Sapate Tisema 31, 2023

The Rising Sun of Righteousness

‘E hopo ‘a e La‘ā ‘o e Totonu

MALACHI 4:2

BUT FOR YOU WHO FEAR MY NAME, THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL RISE WITH HEALING IN ITS WINGS. YOU SHALL GO OUT LEAPING LIKE CALVES FROM THE STALL.

MALACHI 4:2

Ka ‘e hopo ‘a e La‘ā ‘o e Totonu kiate kimoutolu ‘oku ‘apasia ki hoku hingoa, pea ‘oku ai ha faito‘o ‘i hono ngaahi huelo: toki ‘alu atu kimoutolu, ‘o hopo fano, ‘o hangē ko e fanga pulu mui mei he ‘ā fafanga.

Today, as we close the door on this year, many of us will look back-perhaps with a tear or sigh-on days or weeks when every hour felt like midnight. A darkness so tangible we can taste its bitter blackness. The fires of past hopes lay ashen and cold on the floor of our wrecked lives. For others, years like this will come. In a world so fragile, frail, and failing, they are almost inevitable. That is why God's words through Malachi, in this final chapter of the Old Testament, are a blazing beacon of light for us, to shine backward and forward on seasons of suffering. The Shemesh Tz'daqah, the Sun of Righteousness, will zarach ("rise or shine") with healing in his wings.

The sun rose on Jacob, after a night of wrestling with God, when he limped onward with both a new wound and a new name (Gen. 32:31). So also the Christ-Sun zarach on us, to heal, restore, and enliven hope. Perhaps we don't feel much like leaping calves yet, but like Jacob, we limp till we leap. Shining on us, in a love that will never set, is the Christ who will never stop unveiling mercy.

All praise, glory, and honor be to the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 DECEMBER 30

Aaronic unblessing

Ko e Tapuaki Fehalaaki Faka-’Elone

MALACHI 1:11-12

FOR MY NAME WILL BE GREAT AMONG THE NATIONS, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. BUT YOU PROFANE IT WHEN YOU SAY THAT THE LORD'S TABLE IS POLLUTED, AND ITS FRUIT, THAT IS. ITS FOOD MAY BE DESPISED.

MALAKAI 1:11-12

11 Tala atu, mei he hopo‘anga la‘ā ‘o a‘u ki hono tō‘anga, ‘oku fotu hoku hingoa ‘i he ngaahi pule‘anga, pea ‘i he potu kotoa pē ‘oku ‘atu ‘a e ‘inisēnisi ki hoku hingoa, mo e feilaulau ma‘a: he fotu hoku hingoa ‘i he ngaahi pule‘anga–ko e folofola ia ‘a Sihova Sāpaoti. 12 Ka ko kimoutolu ‘oku mou to‘o hono tapu ‘i ho‘omou pehē, Ko e tēpile ‘o ‘Ātonai ‘oku va‘inga‘aki, pea ko e me‘a ‘oku hiki mei ai, ‘a hono me‘akai, hono sia‘a!

Malachi's rhetorical attack on corrupt priests is razor-sharp rhetorically and biblically ingenious. He takes the language of the Priestly Blessing (Num. 6:23-27) and turns it upside down through a whole series of clever puns. The priests are to put God's name on the people, but they despise it (1:6). Rather than God lifting up his face upon them (1:9), he will smear dung on their faces (2:3). Rather than a blessing, he will send upon them a curse (2:2). Maiachi tells them to "entreat" (chalah) God's favor, but they have "profaned" (chaial) his altar (1:9, 12). The goal of the Priestly Blessing is for the Lord to be gracious (chanan), but in vain (chinnam) the priests kindle fire on the altar (1:9-10). Malachi's sermon might well be titled "The Aaronic Unblessing."

We are not surprised, therefore, when Maiachi says the Messiah will purify and refine the sons of Levi (3:1-4). And so he did. Christ has purified for himself a royal, "holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through" himself (1 Pet. 2:5), to "proclaim the excellencies of him who called (us) out of darkness into his marvelous light" of mercy (v. 9).

Jesus, our great and merciful High Priest, lift up your countenance on us and give us peace.

 Falaite Tisema 29, 2023

The Pierced

Ko Ia Na’e Hoka Taoa

ZECHARIAH 12:10

"AND I WILL POUR OUT ON THE HOUSE OF DAVID AND THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM A SPIRIT OF GRACE AND PLEAS FOR MERCY, SO THAT, WHEN THEY LOOK ON ME, ON HIM WHOM THEY HAVE PIERCED. THEY SHALL MOURN FOR HIM, AS ONE MOURNS FOR AN ONLY CHILD, AND WEEP BITTERLY

OVER HIM, AS ONE WEEPS OVER A FIRSTBORN."

