ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 A Heart with Ears

Loto ‘oku Fanongo

1 KINGS 3:9

[SOLOMON PRAYED], "GIVE YOUR SERVANT THEREFORE AN UNDERSTANDING MIND TO GOVERN YOUR PEOPLE. THAT I MAY DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, FOR WHO IS ABLE TO GOVERN THIS YOUR GREAT PEOPLE?"

1 TU‘I 3:9

Ko ia ke ke foaki ki ho‘o tamaio‘eiki ko au ha loto tokanga, ke fakamaau ho kakai ni, ‘o sivi ‘a e lelei mo e kovi; he ko hai ‘oku fe‘unga ke fakamaau ho kakai ni kuo pehē fau?

Ko ia ke ke tuku ki ho’o tamaio’eiki ha loto boto ke fakamāu‘i a ho’o kakai, koe’uhi ke u fa’a ‘ilo totonu ‘a e lelei mo e kovi; he ko hai ‘oku fa’a fai ke fakamāu‘i eni ‘a ho’o kakai toko lahi ni? (UEASI)

[LILIU FAKA-TONGA]

Kapau te ke lava ‘o kole mei he ‘Otua ha me’a, ko e ha ho’o me’a ‘e kole? ‘I ha misi, na’e ha ‘a e ‘Otua kia Solomone ‘o ne talaange, “Kole ha me’a ke u foaki kiate koe” (1 Tu’i 3:5). Na’e mei lava ke ne kole ke mo’ui tuputupu’a, pe ke koloa’ia, pe ke ne lava ‘o faka’auha hono ngaahi fili - lahi e ngaahi me’a kehekehe. Ka na’e ‘ikai. Ko e me’a na’e kole ‘e he tu’i fo’ou ko eni, ko e leva soamea. “Loto tokanga” (Molitoni) - “Loto poto” (Uesi). Ka ‘e tonu ange ‘a e “loto ‘oku fanongo.” ‘Oku ‘ikai ko ha telinga pe ‘oku fanongo, ka ko ha loto ‘oku tu’u ‘ataa ke faka-fanongo. ‘I he Tohitapu, ko e loto (leva) ko e uho ia ‘o e tangata - pea ko e kole ke ma’u ha leva soamea, ko e kole ia ke fakaongo taha ‘a hoto ngaahi ongo’angaa ki he fo’i folofola kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua. 

Na’e lahi ‘aupito ‘a e taimi na’e ta’e tokonga ai ‘a Solomone ki he me’a’ofa ko eni ‘o e loto ‘oku fanongo. Ka “‘oku ‘i heni ha me‘a ‘oku lahi ‘ia Solomone” (Matiu 12:42), ko e hako fakaetangata mo e hako ‘Otua ‘o Tevita - ko hono mafutefuaa, ‘oku fakatonu ma’u pe ia ki he fanangalo ‘o e folofola ‘a ‘ene Tamai. Ko e leva soamea ‘oku malava ai ke ne “fakamāu‘i a ho’o kakai”, ‘a e siasi, ‘aki ‘a e fakamaau totonu mo e ‘ofa, “he ‘oku ou agavaivai mo agamalu: bea te mou ‘ilo ai ‘a e fiemalie ki ho mou laumalie” (Matiu 11:29).

"Fisifisi au, ‘Eiki, pea ke faka‘ata au; Sivi ‘aki ‘a e afi hoku kofuua, mo hoku mafu (Ps. 26:2).

If you could ask God for anything, what would you choose? In a dream, there stood the Lord, telling Solomon, "Ask what I shall give you" (3:5). He could have asked for long life, to grow rich, or to get a pound of flesh from his enemies-anything. Instead, this rookie king wisely requested a lev shomea. "Understanding mind" is too abstract; I prefer the more literal rendering: "listening heart." Not just ears that hear but a heart with open ears. In the Bible, the heart (lev) is the epicenter of a human being, so to ask

for a lev shomea is to ask that all of who we are be in tune with every word of the Lord.

Solomon often squandered this gift of a listening heart. But "something greater than Solomon" (Matt. 12:42), the human and divine Son of David, had a heart perpetually in tune with the frequency of his Father's word. His lev shomea makes him able "to govern this your great people," the church, with perfect justice and love, for he is "gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" in him (Matt. 11:29).

"Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind" (Ps. 26:2).