ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 TU‘APULELULU SEPITEMA 14

Be Gracious to Me

‘Alo‘ofa mai kiate au

PSALM 6:1-3

O LORD, REBUKE ME NOT IN YOUR ANGER, NOR DISCIPLINE ME IN YOUR WRATH. BE GRACIOUS TO ME. O LORD. FOR I AM LANGUISHING; HEAL ME, O LORD, FOR MY BONES ARE TROUBLED. MY SOUL ALSO IS GREATLY TROUBLED. BUT YOU, O LORD-HOW LONG?

SAAME 6:1-3

1 ‘EIKI, ‘oua te ke valoki au ‘i ho‘o ‘ita, Pea ‘oua te ke tautea au ‘i ho‘o fu‘u tuputāmaki na. 2 ‘Ofa mai, ‘Eiki, he Kuo u vaivai: Sihova, faito‘o mai; he ‘oku ngatata hoku ngaahi hui. 3 ‘Oku mātu‘aki tākatu‘u foki ‘eku mo‘ui ē: Ka ko koe, ‘Eiki, ‘afē?

1 E JIHOVA, oua naa ke valoki‘i au i ho houhau, be tautea au i ho houhau vela. 2 Aloofa mai kiate au, E Jihova; he oku ou vaivai: E Jihova, fakamoui au; he kuo mamahi hoku gaahi hui. 3 Oku mamahi lahi foki mo hoku laumalie: ka ko koe, E Jihova, e fefe hono fuoloa? (Uesi)

[LILIU FAKA-TONGA]

‘I he hā‘ele ange ‘a e ‘Eiki ‘i he ‘ao ‘o Mosese, na’a ne fakahaa ange, ko "‘Alo‘ofa mo Anga lelei” Ia  [sainuni]" (‘Ekisoto 34:6). Ko e fakamatala veape, sainuni ko e konga ‘o ha pupunga lea ‘oku fakapipiki ki he angalelei (kelesi) pea ‘oku nau fekau’aki mo e veape ko e sainani, “anga’ofa” pe “hoho’ia”. Ko e lotu ‘oku pehee, “ke ke sainani” kiate au ‘e Sihova, ‘i he lea-Hepeluu, ‘oku kainga ia mo e “Kailea ‘elisoni” ‘i he faka-Kalisi: ko e tautapa ‘a e kakai ‘oku nau fakamo’oni, ‘oku taha pe ‘a e ‘amanaki ki he mamani ko eni - ko e ‘Otua pe ‘o e kelesi mo e meesi. Ko e fakamaau totonu ‘oku ‘i ai pe hono ngata’anga. ‘E ‘ikai te tau kei feinga ai pe ‘i hotau mafai fakaetangata. Ko e pupuha mo e lo’imata ‘o a’u ki he tafe ‘a e toto, ‘oku nau ngata kotoa. Ka ko e Tamai pe ‘o e ngaahi kelesi ‘e tu’u mai.  

‘Oku fakaulomai ‘e Sisu Kalaisi hono fofonga kiate kitautolu mo ne sainani [‘alo’ofa] kiate kitautolu (Nomipa 6:25). Ko e Laumalie fakamolemole, ‘i he’ene kelesi, ‘oku ne tamate’i ‘etau ngaahi angahala (Saame 51:1). Ko Ia ‘a ‘etau mo’ui. Ko Ia ‘etau maama. Ko Ia ‘a hotau fe’unga’angaa mo hotau “fakahaofi ‘i he taimi faingata’a” (‘Aisea 33:2). ‘Oku tau “ma‘u foaki pē ‘a e fakatonuhia ‘i he‘ene ‘ofa pē ‘a‘ana, ko e me‘a ‘i he totongi huhu‘i ‘a ia kuo ‘ia Kalaisi Sīsū " (Loma 3:24).

"KE KE meesi kiate au, ‘e ‘Otua, He ko ho tau ‘a e manava‘ofa. Ke ke tāmate‘i ‘eku ngaahi angahala Ke hoa mo e lahi ‘o ho‘o ‘alo‘ofa" (Saame 51:1)

[ENGLISH]

When the Lord passed by Moses, he identified himself as "merciful and gracious [channun]" (Exod. 34:6). The adjective channun is part of a cluster of grace-words, interconnected by the verb chanan, "to be gracious" or "to favor." The prayer "chanan to me, O LORD" in Hebrew is like Kyrie eleison in Greek: it is the cry of those who realize there is one and only one true hope in this world-a God of grace and mercy. Justice will only get us so far. We can't bootstrap ourselves up to a new lease on life. Blood, sweat, and tears have their limits. But a Father of grace?

The Lord Jesus who makes his face shine on us and is chanan to us (Num. 6:25)? The forgiving Spirit who, in his grace, blots out our transgressions (Ps. 51:1)? He is our life. He is our light. He is our all-sufficient "salvation in the time of trouble" (Isa. 33:2). We "are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

"Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the 

greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions" (Ps. 51:1 NASB)