ZECHARIAH 12:10

Pea te u hua‘i ki he fale ‘o Tēvita, pea ki he nofo Selusalema, ‘a e laumālie  nga-loto-mai mo anga–hū; pea te nau hanga kiate au kuo nau tui‘i, pea te nau tangilāulau ‘i he taha ko ē, hangē ko e tēngihia ‘o ‘ete me‘a pē taha. Pea te nau fakamamahi koe‘uhi ko ia, hangē ko e fakamamahi ‘i he funga ‘o ha ‘olopo‘ou.

Two weapons daqar ("pierce") someone: sword and spear. Phinehas used his spear to double-dagar a couple during their idolatrous intercourse (Num. 25:8). Abimelech's servant used a sword to dagar him (Judg. 9:54). When God, in Zechariah, says the Israelites will "look on me, on him whom they have daqar," he is referring to wounds by a sword or spear that result in death. They mourn for him as for a firstborn son.

While the Father's firstborn Son hung dead on the cross, "one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear" (John 19:34). "These things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled...: 'They will look on him whom they have pierced" (19:36-37). 

In Revelation, when Christ returns, "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him" (1:7). We grieve because our sin caused those pierced wounds, but we also rejoice because in them is the sole source of our salvation, for "with his wounds we are healed" (Isa. 53:5).

Pour out on us, dear Father, the Spirit of your grace, that we might mourn our sin and rejoice in the healing wounds of our Savior.

 Tu‘apulelulu Tisema 28, 2023

Donkey Throne

‘Oku Ne Heka ki ha ‘Asi

ZECHARIAH 9:9

REJOICE GREATLY, O DAUGHTER OF ZION! SHOUT ALOUD, O DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM! BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU; RIGHTEOUS AND HAVING SALVATION IS HE, HUMBLE AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.

SAKALAIA 9:9

Tome‘e ke lahi, ta‘ahine Saione; Hiki mavava, ta‘ahine Selusalema: Ko ena ho tu‘i ‘oku me‘a mai kiate koe; Ko e faitotonu ia mo fai fakamo‘ui foki: Ko e ‘Eiki fa‘a kātaki, pea ‘oku ne heka ki ha ‘asi, ‘Io, ki ha ki‘i manu ko e tama ‘a ha ‘asi fefine.

The Messiah is linked to donkeys all the way back in Genesis, when Jacob, in blessing Judah, said a ruler would come from his lineage (49:8-12). Using poetic hyperbole, Jacob says the blessings that arise with him will be so magnificent that he'll bind "his donkey's [aton] colt [ayir] to the choice vine"-usually a big no-no because the colt would destroy the vine. But there will be so many vines-or the vines will be so strong-that it won't matter. Fast-forward to the end of David's life, and the son of David, Solomon, rides his father's choice pirdah ("female mule") into Jerusalem to mark him as the rightful heir to throne (1 Kings 1:33). Zechariah prophesies that Israel's king, the Anointed one, will ride into Zion "mounted on a donkey [chamor], on a colt [ayir], the foal of a donkey [aton]."

The scene on Palm Sunday is thus biblically kaleidoscopic. The colors of Genesis, 1 Kings, and Zechariah mix and mingle together. Here is Judah's heir. Here is the Son of David. Here is Israel's king. He rides into Jerusalem,  "righteous and having salvation" for us.

Ride into our midst, King Messiah, into our lives, families, and churches, to give us salvation.

 Pulelulu Tisema 27, 2023

God's Signet Ring

Ko e Mama Sila ‘a e ‘Otua

HAGGAI 2:23

"ON THAT DAY, DECLARES THE LORD OF HOSTS. I WILL TAKE YOU, O ZERUBBABEL MY SERVANT, THE SON OF SHEALTIEL, DECLARES THE LORD. AND MAKE YOU LIKE A SIGNET RING. FOR I HAVE CHOSEN YOU, DECLARES THE LORD OF HOSTS."

HAKEAI 2:23

‘I he ‘aho ko ia–ko Sihova Sāpaoti eni mei he Ta‘ehāmai–te u to‘o koe, si‘eku tamaio‘eiki, ko Seluipepeli foha ‘o Saletili–ko Sihova ia mei he Ta‘ehāmai–pea te u ‘ai koe hangē ko e mama sila: he kuo u fili koe–ko Sihova Sāpaoti ia mei he Ta‘ehāmai.

