Tusite Sanuali 31, 2023

 When God Punches

Ko e Tuki ‘a e ‘Otua

GENESIS 12:17

BUT THE LORD AFFLICTED PHARAOH AND HIS HOUSE WITH GREAT PLAGUES BECAUSE OF SARAI, ABRAM'S WIFE.

GENESIS 12:17

Ka na‘e taa‘i ‘e Sihova ‘a Felo ‘aki ‘a e ngaahi tautea lahi, pehē foki mo hono ‘api, ko e me‘a ‘ia Sēlai ko e uaifi ‘o ‘Epalame.

The verb naga can mean "touch, strike, or plague." The first two occurrences involve women. Eve, one-upping God's command, said to the serpent that she and Adam couldn't even naga the fruit (Gen. 3:3). And when Pharaoh absconds with Sarai, God naga the king. Clearly, being "touched" in this second way is like heaven's fist pummeling your face. Hebrew likes to use the same root word for nouns and verbs, so God "plagued [naga] Pharaoh with great plagues." Bruised and battered on the boxing mat of Egypt, the king got the message, loud and clear.

Of course, all this plaguing in Genesis 12 foreshadows the future clobbering of a far more muleheaded Pharaoh in Exodus. Only after a tenfold naga from God did he finally unlock Israel's shackles. That worked for Israel, but all humanity was under a far worse imprisonment: "Before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed" (Gal. 3:23). Our liberty came when the Messiah was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, chastised for us (Isa. 53:5). We "esteemed him stricken [naga], smitten by God, and afflicted" (v. 4). Christ was plagued for us. Now we are forever free in him, for "with his wounds we are healed" (v. 5).

Christ crucified, hear our prayer, heal our wounds, and free us for life abundant in you.

Monite Sanuali 30, 2023

 The unfruitful Earth

Ko e Kelekele ta’efua

GENESIS 12:10

NOW THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND. SO ABRAM WENT DOWN TO EGYPT TO SOJOURN THERE, FOR THE FAMINE WAS SEVERE IN THE LAND.

SENESI 12:10

Pea na‘e faifai pea honge ‘a e fonua; pea ‘alu hifo ‘a ‘Epalame ki ‘Isipite ke ‘āunofo ‘i he potu ko ia; he na‘e mamafa ‘a e honge ‘i he fonua.

The word ra'av, translated here as "famine," is the general word for "hunger." God wasn't joking when he told Adam "cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life" (Gen. 3:17). He who ate the forbidden fruit would henceforth fight thorn and thistle, drought and fire, insects and floods, to bend the soil to his agricultural will. Yet the Lord knows how to transform a curse into a blessing, for famines also loom large in his plans of mercy. By a ra'au he brings Abram into Egypt to enrich him: Jacob into Egypt to reunite him with Joseph; Naomi into Moab to welcome Ruth into her family; and Israel to repentance under Elijah.

Jesus refers to the famine in the days of Elijah as exemplary of his people's stubborn refusal to hear God's Word, as well as his divine mercy to the Gentiles (Luke 4:24-26). To both Jew and Gentile, Christ says, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). During our most severe famines of body and soul, Christ alone is our salvation.

Heavenly Father, who satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with good things, satisfy and fill us with your Son.

Sapate Sanuali 29, 2023

God's Marching Orders

Ko e Angi Laka ‘a e ‘Otua 

GENESIS 12:1

NOW THE LORD SAID TO ABRAM, "GO FROM YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR KINDRED AND YOUR FATHER'S HOUSE TO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU."

SENESI 12:1

PEA folofola ‘a Sihova kia ‘Epalame, ‘o pehē, Hiki koe mei ho fonua, pea mei ho tupu‘anga, pea mei he fale ‘o ho‘o tamai, ki he fonua te u fakahā kiate koe.

God's first utterance to Abram was not "build" or "serve" or even "believe." It was lek-l'ka! Lek is an imperative form of halak, which means "walk or go"; l'ka is literally "for yourself." The KJV renders it "Get thee out." " We might say, "Get going!"

Abram could kiss sedentary life goodbye. He was a man on the move, walking "by faith... not knowing where he was going" (Heb. 11:8). His life, therefore, becomes like a parable. He lives as a stranger in a foreign land, banking on the unseen promise of God. "He was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (11:10).

