ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

The Fire of God 

Ko e Afi ‘a e ‘Otua

1 KINGS 18:24

[ELJAH SAID], "YOU CALL UPON THE NAME OF YOUR GOD, AND I WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD, AND THE GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE, HE IS GOD." AND ALL THE PEOPLE ANSWERED. "IT IS WELL SPOKEN."

1 TU’I 18:24

Pea mou tautapa ki he huafa ‘o homou ‘otua, pea te u tautapa ‘e au ki he huafa ‘o Sihova: pea ko e ‘Otua ‘oku tali ‘aki ‘a e afi ko e ‘Otua pē ia.

[LILIU FAKA-TONGA]

Ko e tali ‘esi (afi) mai ‘a Peali, ‘e tatau pe ia mo e tali vai mai ‘a Posaitoni. Ko e ‘otua ‘o e langi, ‘e me’a noa pe ha’ane fakapaa ‘uhila hifo ‘a e afi - ko e va’inga pe ia ki ai. Ka na’e ‘ikai! Neongo ‘a e hiki ‘a e le’o ‘o e kau tau’eiki, mo ‘enau ta’alo mo hifihifi honau sino, ka na’e ‘ikai pe tali mei langi. Ka ‘i he hoko mai kia ‘Ilaisiaa, na’e to ha ‘esi mei langi ‘o ne keina kotoa ‘a e feilaulau mo e me’a kotoa na’e ‘i ai ‘o a’u ki he vai na’e lilingii. Ko e ‘esi ko eni, na’a ne tutu ke ‘osi’osi ha toe tala’a fekau’aki moe loi ‘a Peali kae mo’oni taha pe ‘a Sihova ko e ‘Otua..

KOe’uhi ko e mafai ‘o e afi ke faka’auha, ka fakahaohaoa, ka fakamaama, ke fakamafana, ko e taha eni ‘o e ngaahi fakataataa mahu’inga fekau’aki mo e ngaue kehekehe ‘a e Laumalie. Ko e afi ‘o e Laumalie ‘oku ne tutu ‘a e ‘aitoli, faka’auha ‘a e ‘uli ‘i he mo’ui, fakamaama ‘a ‘etau nofo munoa mo fakamafana ‘a e momoko hotau laumalie. ‘I he taimi ‘o to ai ‘a e afi ‘a e ‘Otua ‘i he’etau mo’ui, ‘oku tau lavea mo ongo’i - ka ko e mamahi ko ia, ko e matapaa ia k he melino. "Pea ko eni, ka fai ha kinisi, tala‘ehai ‘oku tau ongo‘i leva ko e me‘a fakafiefia ia, kaekehe, ko e me‘a fakamamahi; ka ‘e faifai pea tupu ai kiate kinautolu kuo ‘osi ‘a ako ai, ha fua ‘oku hoa mo e melino, ko e koto mā‘oni‘oni” (Heb. 12:11).

‘E Laumalie Ma’oni’oni, Afi ‘a e ‘Otua, tutu kotoa ‘a e kovi ‘i he’emau mo’ui pea tafunaki ‘a e tui, ‘amanaki mo e ‘ofa ‘iate kimautolu.

For Baal to answer by esh ("fire") should have been like Poseidon answering by water. Since he was the sky god, casting down a lightning-like fire from heaven should have been child's play. But no matter how much the priests turned up the volume, raved, and gashed themselves, the heavens remained as cold as ice. But when Elijah's turn came, esh fell so violently that it decimated sacrifices, wood, stone, and dust. Its tongues of fire even licked up the water. This esh burned up any doubt that Baal was a delusion and Yahweh alone was God.

Since fire destroys, refines, enlightens, and warms, it is the ideal image for the Spirit's variety of works. The fiery Spirit of God incinerates idolatry, purges immoral dross from us, illumines our benighted lives, and thaws our icy hearts. When the Lord's fire falls on us, it hurts - but that pain is the portal to peace. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11).

O Holy Spirit, Fire of the Father, burn all evil from our lives and kindle faith, hope, and love within us.