KE TALI ʻa e fehuʻi ko ení, tau tokangataha nounou ki he faʻifaʻitakiʻanga ʻe ua ʻo e fakamaau fakaʻotua ʻi he Tohi Tapú—ko e Lōmaki ʻi he ʻaho ʻo Noá mo hono fakaʻauha ʻo e kau Kēnaní.

MEʻA ʻOKU LEAʻAKI ʻE HE KAKAÍ: “Naʻe anga-fakamamahi ʻa e ʻOtuá ʻi he taimi naʻá ne tukuange mai ai ha lōmaki naʻá ne fakaʻauha kotoa ʻa e faʻahinga ʻo e tangatá tuku kehe pē ʻa Noa mo hono fāmilí.”

MEʻA ʻOKU LEAʻAKI ʻE HE TOHI TAPÚ: Naʻe pehē ʻe he ʻOtuá: “ʻOku ikai teu fiemalie i he mate ae agahala; ka i he tafoki ae agahala mei hono hala ke ne moui.” (ʻIsikeli 33:11, PM) Ko ia ko hono fakaʻauha ʻo e fulikivanú ʻi he ʻaho ʻo Noá naʻe ʻikai ʻaupito ke fiemālie ai ʻa e ʻOtuá. Pea ko e hā naʻá ne fai ai iá?

ʻOku tali ʻe he Tohi Tapú ʻo pehē ʻi he taimi naʻe ʻomai ai ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e fakamaau ko iá ki he kakai anga-taʻefakaʻotua ʻi he kuohilí, naʻá ne “fokotuʻu ai ha sīpinga ki he ngaahi meʻa ka hoko ʻi he kahaʻú ki he kakai anga-taʻefakaʻotuá.” (2 Pita 2:5, 6) Ko e hā ʻa e sīpinga naʻe fokotuʻu ʻe he ʻOtuá?

ʻUluakí, naʻe ʻiloʻi ʻe he ʻOtuá neongo ʻe fakamamahi kiate ia ke fakaʻauha ʻa e kakaí, ʻokú ne lāuʻilo ki he kakai anga-fakamamahi ʻoku nau fakatupunga ʻa e faingataʻá pea nau fai ha fakamatala ki heʻenau ngaahi tōʻongá. ʻI he faai mai ʻa e taimí, te ne fakangata kotoa ʻa e fakamaau taʻetotonú mo e faingataʻá.

Uá, ko e sīpinga ʻo e ngaahi ngāue ʻa e ʻOtuá he kuohilí naʻe fakahaaʻi ai naʻe fakatokanga anga-ʻofa ʻa e ʻOtuá ki he kakaí ki muʻa ke ne fakahoko ʻa e fakamāú. Ko Noá ko ha tokotaha malangaʻi ʻo e māʻoniʻoní, ka ko e kakai tokolahi naʻa nau tukunoaʻi ia. ʻOku pehē ʻi he Tohi Tapú: “Naʻe ʻikai te nau tokanga kae ʻoua kuo hoko mai ʻa e Lōmakí ʻo tafiʻi kotoa atu kinautolu.”—Mātiu 24:39.

Kuo tauhi ʻa e ʻOtuá ki he sīpinga ko iá? ʻIo. Ko e fakatātaá, naʻá ne fakatokanga ki hono kakai ʻIsilelí kapau te nau tafoki ki he fulikivanú ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi puleʻanga takatakai kia kinautolú, te ne fakaʻatā ʻa e ngaahi filí ke nau ʻohofi honau fonuá; fakaʻauha honau kolomuʻá, ʻa Selusalema; pea taki pōpula kinautolu. Naʻe tafoki ʻa ʻIsileli ki he fulikivanú—naʻa mo hono feilaulauʻi ʻa e fānaú. Naʻe fai ʻe Sihova ha meʻa? ʻIo, ka ʻi he toki hili pē hono fekauʻi atu ʻa e kau palōfitá ke nau toutou fakatokanga ki hono kakaí, ke nau liliu ʻenau ngaahi foungá ki muʻa ke fuʻu tōmuí. Naʻe aʻu ʻo ne pehē: “Talaʻehai ʻe fai ʻe Atonai Sihova ha meʻa, ka te ne fukefuke ki heʻene kau tamaioʻeiki ko e kau palofita ʻa e meʻa kuo tuʻutuʻuni.”—ʻĒmosi 3:7.

ANGA HOʻO KAUNGA KI AÍ: Ko e sīpinga ʻoku tau sio ai ʻi he fakamaau ʻa Sihova he kuohilí ʻoku ʻomai ai ʻa e  ʻamanaki. ʻE lava ke tau fakatuʻotuʻa atu ʻi he falala-pau ki hono fakamāuʻi ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e faʻahinga ʻoku nau fakatupunga anga-fakamamahi ʻa e faingataʻá. ʻOku pehē ʻe he Tohi Tapú: “Ko e kau taʻe fai totonu ʻe tuʻusi ia . . . Ka ʻe maʻu ʻa e fonua ʻe he faʻa kataki; pea te nau fefiefiaʻi ʻi he melino lahi.” (Saame 37:9-11) Ko e hā hoʻo fakakaukau ki ha fakamaau te ne toʻo atu ʻa e faingataʻaʻia ʻa e faʻahinga ʻo e tangatá? Ko e anga-fakamamahi ia pe ko e faimeesi?