Abraham walked by faith, which is "the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), yet he also rejoiced that he would see the day of Christ; indeed, he "saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). Before Abraham heard God say, "Go!"-before Abraham even was-Jesus says, "I am" (8:58). The Son showed up at Abraham's tent (Gen. 18:1-15), appeared in a vision (Gen. 15), and visited him in the form of a heavenly messenger (Gen. 22:11). The same God who commanded Lek! was close at hand. The "I am" has always been our Emmanuel.

 Lord Jesus, lead us, with Abraham, to the everlasting city, whose builder is God.

Tokonaki Sanuali 28, 2023 

Building Blocks of Language

Ko e Makatu‘unga ‘o e ngaahi lea Faka-fonua

 GENESIS 11:3-4

AND THEY SAID TO ONE ANOTHER, "COME, LET US MAKE BRICKS, AND BURN THEM THOROUGHLY...COME, LET US BUILD OURSELVES A CITY AND A TOWER WITH ITS TOP IN THE HEAVENS."

 SENESI 11:3-4

Pea nau fepehē‘aki; ‘Ē, tau ngaohi maka ‘umea mu‘a, ‘o mātu‘aki ta‘o ke moho. Pea nau maka ‘aki ‘a e maka ‘umea, mo nau lahe ‘aki ‘a e kelepulu. 4Pea nau pehē, ‘Ē, tau langa mu‘a ha‘atau kolo, mo ha taua ke tau ki langi, pea tau ‘ai ke ‘iloa hotau hingoa, na‘a tau movete ‘i he funga ‘o māmani.

 The Tower of Babel story is riddled with Hebrew inside jokes. The most obvious is they're poking fun at the "great and glorious" city of Babel (Hebrew: Bavel), later called Babylon. It's called Bavel because the Lord balal ("confused") their language (v. 9). Also, God humorously had to come down (v. 5) to inspect this city, although its tower is supposedly "in the heavens" (v. 4). And, finally, the Lord chose to "confuse their language" (v. 7). The consonants in this form of the verb for "confuse," n-b-l, is a scrambling of the three consonants, l-b-n, in the word for brick. Because God n-b-l ("confused") their language, they could no longer use their l-b-n ("brick"). We might say that God destroyed the building blocks of their speech.

 All this humor at Babylon's expense is well earned. In the Bible, she is the symbol of evil, a world turned against God. Babylon, Israel's ancient enemy, is called the "mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations" (Rev. 17:5). In the end, however, she is "Fallen, fallen!" (18:2), but the victorious Christ has built for us the New Jerusalem, "coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (21:2).

 Praise to you, O Christ, for building us Zion, the New Jerusalem, as our everlasting home with you.

Falaite Sanuali 27, 2023

The Fruit of the Vine

Ko e Fua ‘o e Vaine

GENESIS 9:20-21

NOAH BEGAN TO BE A MAN OF THE SOIL, AND HE PLANTED A VINEYARD. HE DRANK OF THE WINE AND BECAME DRUNK AND LAY UNCOVERED IN HIS TENT.

GENESIS 9:20-21

Pea hanga ‘a e fa‘a ko Noa ‘o tō vaine: pea ne inu mei he uaine ‘o ne konā; pea na‘a ne ta‘evala ‘i hono loto tēniti.

The early stories about yayin ("wine") do not bode well for its future positive use. Noah gets three sheets to the wind and sprawls naked in his tent. Lot's daughters get their dad drunk on wine, then have sex with him (19:30-38). Not a good first impression of the fruit of the vine. But its reputation brightens in other narratives. The priest-king Melchizedek, who is a foreshadowing of Jesus, brings out bread and yayin to Abraham (14:18). When Jacob blesses Judah, he says that tribe will be so rich in wine that they can use it to wash garments (49:11). And the end-time feast of the Messiah will feature "well-aged wine" (Isa. 25:6).

 On the night of his final Passover with his disciples, Jesus lifted up a cup of wine and said, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:27-28). Yayin, called the "blood of grapes" in Jacob's blessing of his Judah (Gen. 49:11), is the drink of choice by the Messiah from Judah as he gives us his covenant blood to drink, that we might receive (what some church fathers called) the "sober intoxication of the Spirit."

 Quench our thirst, O Lord, with the wine of your mercy.