A chotam is a seal that, when impressed on clay or wax, served as an authentication, authorization, or claim of property. A chotam could be a cylinder seal worn like a necklace or a signet ring on the finger. Jacob had a chotam that he unwittingly gave to sneaky Tamar (Gen. 38:18). Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name and authenticated them with his seal (1 Kings 21:8). Two generations before Zerubbabel, God had told his grandfather, King Jehoiachin, that though he were a chotam on God's right hand, he'd rip him off and hand him to the Babylonians (Jer. 22:24-25). Haggai now reverses that prophecy of doom into hope, for through Zerubbabel, the Lord will renew the line of King David. God will make him "like a chotam." 

Signet-ring-Zerubbabel, one of many descendants of David, served as an archetype of the coming messianic Son of David. "On [Jesus] God the Father has set his seal" (John 6:27). Because of that seal, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (Matt. 28:18) as the King of the world. The manger cradles the sealed Son of God.

Lord Jesus, "set me as a seal upon your heart"; claim me as your own (Song 8:6).

 Tusite Tisema 26, 2023

O Come, Desire of Nations

Hifo mai, ‘a e Holi ‘o e Ngaahi Pule’anga

HAGGAI 2:6-8

FOR THUS SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS: YET ONCE MORE, IN A LITTLE WHILE, I WILL SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND THE DRY LAND, AND I WILL SHAKE ALL NATIONS, SO THAT THE TREASURES OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME IN, AND I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH GLORY, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. THE SILVER IS MINE, AND THE GOLD IS MINE, DECLARES THE LORD OF HOSTS.

HAKEAI 2:6-8

6 He ko e folofola eni ‘a Sihova Sāpaoti. ‘Oku toe tu‘o taha pē–ko e taimi si‘i–pea ‘e hoko ‘a ‘eku lulu ‘a e langi, mo māmani, ‘io, ‘a e tahi, mo e mōmoa. 7 Pea te u lulu‘i ‘a e ngaahi pule‘anga kotoa, pea ko e Holi ‘o e ngaahi pule‘anga kotoa pē ‘e hoko mai; pea te u fakafonu lāngilangi ‘a e fale ni–ko e folofola ia ‘a Sihova Sāpaoti. 8 ‘Oku ‘a‘aku ‘a e siliva, pea ‘a‘aku ‘a e koula–ko Sihova Sāpaoti ia mei he Ta‘ehāmai.

Haggai was the proverbial burr under Israel's saddle. He agitated the people until they quit dilly-dallying and finished rebuilding the Lord's temple. Though this temple seemed paltry compared to Solomon's (2:3), Haggai prophesied that God would shake "all nations" so that their chemdah would come to beautify the sanctuary. Chemdah ("a desirable, precious, delightful thing") has sometimes been understood to be the Messiah-thus the hymn stanza "O come, Desire of nations"- but it likely refers here to the chemdah of silver and gold in the following verse.

But God had future, better plans in mind as well. He would bring a much superior "desirable thing to the temple: the chemdah of his Son. When Jesus' parents brought him as a baby to the temple (Luke 2:22), he filled  that house with a greater glory than it ever had before (Hag. 2:9), and in it, the Father gave his people peace (Luke 2:29).

Blessed are you, Jesus, most desirable gift of the Father, for your holy birth among us.

 Monite Tisema 25, 2023

When God Sings

Te ne Fiefia ‘iate koe ‘aki ‘a e Hiva

ZEPHANIAH 3:17

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS IN YOUR MIDST, A MIGHTY ONE WHO WILL SAVE; HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH GLADNESS; HE WILL QUIET YOU BY HIS LOVE; HE WILL EXULT OVER YOU WITH LOUD SINGING.

ZEPHANIAH 3:17

‘Oku lotolotoi ‘iate koe ‘a Sihova ko ho ‘Otua, Ko e Helo ia ‘oku fai fakamo‘ui; Te ne patapatakā ‘iate koe he‘ene fiefia, Kuo a‘u ‘ene ‘ofa ki he nonga; ‘Oku ne tome‘e ‘iate koe mo mavava.

