ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Tuʻapulelulu Fepueli 4, 2021

I will make an altar there to God

ka u ngaohi ai ha ‘ōlita kia ‘Ela

Senesi 35 (Genesis 35)

(v. 3) “Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”

(v. 3) pea tau tutu‘u ‘o ‘alu ki Pēteli, ka u ngaohi ai ha ‘ōlita kia ‘Ela, ‘a e ‘Otua na‘a ne talia au ‘i he ‘aho ‘o ‘eku faingata‘a‘ia, pea ne ‘iate au ‘i he fononga na‘a ku fai.

*Commentary: Matthew Poole*

He takes God’s gracious promise, and the comfortable hope and assurance of  God’s favour to him, and care of him, impressed by God upon his mind and heart, for an answer to his prayers, though he had then seen no success nor accomplishment of God’s word to him.

*Tohi Vete: Matiu Pulu*

Naʻa´ ne puke ki he palōmesi angaʻofa ‘a e ‘Otua´, pea mo e ‘amanaki fakanonga mo e pauʻia ‘i he failelei ‘a e ‘Otua´ maʻana´, mo ‘Ene ‘ofaʻi ia´, mo e tataki ia ‘e he ‘Otua´ - ‘i he loto mo e ‘atamai – ki he tali ‘o ‘ene lotu´ - neongo naʻe teʻeki ke mamata ia ki hono fakasino mai pe ki ha ola ‘o e folofola ko eni kiate ia.

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, ‘OKU / ko e. . )

GOD IS TRIUNE

Application

Whether private or corporate, communion with God is Trinitarian communion. Thomas Goodwin speaks of how our communion can sometimes be with one person of the Trinity and sometimes with another:

... sometimes with the Father, then with the Son, and then with the Holy Ghost; sometimes his heart is drawn out to consider the Father's love in choosing, and then the love of Christ in redeeming, and so again the love of the Holy Ghost, that searches the deep things of God, and reveals them to us, and takes all the pains with us; and so a man goes from one witness to another distinctly.... We should never be satisfied till all three persons lie level in us, and all make their abode with us, and we sit as it were

in the midst of them, while they all manifest their love unto us.

Ko e ‘Otua´ ko e Tolu-ʻi he-Taha

Ko ‘ene fekauʻaki mo kitautolu´

Tatau pe ‘i he fakafoʻituitui pe fakatokolahi, ko e feohi mo e ‘Otua´ ko e feohi mo e Tolu-tahaʻi-‘Otua´. ‘Oku fakamatala ‘a Tomasi Kutuini fekauʻaki mo ‘etau feohi´, ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e taimi ‘oku tau feohi mo e pesona ‘e taha pea ‘oku ‘i ai e taimi ‘oku tau feohi mo pesona ‘e taha kehe:

...ʻoku ‘i ai ‘a e taimi ‘oku tau feohi mo e Tamai´, pea hoko atu ki he ‘Alo´, pea pehē foki ki he Laumālie Maʻoniʻoni´; ‘oku ‘i ai e taimi ‘oku tohoaki kitautolu ‘e he ‘a e Tamai´ ‘i hono fili kitautolu´, pea hoko ki he ‘ofa ‘a Kalaisi ‘i hono huhuʻi kitautolu´, pea pehē foki ki he ‘ofa ‘a e Laumālie Maʻoniʻoni´, ‘a ‘ene fakaʻauliliki ‘a e ngaahi misiteli ‘o e ‘Otua´, ‘o ne fakaʻilo kiate kitautolu, pea ne fai kotoa ‘i heʻene nofoʻia kitautolu´; pea ‘oku pehē pe ‘a e tangata´, ‘a ‘ene maʻu fakamoʻoni mei he taha ki he taha ‘o e ngaahi pesona ‘o e ‘Otua´... ‘Oku ‘ikai totonu ke tau fiemālie kaeʻoua ke palotoloto ‘a e pesona ‘e tolu ‘o e ‘Otua´ ‘iate kitautolu, pea nau nofoʻia kotoa kitautolu, pea tau nofo ‘i honau lotolotonga´, ka nau fakaʻaliʻali ‘enau ‘ofa´ kiate kitautolu.