Tu’apulelulu Sanuali 26, 2023 

God's Retired Weapon

Ko e Me’atau kuo hu’i ‘e he ‘Otua

GENESIS 9:13-15

"I HAVE SET MY BOW IN THE CLOUD, AND IT SHALL BE A SIGN OF THE COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND THE EARTH. WHEN I BRING CLOUDS OVER THE EARTH AND THE BOW IS SEEN IN THE CLOUDS, I WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT THAT IS BETWEEN ME AND YOU AND EVERY LIVING CREATURE OF ALL FLESH."

SENESI 9:13-15

kuo u ‘ai ‘eku ‘umata ‘i he ngaahi ‘ao; pea ‘e hoko ia ko e faka‘ilonga fuakava ‘i he vaha‘a ‘o‘oku mo māmani. Pea ka faifai pea u tānaki ‘ao mai ki he fonua, pea ‘e hā ‘a e ‘umata ‘i he ‘ao, pea te u manatu ai ki he‘eku fuakava, ‘a e fuakava ‘a‘aku mo kimoutolu mo e fa‘ahinga me‘a mo‘ui kehekehe, ‘io, ‘a e kakano kotoa pē; pea ‘e ‘ikai toe hoko ‘a e vai ko e lōmaki, ‘o maumau‘i ‘a e kakano kotoa pē.

Though often translated "rainbow," the word qeshet ordinarily refers to a "bow," the weapon. Notice two things: one, this qeshet is not in the hands of the heavenly archer, who shot the arrows of the flood on the earth. It hangs from the clouds. The Lord has retired his weapon. Second, it faces not downward, at us, but upward, at God. We are unthreatened by it. God transformed a weapon of war into an emblem of peace.

But it gets even better. Later, when God appears to Ezekiel, looking like a man, this likeness of the glory of the Lord is "like the appearance of the qeshet that is in the cloud on the day of rain" (Ezek. 1:28). This man-like glory is the Father's Son, whom John sees in heaven, "and around the throne was a rainbow" (Rev. 4:3). The two ends of the bow, joining Genesis to Revelation, point us to Christ, for "he himself is our peace" (Eph. 2:14).

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety" (Ps. 4:8).

Pulelulu Sanuali 25, 2023

The Axis of Heaven and Earth

Ko e Fetaulaki’anga ‘o Langi mo Mamani

GENESIS 8:20

THEN NOAH BUILT AN ALTAR TO THE LORD AND TOOK SOME OF EVERY CLEAN ANIMAL AND SOME OF EVERY CLEAN BIRD AND OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS ON THE ALTAR.

SENESI 8:20

Pea na‘e fokotu‘u ‘e Noa ha ‘ōlita kia Sihova, pea ne to‘o ha ni‘ihi ‘o e fa‘ahinga manu kehekehe na‘e ngofua, mo e ni‘ihi mei he fa‘ahinga manupuna kehekehe na‘e ngofua, ‘o ne fai‘aki ha ngaahi feilaulau ‘i he ‘ōlita.

Mizbeach is a noun formed from the verb zavach, to sacrifice. So a mizbeach ("altar") is simply "the place for sacrificing." Its simple meaning, however, hides a profound importance. The altar is where God and humanity clasp hands. It is the axis of heaven and earth. Every altar is a mini mountain where sinners climb up, the Lord steps down, and there is a rendezvous of mercy. In the aftermath of the flood, Noah built this altar in a purged world, eager for a fresh start.

 But more was needed than this fresh start. Noah built his altar, as would Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and many others. Each altar provided temporary relief, not lasting atonement. God and humanity would clasp hands, but they needed a permanent embrace. The lasting embrace finally happened on a very different kind of altar, built not by Jews but Romans, erected outside the temple, at the place of the skull. Here, he who was both God and man stepped up to be the sacrifice, to swallow the flood, to become the sweet-smelling aroma that wafted to heaven. The mizbeach of the cross of Jesus became the everlasting rendezvous of mercy.

 Heavenly Father, meet us in mercy at the altar of your Son.

Tusite Sanuali 24, 2023

The Prophetic and Feathered Jonah

Ko e Palofita mo e Manupuna ko Siona

 GENESIS 8:11

AND THE DOVE CAME BACK TO [NOAH] IN THE EVENING, AND BEHOLD, IN HER MOUTH WAS A FRESHLY PLUCKED OLIVE LEAF. SO NOAH KNEW THAT THE WATERS HAD SUBSIDED FROM THE EARTH.

