ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Falaite Ma’asi 26, 2021

 made a golden calf

ngaohi ‘aki ha kafi ukamea (koula)

 ‘Ekisoto 32 (Exodus 32)

(v. 3-4) 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

 (v. 3-4) 3 Pea na‘e hanga ‘a e kakai kotoa, ‘o paki‘i ‘a e ngaahi teunga koula mei honau telinga, ‘o nau ‘omi kia ‘Ēlone. 4 Pea ne tali ia mei honau nima, ‘o ne tongi ‘aki ha tutu‘u, ‘o ne ngaohi ‘aki ha kafi ukamea. Pea nau pehē, Ko eni, ‘e ha‘a ‘Isileli, ho ‘otua, ‘a ia ne ne ‘ohake koe mei ‘Isipite.

 *Commentary:  The Reformation Study Bible*

 The bull as a symbol of deity was common in the ancient world. Perhaps a symbol of Apis, the Egyptian fertility bull-god, was meant. Aaron himself may be presenting the calf as a symbol of the true God, and he apparently attempts to blunt the apostasy by building an altar and announcing a festival to the Lord (v. 5). Noting that the Hb. term elohim, translated "gods" in vv. 1 and 4, can be rendered as singular or plural, some have argued that the people are worshiping the calf as a symbol of the Lord (if so, they are still guilty of idolatry; 20:4). But the shout of the people is reported here using the plural verb ("brought ... out") with elohim. The singular form is always used with this noun when it refers to the true God; thus, it is more likely that the people are turning to the bull-god to lead them, in gross violation of 20:2 (Acts 7:39-41)

 *Tohi Vete:  Tohitapu Ako ‘a e Fakalelei Lotu´*

 Ko e pulu´, ko e faka’ilonga angamaheni ‘i ono’aho ‘o e ‘otua.  Ko e taipe ‘eni ‘o e ‘otua ‘Isipite ko ‘Apisi, ko e ‘otua ‘o e ma’u fanau.  Mahalo na’e ‘uhinga ‘a ‘Elone ke fakafofonga’i ‘e he kafi koula ‘a e ‘Otua mo’oni´, pea na’a ne feinga ke fakapuliki ‘a ‘enau afe mei he mo’oni ‘aki ‘ene langa ha ‘olita ‘o fanongonongo ko e fai katoanga kia Sihova (v. 5).  Ko e lea faka-Hepelū ‘oku liliu ki he “ ‘otua” ‘i he veesi 1 mo e 4, “’Elohimi”,  ‘e lava pe ia ‘o singukulali pe palulali.  ‘Oku pehē ‘e he kau vete Tohitapu ‘e ni’ihi ko e lotu pe ‘a e kakai ‘Isileli ki honau ‘Otua´, kae fakafofonga ‘e he kafi koula.  Ka ‘o kapau ‘oku tonu ‘a e lau ko ‘eni, ‘oku nau kei halaia pe ‘i he lotu ‘aitoli ‘o fakatatau ki he vahe 20:4.  Pea ko e kalanga ‘a e kakai na’a nau ngaue’aki ‘a e veape pulula (“pea nau ‘omi”) fakataha mo ‘Elohimi.  Ko e tu’unga fakasingikulali ‘oku ngaue’aki ma’u pe ia mo e nauna fekau’aki pea mo e ‘Otua mo’oni; pea ‘oku tonu leva ‘a hono fakatonulea, na’e tafoki pe ‘a e kakai ia ‘o hanga ki he ‘otua-pulu´, ke ne tataki kinautolu, pea ko e angahala fakalielia ‘o nau maumau’i ‘a e fekau ‘o e vahe 20:2 (Ngaue 7:39-41).

 GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, KO E . . )

 3        GOD IS SPIRIT

            Application

 Returning to John 4:24, God as spirit carries implications for how we worship God. We must worship God in spirit and in truth. But what does that mean? When Christ speaks to the Samaritan woman, he is making a point that God is spirit. But of course, that is far from his only point. The Father, who gives the Spirit to his Son (Acts 2:33), entrusts Christ with the Spirit to create true worshipers, who will worship in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who brings glory to Christ, enables us to also bring glory to Christ in our own act of worship.

 So John 4:24 describes not merely God's nature but also his relationship to us, his worshipers (see also 1 John 1:5, “God is light”). If we are not in the Spirit" (that is, indwelt by the Spirit of Christ), we cannot worship. The Spirit enables us to join in heavenly worship, for there is no proper worship that is not heavenly. Worship in the Spirit is also worship in the truth. So as soon as we conceive of worship in the Spirit, we are also drawing our minds to the truth that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Worship must be Trinitarian if it is spiritual worship. Trinitarian worship is also Christ-centered worship, for the Spirit supernaturally enables us to call on Christ's name, glorify his name, and rejoice in his name.

