ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Monite Sune 14, 2021

Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD

te ne fokotu‘u hano tapu mamafa, ko e tapu nāsili 

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU . . )

5.        GOD IS ETERNAL

           KO E ‘OTUA´ ‘OKU LAUʻITANITI

            Doctrine… (cont.)

God has no beginning. Think about that. He has always existed. Nothing brought him into being. It boggles the mind. He is called the "Ancient of Days” (Dan. 7:9), but even this phrase remains an "improper" way of speaking about God's eternality, for he does not get old; he is not ancient or young. Rather, the phrase "Ancient of Days" suits our limited understanding by pressing home to us that God contains in himself all times and ages.

God has no ending (Ps. 9:7; Rev. 4:9-10). Just as no other being can give God life, so no other being can take his life away from him. If Christ could say in John 10:18, "No one takes (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord,” how much more may we say that no one takes God's life away from him?

God has no succession of moments. God's eternality cannot be abstracted from his other attributes, such as immutability (i.e., he cannot change) or omniscience (i.e., he is all-knowing). God comprehends all things at once. He does not increase in knowledge and wisdom. He sees all things that have ever been or shall ever be at once, which we may call an "eternal present." Louis Berkhof speaks of such in his observation that God is above all time “and therefore not subject to its limitations. For Him there is only an eternal present, and no past or future." Charnock similarly notes that since eternity is "contrary to time," it is “a permanent and immutable state," and as "immensity is the diffusion of [God's] essence, so eternity is the duration of his essence. ... His duration is as endless as his essence is boundless."

            Tokāteline… (hoko atu)

‘Oku ‘ikai ha kamata’anga ‘o e ‘Otua. Faka’uta ange ki ai. Na’e ‘i ai ma’u pe Ia. Na’e ‘ikai ha me’a na’a ne fakatupu mai Ia. ‘Oku taumama’o ia mei hotau ‘atamai. ‘Oku ui Ia ko “Talumeimu’a” (Taniela 7:9) -  ʻi muʻa ʻi muʻa ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho (paaki ‘a Uesi) - ka na’a mo e hingoa ko eni, ‘oku kei hala pe ia koe’uhi ko e tu’unga lau’itaniti ‘o e ‘Otua, he taumaiāa´ ‘oku ne hoholo ke motu’a; ‘oku ‘ikai ke talumeimuʻa pe talavou. Ka ko e kupuʻi lea, “Talumeimuʻa´” ‘oku tokoni pe ki he tuʻunga pokosiʻi hotau ‘atamai´ ke mahino kiate kitautolu, ‘oku fālute ‘e he ‘Otua´ ‘a e ngaahi kuonga´ mo e taimi´.

‘Oku ‘ikai ha ngataʻanga ‘o e ‘Otua´ (Saame 9:7; Fakaha 4:9-10). Hangē pe ko e tuʻunga ‘o e ‘ikai malava ‘e ha meʻa ke foaki ‘a e moʻui´ ki he ‘Otua´, ‘oku ‘ikai ha taha pe ko ha meʻa te ne malava ke toʻo ‘a e moʻui´ mei he ‘Otua´. Kapau naʻe malava ‘e Kalaisi ke ne fai ‘a e lea ko eni´, “Tala‘ehai ko e fa‘ao ia ‘e ha taha meiate au, ka ko ‘eku ‘atu ia ‘e au. ‘Oku ou fa‘iteliha ki hano ‘atu; pea ‘oku ou fa‘iteliha ki hano toe to‘o...” (Sione 10:18), pea huanoa ai ‘etau fai ‘a e lea tatau ki he ‘Otua´? ‘Oku ‘ikai ha taha te ne malava ke toʻo ‘a e moʻui´ mei he ‘Otua!

‘Oku ‘ikai ke moʻui faka-mōmeniti ‘a e ‘Otua´. Ko e tuʻunga lauʻitāniti ‘o e ‘Otua´, ‘oku ‘ikai malava ke fakamavaheʻi mei hono natula faka-‘Otua kehe´, hangē ko e taʻeliliu´ pea mo e tokaimaʻanga. ‘Oku ‘afioa fakaʻangataha pe ‘e he ‘Otua´ ‘a e meʻa kotoa pe. ‘Oku ‘ikai ke tupu fakautututu ‘a ‘Ene ‘ilo´ mo ‘ene poto´.  ‘Oku´ ne tokaimaʻanga fakaʻangataha pe, ‘a e meʻa kotoa pe kuo hoko mo e meʻa kotoa pe ‘e hoko ‘i he kahaʻu´ - ‘e malava ke tau ui eni ko e “ ‘itāniti lolotonga.” ‘Oku fakamatalaʻi ‘e Luisi Peakaofo ‘a ‘ene vakai ki he hiliō ‘a e ‘Otua´ ‘i taimi, “ ‘o ‘ikai laloʻaoa ki he fakangatangata ‘o taimi´. Ki he ‘Otua´, ‘oku ‘ikai ha kuohili pe kahaʻu, ka ko e “‘itāniti lolotonga pe.” ‘Oku tatau ‘a e fakakaukau ko eni´ mo e lau ‘a Sianoke ‘o pehe´, koeʻuhi´ ‘oku “tuʻu fehangahangai ‘a e tuʻunga lauʻitāniti´ mo e lau taimi´” pea ‘oku “taʻemauea mo taʻeliliu” pea ‘i hono tuʻunga kafakafa fau´, ko hono tuʻunga lauʻitāniti´, ko e fuolōloa ia ‘o hono natula´...ko hono fuolōloa´ ‘oku taʻengata pe ‘o hangē ko e taʻengata ‘a hono uho pe natula ‘Otua´.”

Nōmipa 6 (Numbers 6)

1 PEA folofola ‘a e ‘Eiki kia Mōsese, ‘o pehē, 2 Lea ki ha‘a ‘Isileli, pea tala kiate kinautolu, Ka ai ha tangata pe fefine te ne fokotu‘u hano tapu mamafa, ko e tapu nāsili, ke hunuki ia kia Sihova: te ne tapu ‘i he uaine mo e kava mālohi;

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,

 

* G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible*

Having provided for the purity of the camp by the exclusion of the unclean, special instructions were given concerning cases of personal and voluntary devotion to a life of peculiar separation to God in the instructions concerning the Nazarite. There was absolutely nothing monastic in this order. These men did not separate themselves from the ordinary life of their fellows, yet they did maintain an attitude of special separation, the signs of which were arranged for.

In this connection we have the specific form in which the priestly blessing was to be pronounced on the people. The blessing was to be a threefold utterance of the divine name with a threefold interpretation. The people were to be blessed and kept by Jehovah. Their light was to be the uplifted face of Jehovah and the consequent consciousness of His grace. In the same uplifting of that countenance they were to enter into the experience of peace.

 

*Commentary: David Guzik Study Guide on Numbers*

(Num 6:1-2) The purpose for the vow of a Nazirite.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,'"

To separate himself to the LORD: The vow of the Nazirite was to express one's special desire to draw close to God and to separate one's self from the comforts and pleasures of this world.

"The English word Nazirite transliterates Hebrew nazir, meaning "set apart." (Wenham)

To take the vow of a Nazirite: There were several remarkable Nazirites in the Bible: Samson (Judges 13:5), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), and Paul (Acts 18:18); the vow was certainly open to women, but we have no Biblical example of a woman taking the vow, except for Manoah's wife during her pregnancy with Samson (Judges 13:4).