ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Monite ‘Aokosi 30, 2021 

kuo ‘ikai nenefu hono mata, pe taumatala hono ivi

His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated 

Teutalonome 34 (Deuteronomy 34)

(v. 5-8) Ko ia na‘e pekia ‘i he potu ko ia ‘a Mōsese ko e Sevāniti ‘a Sihova, ‘i he fonua ‘o Moape, ‘i he funga ‘o e folofola tonu ‘a Sihova. Pea na‘a Ne tanu ia ‘i he tele‘a, ‘i he fonua ‘o Moape, ‘o hanga ki Pete-Peoli: ka ‘oku ‘ikai ‘ilo ha taha ki hono fa‘itoka ‘o a‘u ki he ‘aho ni. Pea kuo teau mā uofulu ta‘u ‘a Mōsese ‘i he‘ene pekia, kuo ‘ikai nenefu hono mata, pe taumatala hono ivi. Pea na‘e tēngihia ‘a Mōsese ‘e ha‘a ‘Isileli ‘i he ‘Ālana ‘o Moape ‘o ‘aho tolungofulu: pea toki ‘osi ‘a e ngaahi ‘aho tēngihia ‘i he me‘a faka‘eiki ‘o Mōsese.

(v. 5-8) So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU . . )

6.        GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE

               Ko e ‘OTUA´ ‘oku TA‘ELILIU

            Ko e hono fakahoko ki he moʻui´

‘Oku ‘i ai ‘a e founga ‘e lava ai ke tau pehē ‘oku taʻeliliu ha konga ‘o e ngaahi meʻafakatupu´, hangē ko e kau ‘amngelo´. Ko e kau ‘angelo ‘oku ‘ikai lava ke nau toe hinga mei he kelesi´, ‘oku nau ‘i he tuʻunga ko ia´ koeʻuhi´ pe ko e ivi mo e kelesi ‘a e ‘Otua´, ‘o ‘ikai ko honau natula pe ‘o kinautolu´. ‘I kehekehe ‘aupito eni ia mo e tuʻunga ‘o e ‘Otua´; ko e ‘Otua´ ‘oku haohaoa, tapuekina pea ‘oku lelei, he ko hono natula´ ia. Hangē ko e kau ‘angelo´, ko e kau angahala kuo huhuʻi´, ‘oku ngaohia pea pukepuke ke haohaoa, tapuekina mo lelei, ‘e he ‘Otua´ tokotaha pe, ‘o fou ‘i he kelesi ‘oku nau maʻu ‘ia Kalaisi.

‘I hevani, ko kinautolu kuo huhuʻi´ ‘e ‘i ai ‘a e tapa ‘e ‘ikai te nau liliu ai, ka ‘oku ‘ikai ke pehē ia ‘e ‘ikai ‘aupito te nau malava ke toe liliu. Ko hotau tuʻunga tangata´, ‘e kei liliu ai pe ‘a ‘etau ‘ilo mo ‘etau ako fekauʻaki mo e ‘Otua´. Ka ‘oku taʻeliliu ‘a hotau tuʻunga, ‘e ‘ikai te tau toe hinga mei kelesi ‘a e ‘Otua´. ‘E ‘ikai toe liliu hotau tapuekina:

Pea ongo mai ha fu‘u le‘o mei he taloni, ‘oku ne pehē, Ko eni, ko e Tāpanekale ‘o e ‘Otua, ‘Oku tu‘u mo e kakai. Pea ‘e nofo hono         Sikaina mo kinautolu, Pea te nau nofo ko hono kakai; Pea ‘e nofo ‘e He‘ene ‘Afio, Ko e ‘Otua ‘oku kau ma‘anautolu, ‘Io, ko honau ‘Otua. Pea te ne holoholo ‘a e lo‘imata kotoa pē mei honau mata; Pea ‘e ‘ikai toe ai ha mate, Pea ‘e ‘ikai toe ai ha mamahi, pe ha tangi, pe ha ongosia; Kuo mole ‘a e ngaahi me‘a mu‘a (Fakaha 21:3-4).

            Application

In some sense, other creatures, such as angels, can be called immutable. Those angels who can no longer fall from grace remain in that state only because of God's power and grace, not because of their own nature. In contrast, God is holy, blessed, and good because of who he is by nature. Like angels, redeemed sinners are made and remain holy, blessed, and good because of God alone, namely through his graces given to them in Christ.  

In heaven the redeemed will be immutable in some regard but not in the sense that they never change. As humans we shall always be changing-even our ability to learn more about God will grow. But we will be immutable in the sense that we can never, ever fall from grace. We shall be immutably blessed:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:3-4).

 

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

Here in all likelihood we have the writing of another hand. The section contains the story of the death of Moses, the equipment of Joshua for his work, with a last tender reference to the great leader and lawgiver.

The passing of Moses was full of beauty. As we have seen, his exclusion from the land towards which his face had so long been set was in fact a punishment. Yet how wonderfully it was tempered with mercy.

His force had not weakened. Everything ended in full strength. He went up to die and Jehovah gave him a vision of the land and buried him in the valley.

The last words are almost of the nature of a wail of sorrow. "And there hath not arisen a prophet . . . like unto Moses."

Notwithstanding this, a promise already had been made by God to Moses and uttered by him in his second discourse, "I will raise thee up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee." Long centuries elapsed and at last that Prophet came, and in His coming was greater than Moses.

Thus ends the last Book of the Pentateuch. The nation created for regeneration among the nations is seen standing on the margin of the possession of their land. The highways of the biblical revelation have led us thus far. The great story will now move on through the history of this people to the coming of the promised One.