MEʻA ʻOKU LEAʻAKI ʻE HE KAKAÍ: “Ko hono fakaʻauha ʻo e kau Kēnaní ko ha tau anga-fakamamahi ia ʻo tatau mo e fakaʻauha fakafaʻahinga ʻi onopōní.”

MEʻA ʻOKU LEAʻAKI ʻE HE TOHI TAPÚ: “Ko e ngaahi founga kotoa [ʻa e ʻOtuá] ʻoku fakamaau totonu. [Ko iá] ko ha ʻOtua ʻo e faitōnunga, ʻa ia ʻoku ʻikai ha fakamaau taʻetotonu.” (Teutalōnome 32:4, NW) Ko e fakamaau totonu fakaʻotuá ʻoku ʻikai tatau ia mo ha tau fakaetangata. Ko e hā hono ʻuhingá? Koeʻuhí ʻi he ʻikai hangē ko e tangatá, ʻoku malava ʻa e ʻOtuá ke ʻiloʻi ʻa e lotó—ko e tuʻunga moʻoni ʻo e tangatá.

Ko e fakatātaá, ʻi he taimi naʻe fakamāuʻi ai ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e kolo ko Sōtoma mo Komolá pea fakapapauʻi ke fakaʻauha kinauá, naʻe tokanga ʻa e tangata faitōnunga ko ʻĒpalahamé ki he mahuʻinga ʻo e fakamaau totonú. Naʻe ʻikai malava ke ne sioloto atu ki hono ʻOtua faitotonú te ne “fakaʻauha ʻa e maʻoniʻoni fakataha mo e angahala.” ʻI he anga-kātakí, naʻe fakapapauʻi ange ʻe he ʻOtuá kiate ia kapau naʻe ʻi ai ha kakai māʻoniʻoni ʻe toko hongofulu ʻi Sōtoma, te Ne fakahaofi ʻa e koló koeʻuhi ko kinautolu. (Sēnesi 18:20-33) ʻOku hā mahino, naʻe hakule ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e loto ʻo e kakai ko iá pea ʻafioʻi ʻa e lahi ʻenau fulikivanú.—1 Kalonikali 28:9.

ʻI he tuʻunga meimei tatau, naʻe fakamāuʻi ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e kau Kēnaní pea naʻe totonu pē ʻene tuʻutuʻuni ke fakaʻauha kinautolú. Naʻe ʻiloa ʻa e kau Kēnaní ʻi heʻenau anga-fakamamahí, ʻa ia naʻe kau ai hono tutu moʻui ʻo e fānaú ko e feilaulau. * (2 Tuʻi 16:3) Naʻe ʻilo ʻe he kau Kēnaní ʻa e fekau ʻa Sihova ki ʻIsileli ke nau maʻu ʻa e kotoa ʻo e fonuá. Ko e faʻahinga naʻe fili ke nau nofo mo faitaú naʻa nau fakafepaki ʻiloʻilo pau ʻo ʻikai ki he kau ʻIsilelí pē kae pehē foki kia Sihova, ʻa ia naʻá ne ʻoange ʻa e fakamoʻoni mālohi naʻá ne kau mo hono kakaí.

Tānaki atu ki ai, naʻe fakaaʻu atu ʻe he ʻOtuá ʻa e mēsí ki he kau Kēnani naʻa nau liʻaki ʻenau fulikivanú pea tali ʻa e ngaahi tuʻunga fakaeʻulungaanga māʻolunga ʻa Sihová. Ko e fakatātaá, naʻe fakahaofi ʻa e fefine feʻauaki Kēnani ko Lēhapí, fakataha mo hono fāmilí. Pehē foki, ʻi he taimi naʻe kumi ai ʻa e kakai ʻo e kolo Kēnani ko Kipioné ki he mēsí, naʻe fakahaofi moʻui kinautolu mo e kotoa ʻenau fānaú.—Siōsiua 6:25; 9:3, 24-26.

ANGA HOʻO KAUNGA KI AÍ: ʻE lava ke tau ako ha lēsoni mātuʻaki mahuʻinga mei hono fakamāuʻi ʻo e kau Kēnaní. ʻOku tau ofi ʻaupito ki he “ʻaho ʻo e fakamāú pea mo e ʻaho ʻo hono fakaʻauha ʻa e kakai anga-taʻefakaʻotuá” ʻa ia naʻe tomuʻa talá. (2 Pita 3:7) Kapau ʻoku tau ʻofa kia Sihova, te tau maʻu ʻaonga ʻi he taimi te ne fakaʻauha ai ʻa e faingataʻaʻia ʻo e tangatá ʻaki hono toʻo mei he māmaní ʻa kinautolu ʻoku nau talitekeʻi ʻene pule totonú.

ʻOku fakamanatu anga-ʻofa mai ʻe Sihova ʻo pehē ko e ngaahi fili ʻoku fai ʻe he mātuʻá ʻe uesia ai ʻenau fānaú. ʻOku pehē ʻe he Folofola ʻa e ʻOtuá: “Ke ke fili ki he moʻui ka ke moʻui, ʻa koe mo ho hako, ke ʻofa kia Sihova ko ho ʻOtua, ke fakaongo ki hono leʻo, pea ke pikitai kiate ia.” (Teutalōnome 30:19, 20) Ko e ngaahi lea ia ʻa ha ʻOtua anga-fakamamahi pe ko e ngaahi lea ʻa ha ʻOtua ʻoku ʻofa ʻi he kakaí pea loto ke nau fai ʻa e fili totonú?