ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tu’apulelulu Siulai 28, 2022

THE SOURCE OF GRACE

KO E FAUNITENI ‘O E KELESI

NUMBERS 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

NOMIPA 6:24-26

ke tāpuaki‘i mai koe ‘e Sihova, mo ne tauhi‘i! Ke fakaulo mai ‘e Sihova hono fofonga kiate koe, mo ne ‘alo ‘ofa! Ke hāngaifofonga mai ‘a Sihova kiate koe, mo ne ‘atu ‘a e melino!

 

Sola Gratia - Grace Alone - Ko e Kelesi´ pe   

The Lord bless thee. Blessing is an act of His genuine liberality, because the abundance of all good things is derived to us from His favor as their only source. It is next added, that He should "keep" the people, by which clause lie intimates that He is the sole Defender of the church, and protects it under His guardianship. But since the main advantage of God's grace consists in our sense of it, the words "and make his face shine on you" are added; for nothing is more desirable for the consummation of our happiness than that.

We should behold the serene countenance of God, as it is said in Psalm 4:6, "There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." Thus then I interpret this clause that the people may perceive and taste the sweetness of God's goodness, which may cheer them like the brightness of the sun when it illumines the world in serene weather.

JOHN CALVIN

Ke tāpuaki‘i mai koe ‘e Sihova. Ko e tapuaki, ko e fo’i ngaue pe ia ‘a e ‘Otua mei he’ene mohu me’aa, he ko ‘etau fonu ‘i he ngaahi koloa kehekehe, ko ‘etau ma’u mei he katupa ‘o ‘Ene ‘ofa, ko e tafenga monu pe ia ‘e taha ‘oku hu’u mei ai. ‘Oku hoko atu ‘a e tapuaki ki he tu’unga hokoo, “te ne tauhi” hono kakai, pea ko e tapuaki ia ‘o ‘Ene hoko ko e Taukapo ‘o e siasi, ‘io, ‘i hono malumalu, te ne malu’i kitautolu. Ka koe’uhi, ko e fakakoloa ‘o ‘etau ‘inasi ‘i he Kelesi ‘a e ‘Otua, ko ‘etau a’usia ‘a e me’a ko ia, ko e kupu’i lea, Ke fakaulo mai ‘e Sihova hono fofonga kiate koe, ‘oku tanaki mai; he ‘oku ‘ikai mo ha toe me’a ‘e vovo ange ke fakakakato ‘etau fiefia ka ko e mo’oni ko eni. 

‘Oku taau ke tau siofia ‘a e fofonga nonga ‘o e ‘Otua, hange ko e lau ‘a e Saame 4:6, “‘Oku lau ‘e he tokolahi, Ko hai te ne faka‘ilo mai he lelei? Hiki hake mai koe, ‘e Sihova, ‘A e maama ‘o ho fofonga! Ko ia ia, ‘oku ou fakatonulea ‘a e kupu ko eni, ‘o pehee, ‘oku malava ke ‘inasi ‘e he tangata ‘i he melie ‘o e ngaahi lelei ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘o nau ma’u ai ‘a e fiefia hangee ko e ulo lahi ‘a e la’aa ‘ he’ene hulungia ‘a mamani ‘i he taimi ‘o e tofukii ai ‘a e ‘eaa.