe puʻaki pe ia ko e ‘Iā-uē pe ko e ‘Iā-vē.

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, ‘OKU . . )

2        GOD IS SIMPLE

            Doctrine

          God's Simplicity Revealed in Christ's Death

In Christ, all of God's attributes are manifested and glorified. Natural theology may give a person a dim knowledge of God's attributes, but in Christ, these attributes "sparkle” because they are revealed in redemption. Some even call Christ the "stage" on which God displays his attributes in their harmony for the world to witness. There is a profound sense in which the gospel reveals God in a way the law never could.

2        KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU LAULOTAHA

            Tokāteline

            Fakahā ‘a e laulōtaha ‘a e ‘Otua´ ‘i he pekia ‘a Kalaisi´

‘Ia Kalaisi, ‘oku fakaeʻa mo fakalangilangi’i ‘iate Ia ‘a e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga kotoa ‘o e ‘Otua´. ‘I he tuʻu fakanatula ‘a e teolosia´, ‘oku maʻu fakakonga pe ‘a e ‘ilo ki he ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ‘o e ‘Otua´. Ka ‘ia Kalaisi, ‘oku “fetapaki” ‘a e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga ko eni´, ‘i hono fakaeʻa ‘i he huhuʻi´. ‘Oku aʻu pe ‘o pehe ‘e he niʻihi, ko Kalaisi ‘a e “loto malaʻe” ‘oku fakaʻaliʻali ai ‘e he ‘Otua´ ‘a e fehūmalieʻaki ‘a hono ngaahi ‘ulungaanga´, ke hā ki mamani. ‘Oku ‘i ai ‘a e founga loloto mo fungani ‘oku fakahā mai ai ‘e he koosipeli´ ‘a e ‘Otua´, ‘oku taʻemalava ke fakahoko ‘e he lao´.