SENESI 8:11

pea ha‘u ‘a e lupe kiate ia fe‘unga mo ‘ene efiafi; pea tā kuo ‘i hono ngutu ha lou‘i ‘ōlive mata: pea ‘ilo ai ‘e Noa kuo manifi ‘a e vai ‘i he fonua.

 The Hebrew y is usually written as an English j. Thus Jonah is Yonah. His name means "dove," though this pigheaded prophet exhibited a decidedly more hawkish personality. Part of his story has him aboard a ship, ravaged by a raging sea. In that way, he is connected with another ship and another sea. Noah released two birds from his ship: a raven and a dove (yonah). One preached bad news, as it were: the waters were not dried up. But the dove preached good news, sporting an olive leaf in her beak when she returned. Finally, the floodwaters had subsided.

 Biblical stories, read side by side, often produce fascinating results. Like the bird yonah, the prophet Yonah will bring peace, but the bird does it with an olive branch while the prophet does it by being cast into the sea itself! Both bird and man, however, unite as smaller parts of a larger story: the story of a Savior who compared his three days in the tomb to Jonah's three days in the fish, and on whom the dove of the Spirit would land at the Jordan to mark him as God's chosen peace for us all.

 Holy Spirit, preacher of peace, proclaim and establish peace in our turbulent hearts.

Monite Sanuali 23, 2023 

God's Remembering Actions

Ko e Ngaahi Ngaue Manatu ‘a e ‘Otua

GENESIS 8:1

BUT GOD REMEMBERED NOAH AND ALL THE BEASTS AND ALL THE LIVESTOCK THAT WERE WITH HIM IN THE ARK. AND GOD MADE A WIND BLOW OVER THE EARTH, AND THE WATERS SUBSIDED.

SENESI 8:1

PEA manatu ‘a e ‘Otua kia Noa, pea ki he ngaahi manu kaivao mo e ngaahi manu lalata na‘e ‘iate ia ‘i he ‘a‘ake: pea na‘e fakaangi ‘e he ‘Otua ha matangi ki he funga fonua, pea taumatala ai ‘a e vai;

In Hebrew, to zakar ("remember") isn't so much a cerebral activity as it is a hand and mouth action. It's akin to remembering someone's birthday by the very act of throwing them a party. Such a Hebrew party would constitute the remembrance. Similarly, to remember a name isn't just to recall someone's name but to speak it - or, in God's case, to praise it. "I will cause your name to be remembered [zakar]," the psalmist says, meaning, the "nations will praise you forever and ever" (45:17). Remembering was praising. So when the Lord remembered Noah and the animals, it wasn't as if God slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Good grief - I forgot all about the ship!" No, he remembered them in the very act of making the wind blow over the earth. Sending the wind was the act of remembrance.

When God remembers us, he acts to save and bless us. Likewise, when he does not remember our sins (Isa. 43:25), he doesn't act to punish us for them. Christ is the Father's remembrance incarnate. He is the tangible, verifiable, embodied gift of God's redemptive remembering.

"Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!" (Ps. 25:7).

Sapate Sanuali 22, 2023

The Major and Minor Arks

Ko e ‘A’ake Lahi mo e ‘A’aki Si’i

GENESIS 6:14

"MAKE YOURSELF AN ARK OF GOPHER WOOD. MAKE ROOMS IN THE ARK, AND COVER IT INSIDE AND OUT WITH PITCH."

SENESI 6:14

Ke ke fa‘u mo‘ou ha ‘a‘ake ‘aki ‘a e ‘akau ko e kofa; te ke ngaohi ‘a e ‘a‘ake ke ‘ana‘ia, pea te ke vali ‘aki ha pulu mei loto mo tu‘a.

An ark is a tevah - a chest-shaped or box-shaped boat. (The "ark" in "ark of the covenant" is a different Hebrew word.)

There are only two arks in the Bible: one big enough to hold a tiny world; the other just big enough to hold a tiny baby. Noah built his tevah and the mother of Moses built one for him (Exod. 2:3). Both were waterproofed with pitch. The mini-tevah for Moses is usually translated as "basket," though the King James Version (KJV) chose "ark"-and wisely so, because we were meant to hitch these two boats together in our minds.

