ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 PULELULU SEPITEMA 27

Blessed Are the God-Dependent 

Monu’ia ‘a kinautolu ‘oku fakafalala ki he ‘Otua

PSALM 37:10-11

IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE, THE WICKED WILL BE NO MORE THOUGH YOU LOOK CAREFULLY AT HIS PLACE, HE WILL NOT BE THERE. BUT THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE LAND AND DELIGHT THEMSELVES IN ABUNDANT PEACE.

SAAME 37:10-11

10 ‘Io, ‘oku toe si‘i pea mole ‘a ia ‘oku fai kovi; ‘Io, te ke hakule ‘a e potu na‘e ‘i ai, ka ‘oku ‘ikai. 11 Ka ‘e ma‘u ‘a e fonua ‘e he fa‘a kātaki; Pea te nau fefiefia‘i ‘i he melino lahi.

[LILIU FAKA-TONGA]

Ko e folofola ‘a Sisu, "Monū‘ia ā ka ko kinautolu ‘oku fa‘a kātaki: he ‘e tō mo‘onautolu ‘a e fonua" (Matiu 5:5), na’a ne fai mei he fakakaukau ‘o e Fuakava Motu’a. Ta’u ‘e tahaafe kimu’aa, na’e hiki ‘e Tevita ‘a e lea ni: A millennium before, David had written. "Ka ‘e ma‘u ‘a e fonua ‘e he ‘anave [fa‘a kātaki]". Ko e ‘anave, ko e fehangahangai ia ‘o e ‘afungi. ‘E lava pe ke tau ui ‘a e kau ‘anave, ko e kau falala-’Otua. ‘I he Ngaahi Saame, ‘oku fafanga ‘e he ‘Otua kinautolu (22:26), tataki kinautolu (25:9), pea ne fakateunga’aki kinautolu ‘a e fakamo’ui (149:4). ‘Oku nau tangi kiate Ia (9:12), ‘oku nau polepole ‘iate Ia (34:2), pea nau kumi ki he ‘Otua (69:32). ‘Oku ‘ikai ko ha kau pe’e pe ko ha fa’ahinga vaivai ke laka noa’ia ai ‘a e kakai. Ko Mosese, ko ha tangata to’a mo ivi’ia, ka na’e taku ko e tangata ‘anave, na‘e anga kātaki ‘aupito, ‘o hulu atu ‘i he tangata kotoa na‘e ‘i he funga kelekele" (Nomipa 12:3). ‘I he founga tatau, ko e kau ‘anave, ko e kakai tui ta’emalu’ia, tonunga, mo lotolahi, kuo nau tukulolo ki he founga mo e finangalo ‘o e ‘Eiki - ‘osi mateuteu ke fakatanga’i kinautolu ‘o a’u pe ki he mate fakama’ata koe’uhi ko hono Huafa.

Ko honau tofi’aa, ‘a e kelekele, ‘a ee ‘e toe fakafo’ou ‘i he ha’ele hono ua. "‘Io, ‘oku toe si‘i pea mole ‘a ia ‘oku fai kovi" (Ps. 37:10), ka ko e kau ma’oni’oni, ‘a e kau ‘anave, te nau mo’ui’ui ‘o tupula ‘i he melino ‘oku  mafola ‘i he Pule’anga ‘o e ‘Otua. 

"‘Eiki, tu‘u hake; ‘e ‘Otua, ofa ho nima: ‘Oua na‘a ngalo ‘a e ngaohikovia!" (Saame 10:12).

[ENGLISH]

When Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5), he was speaking with an OT accent. A millennium before, David had written. "The anav ('meek'] shall inherit the land." The anav are the polar opposite of the arrogant. We might call them the God-dependent. In the psalms, God feeds them (22:26), leads them (25:9), and adorns them with salvation (149:4). They cry to him (9:12), are glad in the Lord (34:2), and seek God (69:32). They are not doormats, mousy men, or pushovers. Moses, a man of strength and courage, is described as "very anav, more than all people who were on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). Like him, the anav are bold, faithful, stronghearted believers who submit themselves to  the ways and will of the Lord-and are ready to suffer the world's mistreatment, even martyrdom, because of his name. 

Their inheritance is the land, the new earth that the Lord will fashion when he comes again. "The wicked will be no more" (Ps. 37:10), but the righteous, the anav, will flourish in the abundance of peace that pervades the kingdom of God.

"Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted" (Ps. 10:12).