 The truth is, then, that God is spirit. But far from being simply a metaphysical declaration about God's essence, it gets us to the heart of the Christian faith: that God dwells in the hearts of his people, enabling them to offer worship that is acceptable. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). If our worship is not saturated with truth, then we can hardly claim to be worshiping God in the Spirit, for the Spirit works according to the truth.

 Thus, the more our human words replace God's words in corporate worship, the more we are corporately quenching the Holy Spirit. That is not to say that we cannot use human words, such as in our hymn singing. But certainly the Bible should be read corporately, and our prayers should be suffused with Scripture. Exclusive psalmody is not, in my mind, biblically demanded, but excluding the Psalms altogether from our singing is a greater crime than singing only the Psalms. After all, the Psalms give us perhaps the grandest view of God in all his Word, which drives us back again to the Spirit-filled, Word-informed worship appropriate to the nature of our God.

 GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA, KO E . . )

 3        KO E ‘OTUA´, KO E LAUMALIE

            Ko e Akonaki

 ‘I he’etau toe foki kia Sione 4:24, ko e mo’oni ‘o e ‘Otua ko e laumalie, ‘oku ne faka’ilo ai kiate kitautolu ‘a e founga ‘o ‘etau lotu. Kuopau ke tau hu (lotu) ki he ‘Otua ‘i he laumalie mo e mo’oni. Ka ‘oku ‘uhinga eni ki he ha? (‘o fe fe?). ‘I he taimi na’e talanoa ai ‘e Sisu mo e fefine Samelia, na’a ne feinga ke mahino k iai, ko e ‘Otua ko e laumalie. Ka na’e ‘ikai ko e me’a pe ia na’e ‘uhinga ki ai ‘a Sisuu. Ko e Tamai, ‘a ia ‘oku ne foaki ‘a e Laumalie ki he ‘Alo (Ngaue 2:33), ‘oku ne toe fakatapui ‘a Kalaisi ‘aki ‘a e Laumalie ke ne fakatupu ha kau lotu mo’oni, ke nau lotu ‘i he ivi ‘o e Laumalie Ma’oni’oni. Ko e Laumalie Ma’oni’oni, ‘a ia ‘oku ne fakalangilangi’i ‘a Kalaisi, ‘oku fakamafai’i kitautolu ke tau fakalangilangi’i ‘a Kalaisi ‘i he’etau hu mo e lotu.

 Ko ia ai, ko Sione 4:24, ‘oku ‘ikai ngata pe ‘i he’ene fakamatala’i ‘a e natula ‘o e ‘Otua, ka ko ‘ene fekau’aki mo kitautolu, ‘a e kau lotu (vakai kia 1 Sione 1:5, “Ko e ‘Otua ko e maama”), Kapau ‘oku ‘ikai ke tau “‘i he Laumalie” (‘uhinga, ke nofo’ia kitautolu ‘e he Laumalie ‘o Kalaisi) ‘e ‘ikai lava ke tau hu mo lotu. ‘Oku ngaue (fakaivia) ‘a e Laumalie ‘iate kitautolu, ke tau kau ki he hu mo e lotu ‘oku taka langi hono angaa, he tala’ehaii ‘oku ‘i ai ha lotu mo’oni mo totonu ‘e ta’e faka-hevani.

 Ko eni ‘a e mo’oni, ko e ‘Otua ko e laumalie. Pea neongo ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha fo’i mo’oni fakatu’a mamani pe kau ki he natula ‘o e ‘Otua, ka ‘oku fakae’a ‘a e uho ‘o e lotu faka-Kalisitiane: ‘oku tapanekale (nofo’ia) ‘a e ‘Otua ‘i he loto ‘o hono kakai, pea ne ‘oku ne fakamafai’i kinautolu ke taau ‘enau huu. “Ko e ‘Otua ko e laumālie: pea ko kinautolu ‘e hū kiate ia, kuo pau ke nau fai ‘i laumālie pea fai ‘i mo‘oni ‘enau hū.” (Sione 4:24). Ka ‘ikai fonu ‘etau lotu ‘i he mo’oni, ‘e ‘ikai lava ke tau pehee ‘oku tau lotu ki he ‘Otua ‘i he Laumalie, he ‘oku ngaue ‘a e Laumalie ‘o fakatatau ki he mo’oni.

 ‘I he’etau fakatahataha ke hu mo lotu, ko e lahi ange ‘etau lea ‘aki ‘a e lea pe ‘atautolu, kae si’isi’i ki he Folofola, ko ‘etau fu’ifu’i ia ‘a e Laumalie. Ko ‘etau hiva, lotu mo e lea, ke nau fonu pea tuifio ai ‘a e ngaahi Folofola mo’ui. Ko e lotu mo e hu ‘oku fakatupu hoifua ki he ‘Otua, ‘oku fai mei he mo’ui ‘oku fonu ‘i he Laumalie, fakamaama mei he Folofola ke hoa mo e ‘ulungaanga tapu ‘a ‘Ene ‘Afio.