ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Tusite Tisema 26, 2023

O Come, Desire of Nations

Hifo mai, ‘a e Holi ‘o e Ngaahi Pule’anga

HAGGAI 2:6-8

FOR THUS SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS: YET ONCE MORE, IN A LITTLE WHILE, I WILL SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND THE DRY LAND, AND I WILL SHAKE ALL NATIONS, SO THAT THE TREASURES OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME IN, AND I WILL FILL THIS HOUSE WITH GLORY, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. THE SILVER IS MINE, AND THE GOLD IS MINE, DECLARES THE LORD OF HOSTS.

HAKEAI 2:6-8

6 He ko e folofola eni ‘a Sihova Sāpaoti. ‘Oku toe tu‘o taha pē–ko e taimi si‘i–pea ‘e hoko ‘a ‘eku lulu ‘a e langi, mo māmani, ‘io, ‘a e tahi, mo e mōmoa. 7 Pea te u lulu‘i ‘a e ngaahi pule‘anga kotoa, pea ko e Holi ‘o e ngaahi pule‘anga kotoa pē ‘e hoko mai; pea te u fakafonu lāngilangi ‘a e fale ni–ko e folofola ia ‘a Sihova Sāpaoti. 8 ‘Oku ‘a‘aku ‘a e siliva, pea ‘a‘aku ‘a e koula–ko Sihova Sāpaoti ia mei he Ta‘ehāmai.

Haggai was the proverbial burr under Israel's saddle. He agitated the people until they quit dilly-dallying and finished rebuilding the Lord's temple. Though this temple seemed paltry compared to Solomon's (2:3), Haggai prophesied that God would shake "all nations" so that their chemdah would come to beautify the sanctuary. Chemdah ("a desirable, precious, delightful thing") has sometimes been understood to be the Messiah-thus the hymn stanza "O come, Desire of nations"- but it likely refers here to the chemdah of silver and gold in the following verse.

But God had future, better plans in mind as well. He would bring a much superior "desirable thing to the temple: the chemdah of his Son. When Jesus' parents brought him as a baby to the temple (Luke 2:22), he filled  that house with a greater glory than it ever had before (Hag. 2:9), and in it, the Father gave his people peace (Luke 2:29).

Blessed are you, Jesus, most desirable gift of the Father, for your holy birth among us.