‘Oku mafimafi ‘a Jihova ko ho ‘Otua i he lotolotoga oou; te ne fakamoui, te ne fiefia iate koe, aki ae fiefia: e mālōlō eia i he ene ofa, te ne fiefia iate koe aki ae hiva.(Paaki ‘a Uesi)

One of the most unforgettable scenes in C. S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew is when Aslan begins to sing Narnia into existence. This resonates so deeply because, at one time or another, we've all been touched by the creative power of music. Nothing seeps into our souls like song. It moves, inspires, uplifts, stirs something ancient within us. God may not have sung the words of Genesis 1, but he certainly fashioned within the heart of humanity deep recesses that can only be reached by music and singing. So when Zephaniah says that the Lord our God, our Savior, will exult over us with rinnah, with "loud singing," with "cries of jubilation," it is hard to imagine a clearer picture of his passionate and creative love. He has "taken away the judgments against" us (v. 15), rejoiced over us with gladness, quieted us by his love, and sung songs that re-create us anew.

Angels sing, "Glory to God in the highest" when the Christ Child is born. Behind that angelic choir, however, is another voice - that of the Father, singing over us and singing over his Son, by whom we are at peace with him.

Sing into our hearts, dear Father, the words of grace that alone can heal and give us peace.

 Sapate Tisema 24, 2023

Settled on Their Lees

Kakai ‘oku nau nofo fakafiemalie hifo

ZEPHANIAH 1:12

"AT THAT TIME I WILL SEARCH JERUSALEM WITH LAMPS, AND I WILL PUNISH THE MEN WHO ARE COMPLACENT, THOSE WHO SAY IN THEIR HEARTS, 'THE

LORD WILL NOT DO GOOD, NOR WILL HE DO ILL…

SEFANAIA 1:12

Pea ka hoko ‘a e taimi ko ia, te u hakule ‘a Selusalema mo e ngaahi maama: pea te u tautea ‘a e kau tangata ‘oku fatu ‘i he funga totoka, ‘a kinautolu ‘oku lau ‘i honau loto, ‘Ā, ‘e ‘ikai ‘omi ‘e Sihova ha lelei, pea ‘e ‘ikai te ne ‘omi ha kovi.

Bea e hoko i he kuoga koia, teu hakule a Jelusalema aki ae gaahi māma, bea tautea ae kakai oku nau nofo fakafiemalie hifo: aia oku behe i ho nau loto, E ikai fai ha lelei e Jihova, bea e ikai te ne fai ha kovi.(paaki ‘a Uesi)

"Complacent" (ESV), "stagnant in spirit" (NASB), "unworried" (CEV): each of these translations is attempting to make understandable a colorful Hebrew phrase drawn from viticulture: "settled on their lees" (KJV). Shemer means "lees" or "dregs of wine." It's the sediment of dead yeast, seeds, and pulp that settles on the bottom during the winemaking process. People who are "settled on their lees" have sunk down into ease and complacency like those lees. The NT parallel would be the church of Laodicea, which was neither cold nor hot but lukewarm (Rev. 3:15-16). They are a variety of "practical atheists": they don't necessarily deny God's existence but live as if he didn't exist or matter. As Zephaniah says, they claim, "The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill."

How much better, rather than being settled on our lees, to drink deeply and zealously of the wine from Christ's altar-the blood of the grape and the blood of our Savior. To lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (Ps. 116:13).  

Create in our hearts, merciful Savior, a thirst and yearning to drink deeply from your cup of blessing. To be intoxicated by his mercy, merry in his grace, settled on his love.

 Tokonaki Tisema 23, 2023

In Wrath, Remember Mercy

‘I he Houhau, Manatu ki he ‘Alo‘ofa.

HABAKKUK 3:2

O LORD, I HAVE HEARD THE REPORT OF YOU, AND YOUR WORK, O LORD, DO I FEAR. IN THE MIDST OF THE YEARS REVIVE IT; IN THE MIDST OF THE YEARS

MAKE IT KNOWN; IN WRATH REMEMBER MERCY.

HAPAKUKI 3:2

E Sihova, kuo u fanongo ki ho ongoongo, Pea u manavahē: ‘E Sihova, to‘o ki mu‘a ‘a e fakapuho hake ho‘o ngāue, To‘o ki mu‘a ‘o fakae‘a ia; Lolotonga he fai houhau manatu ke faka‘atu‘i.