Noah and Moses floated above waters in which many others drowned. Both were kept safe. Both brought forth a new people for God after a massive destruction. And both are connected with baptism: Noah saved his family, typifying baptism (1 Pet. 3:20-21), and Israel was "baptized into Moses" at the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10:2). From ancient times, the church too has been pictured, architecturally, as a boat or ark. "Pulpit," for instance, also means "front of a ship." Baptized into the body of Christ, we are saved, protected, and become part of God's people in the ark of the church.

Heavenly Father, keep us high and dry in the holy ark of your church, safe from the floods that rage around us.

Tokonaki Sanuali 21, 2023 

A Bad Frame of Mind

Fakautuutu ‘a e kovi ‘a e tangata ‘i māmani,

GENESIS 6:5

THE LORD SAW THAT THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS GREAT IN THE EARTH, AND THAT EVERY INTENTION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY.

SENESI 6:5

Pea na‘e ‘afio‘i ‘e Sihova kuo fakautuutu ‘a e kovi ‘a e tangata ‘i māmani, pea ‘oku kovi ‘atā ‘a e filio‘i kotoa pē ‘o e ngaahi fakakaukau ‘a hono loto ma‘u ai pē

In six chapters, we've gone from people being "very good" to "every intention of the thoughts of his heart [being] only evil continually." Things fell apart precipitously. The word for "intention" is yetzer. Because yetzer is also connected with forming and framing, we can think of it as a "frame of mind," a holistic outlook on life. And in this case, it's all bad. Rabbis spoke of people having a yetzer ha-tov ("propensity to good") and yetzer ha-ra ("propensity to evil"). God "knows our yetzer ['frame']; he remembers that we are dust" (Ps. 103:14). And in Noah's day, this "human dust" was about to get very, very muddy.

One thing we can always count on: with every disaster, the Lord also creates a way of redemption. Every burning house has an open door. And this story's "open door" is in the side of an ark. In it the God who "formed [yatzar] the man of dust from the ground" (Gen. 2:7) saved a family by which to re-form humanity. And, finally, he rescued us all through the Redeemer whom he "formed [yatzar]... from the womb to be his servant" (Isa. 49:5).

O Lord, you who saw the days formed for us when as yet there was none of them, create in us clean hearts (Pss. 139:16; 51:10).

Falaite Sanuali 20, 2023

Call on the Name of Yahweh

Lotu ki he Huafa ‘o Sihova

GENESIS 4:26

TO SETH ALSO A SON WAS BORN, AND HE CALLED HIS NAME ENOSH. AT THAT TIME PEOPLE BEGAN TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.

SENESI 4:26

Pea ko Seti foki na‘e fanau‘i kiate ia ha foha; ‘o ne fakahingoa ko ‘Īnosi. Ko e taimi ko ia na‘e kamata fai ai ‘a e lotu ki he huafa ‘o Sihova.

There's a sly contrast suggested by two names in this verse, one human one divine. The name Enosh, which is another word for "man," is derived from a Hebrew root (anash), meaning "weak" or "sickly." It's the same root that Jeremiah uses to describe the heart that is deceitful and "sick/

incurable" (anush) above all things (17:9). So Enosh isn't exactly a strong, herculean name. If anything, it encapsulates humanity's condition in a fractured world. That's all the more reason, then, to qara ("call") on the name of the LORD-the strong, healthy, and dependable name of God.

The verb qara can be used both to invoke ("call upon") and to proclaim name of the LORD ("call out"). In our crumbling lives, we invoke him, knowing that "the a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe" (Prov. 18:10). In our sin-sick world, we proclaim his healing name (Acts 3:16). And we rely on Jesus, who bears the name above all names-Yahweh with every knee bowing, every tongue confessing, that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11).

(Ps. 115:1). "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!"

 

Tu’apulelulu Sanuali 19, 2023 

The Voice of Blood

Ko e Le‘o ‘o e Toto

GENESIS 4:10

AND THE LORD SAID, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? THE VOICE OF YOUR BROTHER'S BLOOD IS CRYING TO ME FROM THE GROUND."

SENESI 4:10

Pea ne folofola mai, Ko e hā eni kuo ke fai? Sī, ko e le‘o ena! Ko e ngaahi tulutā toto ‘o ho tehina ‘oku tangi mai kiate au mei he kelekele.

