50 Aso ina ua mavae le Paseka (Pesach, Pascha), Na faia e le Atua lona iloa i ona tagata, via Moses. God wrote His law with His finger on two tables of stone. But why did God write His law on stone? Why did the commandments of God had to be written on stone? What do the tables of stone in the Bible mean?
God wrote His law on tables of stone
Ma sa fetalai mai le Alii ia Mose, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them (Esoto 24:12)
God wrote the ten commandments on the two tables of stone by His finger. Na faaali mai e le Atua Lona finagalo and made His will visible to His people. These tables of stone represented the heart of stone of the carnal people, who were still o le foafoaga tuai.
Mose’ job was to teach the people of God His law and commandments, so that they would all get to know His will.
Everyone knew His will, but it was up to each one of them if they would keep His commandments in their hearts, and walk in His way.
E ui lava i le mea moni, that the people of God knew His will, and wholeheartedly promised to do, what the Lord commanded them to do, many lived in rebellion against God.
The people knew His will through His law and His commandments. Ae ui i lea malamalama, they lived after their own insights and according to their own will. They kept doing the things that pleased them, instead of doing the things that would please God. They loved themselves above all. Ioe, even above the Lord.
The heart of stone was replaced by a heart of flesh
50 days after the crucifixion a Iesu Keriso, na tupu ai le liligiina mai o le Agaga Paia. Le agaga o le tagata, who was trapped in a sinful nature and under the authority of the death, ua toetu mai le oti, e ala i le papatisoga i le Agaga Paia.
I le Aso Penetekoso, le foafoaga fou na faia. This new creation didn’t have a heart of stone anymore, because the heart of stone belonged to the old creation. God Himself, removed the heart of stone and gave a heart of flesh.
Tagata uma, who would become se foafoaga fou ia Iesu Keriso, e ala i Le Fanau Fou, would get a new heart; a heart of flesh.
Ma o le a ou tuuina atu ia i latou le tasi le loto, ma o le a ou tuuina se agaga fou i totonu ia te oe; ma o le a ou ave le loto maulalo mai o latou tino, ma o le a aumaia ia i latou le loto o tino: Ina ia mafai ona latou savavali i aʻu tulafono, Ma tausia aʻu sauniga, ma faia: ma o le a avea ma ou tagata, Ma o le a avea aʻu ma o latou Atua. A o i latou e mulimuli o latou loto i le loto o a latou mea inosia ma a latou mea inosia, Ou te taui atu lo latou ala i luga o o latou lava ulu, fetalai mai le Alii le Atua (Esekielu 11:19-21)
Salamo, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, fetalai mai le Alii le Atua: o le mea lea ia liliu mai ai outou, ma ia outou ola (Esekielu 18:30-32)
“O le a ou tuu aʻu tulafono i lo latou mafaufau, ma tusi i latou io latou loto”
O le fatu fou o le a ou avatua ia te oe, Ma o le a mafai ai e se Agaga fou ona ou faia i totonu ia te oe: ma o le a ou aveese le loto maulalo mai lou tino, ou te avatu foi ia te outou le loto aano. Ma o le a ou tuuina atu loʻu Agaga i totonu ia te outou, ma ‘ia ‘outou savavali i a‘u tulafono, ‘ia ‘outou tausiusi fo‘i i a‘u fa‘amasinoga, ma faia. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; e fai fo‘i ‘outou mo‘u nu‘u, e fai fo‘i a‘u ma o ‘outou Atua (Esekielu 36:26-27)
Aua o le feagaiga lenei o le a ou faia ma le aiga o Isaraelu ina ua mavae i latou aso, ua fetalai mai ai le Alii; O le a ou tuu aʻu tulafono i lo latou mafaufau, ma tusi i latou io latou loto: Ma o le a ou i ai i luga o latou atua, ma o le a latou i ai ia te au se tagata: Ma latou te le aoaoina i tagata uma lona tuaoi, Ma tagata uma lona uso, fai mai, Iloa le Alii: aua e iloa au e tagata uma, mai le itiiti ifo i le sili. Aua o le a ou alofa mutimutivale i lo latou amioletonu, Ma a latou agasala ma a latou amioletonu o le a ou le manatua (Eperu 8:10-12)
A change of heart causes a change in nature
TauLe Fanau Fou, the spirit of man is raised from the dead and becomes alive. A toe fanauina se tagata, the person will be given a new heart. That new heart will cause a change in nature.
The heart of stone, that always rebelled against God and against His will and His commandments, will be replaced by a heart of flesh. This heart of flesh possesses the nature and the will of God. O Le Finagalo o le Atua; His law has been written in your new heart of flesh.
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart(2 Korinito 3:3)
A e papatiso ma le Agaga Paia, God’s nature becomes your nature.
The Holy Spirit dwells in you and communicates with your spirit. You shall listen to Him, and walk after His will like the new creation; o se atalii o le Atua.
The new creation doesn’t walk in rebellion and disobedience to God the Father. But the new creation will submit to the Word of God; Iesu, and will live after O Le Finagalo o le Tamā, e pei lava o Iesu.
The new creation will not harm the Kingdom of God, by habitually living in sin, and doing those things that please him/her. The new creation shall only do those things, which please the Father so that He will be exalted and glorified. Because the new creation loves God with all his mind, loto, agaga, ma le malosi (Faitau foi: ‘Pe e te alofa i le Atua ma lou loto atoa?‘).
The new creation pleases the Father and Jesus Christ
Because the new creation loves God with all his heart, mafaufau, agaga, ma le malosi, the new creation shall faataunuuina le tulafono a le Atua. Because the law of God is nothing more than His will. His will already existed, before God made His will known, to Moses and His people.
Ona tatou suia ai lea tulafono e ala i le faatuatua? Malo: ioe, Matou te faʻatuina le tulafono (Roma 3:31)
God has given us His Word and if we live after His Word and His Spirit, and do what Jesus has commanded us to do and therefore keep His commandments, then we shall Faataunuu le Tulafono and please the Father and Jesus Christ.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
