ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 FALAITE SEPITEMA 15

The Majestic Name

Hono ‘ikai Fungani ho Huafa

PSALM 8:1

O LORD, OUR LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH! YOU HAVE SET YOUR GLORY ABOVE THE HEAVENS.

SAAME 8:1

‘E Sihova, ko homau ‘Eiki, Hono ‘ikai fungani ho huafa ‘i māmani! ‘A ia kuo ke fakaheka ho teunga ki he ngaahi langi.

[LILIU FAKA-TONGA]

‘I he tohi talonoa ‘o Hale Pota (Harry Potter) ko e fa’ahikehe ko Volotamoa na’e ‘iloa ko e “Ko-IA-’oku-tapu-ke-Lea’i-hono-Hingoa”. Ka ‘i he Tohitapu, ko e semi [huafa] ‘o e ‘Otua, kuopau ia ke fakahaa’i ke ‘iloa ‘i mamani. ‘Oku tau ui ki hono semi, ‘oku tau fakahikihiki’i, malanga’i, pea tau falala ki ai. Ko e Huafa toputapu ‘o e ‘Otua, ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha ngaahi mata’itohi pe ‘oku fokotu’utu’u, ka ko e lave tonu ki hono pesona. Ko e papuunoa ‘a hono Huafa (Exod. 20:7) ko hono pa’usi’i pe ia ‘o e ‘Otua. Ko e Huafaa ‘oku ne fuatautau mai ‘a e pesona ‘o e ‘Otua. Ko e ‘ai ‘e he ‘Otuaa hono huafa ki he ‘afio’anga (Teutalonome 12:5) koe’uhi ke ne ‘i ai foki (1 Tu’i  8:16). ‘I he Saame 8:1, ‘oku tu’u fakataha ‘a e Huafa ‘o e ‘Otua mo hono langilangi - ko e fakafofonga loua ‘o Sihova. Pea ‘i he puipuitu’a ko eni, ‘oku mahino leva ‘a e ngaue’aki ‘e he kau Siuu ‘a e HaSemi, ko e ‘uhinga ki he ‘Otua.

"Ko e hingoa ‘oku mā‘olunga ‘i he hingoa kotoa pē” na’e foaki kia Sisu, na’e ‘ikai ko “Sisu”, ka ko e Huafa faka-’Otua ‘o ‘IAUEE [Yahweh]  (Filipai 2:9-10). Na’e ‘osi fakamahino ‘e he Tamai ‘i he tohi ‘Ekisoto fekau’aki mo ‘ene talafekau te ne tataki ‘a ‘Isileli, “ko hoku semi [hingoa] ‘oku tu‘u ‘iate ia” (‘Ekisoto 23:21), ‘o ‘uhinga, ko iaa ko hoku fakafofonga, ko hoku ‘Alo, ‘oku ne ma’u ‘a e uho tatau mo e mafai ‘o e ‘Otua. ‘I he huafa ‘oku ma’u ‘e Sisu (YHWH) ‘e peluki ‘a e tui kotoa kiate IA.

"Pea ‘e falala kiate koe ‘a ha‘a maheni ki ho huafa; He tala‘ehai kuo ke li‘aki, ‘e Sihova, ‘a e kau kumi ki he ‘Afiona" (Saame 9:10).

[ENGLISH]

In the Harry Potter series, evil Voldemort is "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." In the Bible, God's shem ("name") is the exact opposite-he must be named! We call on his shem, praise it, preach it, trust in it. Names, especially the divine name, are not a mere string of letters but the person himself. To misuse God's name (Exod. 20:7) is to misuse God himself. The name equals the person. For God to "put [his] name" at the sanctuary (Deut. 12:5) so that his "name might be there" (1 Kings 8:16) is to put himself there. Psalm 8:1 puts God's name and glory in parallel, for they are both stand-ins for the Lord. With this background, one can easily understand why, in Jewish tradition, God is often referred to as HaShem, "the name."

"The name that is above every name" that is given to Jesus is not "Jesus" but the divine name, Yahweh (Phil. 2:9-10). Already in Exodus, this was clear, for the Father said of the messenger who would lead Israel, "my shem is in him" (23:21), meaning, he is a divine agent, my Son, who shares my essence and power. At the name that Jesus possesses, Yahweh, every knee will bow.

"Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you" (Ps. 9:10).