The word for blood, dam, is in the plural here. Cain shed "bloods." The plural is almost always used in situations of bloodguilt or bloodshed. Early Jewish commentators, who found significance in every miniscule detail, argued that "bloods" was written instead of "blood" because Cain murdered not just one man but also all his potential descendants. This led to the rabbinic saying that he who destroys one life has destroyed the whole world. We recognize the truth of this, for there is never one victim of a murder-countless others are "killed" emotionally or psychologically by this heinous crime.

We learn from Cain's story three vital truths: blood has a voice, it uses that voice to cry to God, and that bloody voice is heard. Now if God heard Abel's blood, just think of how much louder the blood of Christ rings in his ears! For his blood "speaks a better word than the blood of Abel" (Heb. 12:24). His death, far from destroying a whole world, saved it, for through him God reconciled "to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20).

May your blood, O Christ, which through the eternal Spirit you offered without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Heb. 9:14).

Pulelulu Sanuali 18, 2023 

The First Two Humans

Ko e ‘Uluaki Tangata

GENESIS 4:1

NOW ADAM KNEW EVE HIS WIFE, AND SHE CONCEIVED AND BORE CAIN, SAYING, "I HAVE GOTTEN A MAN WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD."

SENESI 4:1

PEA fe‘iloaki ‘a ‘Ātama mo hono uaifi ko ‘Ivi pea ne feitama, ‘o ne fā‘ele‘i ‘a Keini [ko Ma‘u], pea pehē ‘e he fefine, Kuo u ma‘u ha tangata ‘ia Sihova.

Cain and Abel were the first two human beings - at least, in the ordinary sense. Being crafted from dirt and a rib makes Adam and Eve a little hard to identify with. But Cain and Abel were conceived during a roll in the hay. Both had birthdays. We get them. Most likely they were twins since there is no “and she conceived again” between  the report of their births. Cains’ name in Hebrew is Qayin, which is derived from the verb qanah. It can mean get, buy, create, or beget, depending on the context. Thus Eve’s nativity announcement, “I have qanah a man.”

Martin Luther argued that Eve thought she had given birth to the seed whom God had promised earlier (3:15). He read the Hebrew as "I have gotten the man of the LORD." It's a possible but improbable translation. That being said, had Eve thought Cain was the promised seed, she was woefully wrong. Cain, a murderer, would have scored a big, fat F in messiahship. No. Eve would have to wait, as did generations after her. But one day another "Eve" named Mary would qanah another son, a man who truly was "a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

Conceive faith in us, dear Father, which receives from you all that Christ has won for us.

Tusite Sanuali 17, 2023 

Riding Angels כרוב

Ka‘ate ‘Angelo ‘oku puna

GENESIS 3:24

AT THE EAST OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN [GOD] PLACED THE CHERUBIM AND A FLAMING SWORD THAT TURNED EVERY WAY TO GUARD THE WAY TO THE TREE OF LIFE.

SENESI 3:24

‘Io, ne kapusi ‘a e tangata; pea ne fakanofo ‘i hahake ‘i he ngouetapu ‘i ‘Īteni, ‘a e Selupimi, mo ha heletā ulo na‘e tavilovilo, mo le‘ohi ‘a e hala ki he ‘Akau ‘o e Mo‘ui.

Angels are dangerous. There is nothing cute or sweet or precious about them. When they show up, people cower in fear-and rightly so. Cherub (singular) or cherubim (plural) is k'ruv and k'ruvim in Hebrew. (The im in Hebrew is a plural ending, like our English s.)

These k'ruvim are warriors, unsheathed swords of fire in their hands, to ensure Adam and Eve don't tiptoe back into the garden. Later, two golden k'ruvim will stretch out their wings atop the ark of the covenant, acting as God's throne (Exod. 25:18-20). Sometimes these angels are pictured with multiple wings and four faces, bearing an ambulatory throne (Ezek. 1, 10). In one unforgettable image, God "rode upon a cherub and flew" (Ps. 18:10).

K'ruvim are soldiers in the unseen army that infiltrates our world. They are a kind of spiritual Special Forces that defend us from diabolical angels that went to the dark side eons ago. But now, rather than guarding us from the tree of life, they provide a military escort for us as we march to the tree of the cross and receive from Christ the fruit of life.

Heavenly Father, let your holy angel be with us, that the evil foe may have no power over us (Luther).