E Jihova, kuou fanogo ki hoo folofola, bea neu manavahe: E Jihova, fakaakeake hoo gaue i he lotolotoga oe gaahi ta‘u, fakaha ia i he lotolotoga oe gaahi ta‘u; i he houhau, manatu ki he aloofa. (Paaki ‘a Uesi)

In his speech to Job, God depicts the warhorse-laughing at fear, snorting, sniffing the air, lusting for battle. His stomping hooves devour the ground with "fierceness and rogez ['rage']" (39:24). Rogez is a kind of trembling agitation or wild anger. Think of the saying "trembling with rage." Habakkuk uses this word in one of the shortest, most eloquent prayers in Scripture: "In rogez, remember mercy." The prophet foresaw and foretold the horror on the horizon. The Chaldeans, the Babylonians, with horses swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves, were swooping in like eagles to devour Israel (1:8). 

God too was on his way, pestilence before him, plagues on his heels (3:5). Habakkuk himself says, "My body trembled [ragaz-the verbal form of rogez]" (3:16). He trembled with fear, for God trembled with wrath. To whom can you turn when God is angry? To God alone. Habakkuk knew this as well as we do, so he prayed, "In wrath, remember mercy." 

Remember, O Lord, that you are a God of compassion, slow to anger, long-suffering, who gave your very lifeblood for us. Save. Forgive. Hear us as we pray: "Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old" (Ps. 25:6).

 Falaite Tisema 22, 2023

Make It Plain

TONGI KE MAHINO

HABAKKUK 2:2

AND THE LORD ANSWERED ME: "WRITE THE VISION; MAKE

IT PLAIN ON TABLETS, SO HE MAY RUN WHO READS IT."

HAPAKUKI 2:2

Pea tali mai ‘e Sihova, ‘o pehē, Tohi ‘a e vīsone, tongi ke mahino ‘i he ngaahi tohi‘anga, koe‘uhi ke lau ai pē ‘a e lele.

Deuteronomy could be called the Ba'ar Book. In the introduction, that "Moses undertook to ba ar this law" (1:5) - that is, to "explain, elucidate, make very clear." Moses, like a diligent rabbi, was punctiliously unpacking the Torah. Near the end of Deuteronomy, he instructed Israel to write, on stones, all the words of the Torah "very plainly [ba'ar]" (Deut. 27:8). No scribbling or eight-point Hebrew font! God uses this same word when addressing Habakkuk, "Write the vision; make it plain (ba'ar] on tablets, so he may run who reads it." Make it so legible, so clear, that someone who sprints by can read it on the run. Habakkuk's message of coming Babylonian attacks dare not be footnoted, whispered, or reduced to some esoteric code. It needed to be published for all Israel's eyes to see. Paint it on a billboard. Make it plain as day.

What good is God's Word if it remains unknown, unseen, unpublished? Ba'ar that Word. Make it clear. Unveil that merciful Word for all the world to see. As in Habakkuk's time, the Lord speaks that Word so that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4). But where does faith come from? "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).

Jesus, Word of our Father, "speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Sam. 3:10 NIV).

 Tu‘apulelulu Tisema 21, 2023

Laid Waste

Fonua kuo Fakalala

NAHUM 3:7

AND ALL WHO LOOK AT YOU WILL SHRINK FROM YOU AND SAY, "WASTED IS NINEVEH; WHO WILL GRIEVE FOR HER?" WHERE SHALL I SEEK COMFORTERS FOR YOU?

NEHUMI 3:7

Pea ‘e faifai pea ‘ilonga ha taha ‘e sio kiate koe te ne hiki ke mama‘o meiate koe, pea te ne pehē: Kuo fakalala koā ‘a Ninive! Ko hai te ne maumau‘ia ai? Te u kumi mei fē ha ni‘ihi ke fakalelu?

Las Vegas. Rome. New York. Moscow. Each of these modern cities is bigger than their land mass. They stand for something. They are symbols of larger realities. In the Bible, two urban centers in particular became negative symbols: Babylon and Nineveh. They were emblems of evil. The book of Nahum, which is a prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh in 612 BC, should be read this way. It is about more than one city's demise; it's about the ultimate devastation of every anti-God worldly power. "Shadad is Nineveh," Nahum says. There is heavy irony here, for Nineveh was infamous for shadad, for destroying, despoiling, perpetrating violence. As they had done to others, so it would now be done to them. In a pun on his name, Nahum (Nachum ["comfort"]) asks, "Where shall I seek m'nachamim ['comforters'] for you?" Nineveh's historic destruction foreshadowed the world's final destruction.

What shall we do as we await that day? Pray for the worldwide Nineveh in which we sojourn. Bear witness of the God who wants none to perish but all to believe. And continue to hope in the Christ, the victorious Warrior who stands with his foot on the neck of sin and death.

