ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 TUSITE SEPITEMA 19

Horn of Salvation

KO HOKU NIFO FAKAMO‘UI

PSALM 18:1-2

I LOVE YOU, O LORD, MY STRENGTH. THE LORD IS MY ROCK AND MY FORTRESS AND MY DELIVERER, MY GOD. MY ROCK, IN WHOM I TAKE REFUGE, MY SHIELD, AND THE HORN OF MY SALVATION, MY STRONGHOLD.

SAAME 18:1-2

1 ‘OKU OU hau‘alofa‘ia ki he ‘Afiona, ‘A hoku mālohinga ko Sihova. 2 Ko hoku mo‘unga ‘a Sihova, mo ‘eku kolo, mo hoku hao‘anga; Ko hoku ‘Otua ko hoku makatu‘u ia, ‘a ia ‘oku fai ki ai ‘eku hūfanga: Ko ‘eku pā, mo hoku nifo fakamo‘ui: ko hoku fu‘u taua.

[LILIU FAKA-TONGA]

‘Oku ‘omi ‘e Tevita ‘a e ngaahi ‘imisi kehekehe ‘o e ‘Otuaa ke tau vakai ki ai: ko e maka, ko e kolotau, ko hotau fakahaofi, ko e hufanga, ko e paa, ko e kolomalu, ko e nifo. Ko e keileni (nifo) ‘oku malie ‘a hono ngaue’aki. ‘Oku anga fe fe ‘a e hoko ‘a e ‘Otua, ko e nifo fakamo’ui? Ko e keileni, ‘e ‘uhinga pe ia ki he nifo pe me’atui ‘o ha monumanu, pe ko e ngaahi tuliki ‘o e ‘olita, pe ko e me’alea, pe tanaki’anga lolo ki he fakanofoo. Ko e “mahiki hono nifo”, ‘oku ‘uhinga ia, ki hono fakaivia (Saame 112:9). ‘I he funga kolosi, ne fakamanamana’i ‘a e Misaiaa ‘e he "nifo ‘o e fanga pufaloe" (22:21). Ko e ongo ‘uhinga ‘oku toe, ‘oku na lave ki he hoko ‘a e keileni ko ha fakataataa ‘o e mafai mo e ivi, hange ko e nima ‘e fa ‘ia Sakalaia 1:18-19, pe ko e nifo ‘e hongofulu ‘i he Tohi Fakahaa, ko e tu’i ‘e toko hongofulu (17:12). 

Na’e hiva fakafeta’i ‘a e tamai ‘a Sione Papitaiso ki he ‘Otua, "He kuo ne ‘a‘ahi mai, mo fai ha huhu‘i ma‘a hono kakai. Mo ne fokotu‘u he hako ‘o Tēvita, ko ‘ene tamaio‘eiki,

Ha nifo mo‘otau fakahaofi” (Luke 1:68-69). Ko e “nifo fakahaof” ‘o e hako ‘o Tevita, ko e Misaia ia, na’e hiva ki ai ‘a ‘Ana ‘i ono’aho: “te ne tuku mālohi ki he‘ene tu‘i, Mo fakamā‘olunga ‘a e keileni [nifo] ‘o ‘ene pani” (1 Sam. 2:10). Ko Kalaisi ‘a e Tu’i ‘o e hako ‘o Tevita, ‘Ana, Sakalaia mo kitautolu kotoa. Ko IA ‘a e NIFO FAKAMO’UI. 

Monu’iaa, ka ko koe, Kalaisi, ko homau malohi mo e nifo ‘oku ne fakahaofi kimautolu mei he angahala mo mate. 

[ENGLISH]

David heaps up images of God: rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, stronghold, and horn. The last, qeren ("horn"), is intriguing. How is God  the horn of salvation? A qeren can refer to actual animal horns, altar corners, musical instruments, or receptacles for anointing oil. To "raise someone's horn" is to strengthen them (Ps. 112:9). On the cross, the Messiah is threatened by "the horns of the wild oxen" (22:21). These last two examples illustrate how the geren symbolizes power and might, like the four horns in  Zechariah stand for worldly power (1:18-19) or the ten horns in Revelation represent ten kings (17:12).

The father of John the Baptist sang thanksgiving to the God who "has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David" (Luke 1:68-69). This Davidic "horn of salvation" is the Messiah, of whom Hannah sang long before: the Lord "will give strength to his king and exalt the horn [qeren] of his anointed" He is our horn of salvation. (1 Sam. 2:10). Christ is the King of David, Hannah, Zechariah, and all of us. He is the horn of our salvation.

Blessed are you, O Christ, our strength and the horn that saves us from sin and death.