Strengthen our hearts, ready our hands, and direct our feet, O Lord, to follow you.

 Pulelulu Tisema 20, 2023

God's Battle Cry

Teuaki ki he Tau

NAHUM 1:3-4

[THE LORD'S] WAY IS IN WHIRLWIND AND STORM, AND THE CLOUDS ARE THE DUST OF HIS FEET. HE REBUKES THE SEA AND MAKES IT DRY; HE DRIES UP ALL THE RIVERS; BASHAN AND CARMEL WITHER; THE BLOOM OF LEBANON WITHERS.

NEHUMI 1:3-4

3 Ko Sihova ko e taha tuai ki he houhau, Pea kaukaua ‘i he ivi, Pea ‘ikai ‘aupito te ne faka‘atā ‘a e halaia. Ko Sihova ‘oku ai hono founga ‘i he ‘ahiohio mo e afā, Pea ko e ngaahi ‘ao ko e efu ‘o ‘ene taulaka. 4 Ko e taha ia ‘oku fakamana ki he tahi, ‘O fakamaha ia; ‘Io, ‘oku ne fakamātu‘u ‘a e ngaahi vaitafe kotoa: ‘Oku mahahu‘a ‘a Pēsani mo Kāmeli, Pea ‘oku mae ‘a e fisi ‘o Lepanoni.

The eyes of prophets view what is always there and never seen. The realm of reality on the other side of our sensory perception. They see as with angelic eyes. Thus Nahum sees rivers dried up, mountains withering, and hills dissolving at the presence of God. The Lord, "avenging and wrathful" (v. 2), is on the warpath against Nineveh. God "rebukes [ga'ar] the sea," clearly echoing what happened at the Red Sea (Ps. 106:9). The verb ga'ar, however, and its related noun, g'arah, often denote not a rebuke but a battle cry. Yahweh, "a man of war" (Exod. 15:3), roars a battle cry so terrible, so nightmarish, that even seas flee backward in fear, leaving nothing but dust behind.

On the last day, "the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout [keleusma, a Greek word that can also mean 'battle cry']" (1 Thess. 4:16 NASB). Jesus returns as Warrior and King to vanquish every foe, kill and bury death once and for all (1 Cor. 15:26), and bring us across the Red Sea of this world into the promised land of his kingdom.

Keep us awake and watchful, Lord of hosts, always ready to lift up our heads and see our redemption drawing nigh.

 Tusite Tisema 19, 2023

Household Enemies

Fili pe mei hoto Lotofale

MICAH 7:6-7

THE SON TREATS THE FATHER WITH CONTEMPT, THE DAUGHTER RISES UP AGAINST HER MOTHER, THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; A MAN'S ENEMIES ARE THE MEN OF HIS OWN HOUSE. BUT

AS FOR ME, I WILL LOOK TO THE LORD; I WILL WAIT FOR THE GOD OF MY SALVATION; MY GOD WILL HEAR ME.

MAIKA 7:6-7

6 ‘Oku va‘inga‘aki ‘e he foha ‘a ‘ene tamai, ‘oku tu‘u ‘a e ta‘ahine ki he‘ene fa‘ē, ‘a e fefine mali ki he fa‘ē ‘a hono husepāniti; ko e ngaahi fili ‘o e tangata ko hono kau nofo‘anga. 7 Ka ko au te u fakasio atu he ha‘u ‘a Sihova; te u nofo‘aki tali ki hoku ‘Otua fakamo‘ui‘anga: ‘e ongo‘i au ‘e hoku ‘Otua.

"Woe is me!" So Micah begins his lament (7:1). He's not bemoaning catastrophe but the fact that he can't locate one righteous person: "There is no one upright among mankind" (7:2). One and all-prince, judge, neighbors, friends, even the woman he holds in bed (vv. 3-5)-none of them are trustworthy. "The best of them is like a brier" (v. 4). Even in the family, the son engages in naval toward his father-that is, he treats him like a fool, with contempt. Israel too had "scoffed [naval] at the Rock" of their salvation (Deut. 32:15). Micah's conclusion? "A man's enemies are the men of his own house."

Jesus quotes Micah when he calls his followers to love him more than everyone, to take up our cross and follow him (Matt. 10:34-39). As did Micah, we put our faith not in people, but "look to the LORD," to his Son, the God of our salvation. Since "the godly has perished from the earth," we look to the Cod of the whole earth, for he is trustworthy.

It is better to take refuge in you, O Lord, than to trust in man (Ps. 118:8).