Ulangazelelo Lwamaphakade

2—“Abantu Abanyuliweyo”

Kwakungaphezu kwewaka leminyaka abantu bakwaYuda belindele ukufika koMsindisi. Kwesi siganeko, babebeke awona mathemba wabo akhanyayo. Kwingoma nesiprofeto, enkonzweni yasetempileni nasemthandazweni wekhaya, babemilisele khona igama laKhe. Kanti kunjalo, ekufikeni kwaKhe abazange bamazi. Lowo Othandwa lizulu, kubo waba “njengegatya eliphuma ezweni elingumqwebedu;” “engenasithomo nabungangamela;” ababona buhle kuYe ukuba bamlangazelele. “weza kokwakhe, baza abakhe abamvuma.” Isa. 53:2; Yohane 1:11. ULw 27.1

Kanti ke, uThixo wayemnyule uIsrayeli. Wayebabize ukuze agcine phakathi kwabantu ukwaziwa komthetho waKhe, kunye nemifuziselo neziprofeto ezazisalatha kuMsindisi. Wayelangazelela ukuba babe ngamaqula osindiso ehlabathini. Into awayeyiyo uAbraham elizweni lokuphambukela, awayeyiyo uYosefu eYiputa, noDaniyeli kumabhotwe aseBhabheli, abantu bamaHebhere kwakufuneka beyiyo phakathi kwezizwe. Kwakufuneka betyhile uThixo ebantwini. ULw 27.2

Ekumbizeni uAbraham, uYehova wayethe, “ndikusikelele; . . . ube yintsikelelo; . . . zisikeleleke ngawe zonke izizwe zehlabathi.” Gen. 12:2, 3. Kwale mfundiso inye yaphindwa ngabaprofeti. Nasemva kokuba uIsrayeli wachithwa yimfazwe nakukuthinjwa isithembiso yayisesabo, “Amasalela akwaYakobi aya kuba phakathi kwezizwe ezininzi, njengombethe ophuma kuYehova, njengamathontsi emvula ebutyanini; engathembele mntwini, engalindele koonyana babantu.” Mika 5:7. Ngokubhekiselele kwitempile eseYerusalem, uYehova wathi ngoIsaya, “Indlu yam kuya kuthiwa yindlu yokuthandaza ezizweni zonke.” Isa. 56:7. ULw 27.3

Asuka amaIsrayeli awamilisela amathemba awo kubukhulu basemhlabeni. Kususela kwixesha lokungena kwawo elizweni laseKanan, asuka ayishiya imithetho kaThixo, alandela iindlela zeentlanga. Kwaba lilize ukubathumela kukaThixo isilumkiso ngabaprofeti baKhe. Kwaba lilize ukubulaleka kwabo kakubi kukohlwaywa yingcinezelo yeentlanga. Uhlaziyo ngalunye lwalulandelwa kukukreqa okunzulu. ULw 28.1

Ukuba uIsrayeli wayethe wanyaniseka kuThixo, ngewayifeza injongo yaKhe ngokumzukisa nokumphakamisa kwabo. Ukuba babehambe ezindleleni zokuthobela, wayeya “[kubaphakamisa] ngaphezu kweentlanga zonke azenzileyo, [babe] yindumiso, negama, nendili.” “Zibone zonke izizwe zehlabathi,” watsho uMoses, ukuba igama likaYehova libizwe phezu kwakho, zikoyike.” “Abantu abaya kuyiva yonke le mimiselo” baya kuthi, “Olu hlanga lukhulu ngabantu abalumkileyo, abanengqondo bodwa.” Dut. 26:19; 28:10; 4:6. Kwathi kodwa, ngenxa yokunganyaniseki kwabo, injongo kaThixo yenziwa kuphela ngokuba basoloko bethubeleza kwimbandezelo nokuthotyelwa phantsi. ULw 28.2

Basiwa engcinezelweni eBhabheli, basasazwa kumazwe abahedeni. Ekungcungcuthekisweni abaninzi bakuhlaziya ukunyaniseka kwabo emnqophisweni waKhe [uThixo]. Ngexesha bexhome iihadi zabo phezu kwemingcunube, bekhalela itempile engcwele eyayidiliziwe, ukukhanya kwenyaniso kwabengezela ngabo, kwaza ukwaziwa kukaThixo kwasasazeka phakathi kwezizwe. Iinkqubo zabahedeni zokubingelela zazikukugqwetheka kwenkqubo uThixo awayeyimisile; baza abaninzi ababukele ngokunyaniseka iinkonzo zeentlanga, bafunda kumaHebhere intsingiselo yenkonzo emiswe lizulu, bathi ngokholo, basibamba isithembiso soMhlanguli. ULw 28.3

Abaninzi kwabazimbacu batshutshiswa. Abazange babe mbalwa abaphulukana nobomi babo kuba besala ukuhlambela iSabatha bahloniphe izimiso zeentlanga. Babesithi xa abanquli bezithixo besuka ukuba banyhashe inyaniso, uYehova azise abakhonzi baKhe ukuba bajongane ubuso ngobuso nookumkani nabalawuli, ukuze bona nabantu babo bazuze ukukhanya. Amaxesha ngamaxesha iikumkani ezinkulu zazikhokelelwa ukuba zibabaze ubukhulu bukaThixo owayenqulwa ngabathinjwa bamaHebhere. ULw 28.4

Ngokuthinjwa kwaseBhabheli, amaIsrayeli anyangeka ngempumelelo ekunquleni imifanekiso eqingqiweyo. Ngeenkulungwane ezalandelayo, abulaleka yingcinezelo yeentshaba ezingabahedeni, yada yamila engqondweni into yokuba impumelelo yabo yayixhomekeke kuphela ekuthobeleni kwawo umthetho kaThixo. Kubantu abaninzi, phofu, ukuthobela kwakungaqhutywa luthando. Injongo yayijonge ekulungelwenikwabo.Bamnika uThixo inkonzo nje yangaphandle njengendlela yokuzuza ukuba babe sisizwe esikhulu. Abazange babe kukukhanya kwehlabathi, kodwa bazivalela kude nehlabathi ukuze basinde kwisilingo sokunqula izithixo. Kwimfundiso eyayinikwe nguMoses, uThixo wayebeke imiqathango ekuhlanganeni kwabo nabanquli bezithixo; kodwa le mfundiso yathatyathwa ngandlela yimbi. Yayisingisele ekubathinteleni ekuvumelaneni nezenzo zabahedeni. Yasuka yasetyenziselwa ukwakha udonga lokwahlula phakathi kukaIsrayeli nazo zonke ezinye izizwe. AmaYuda ayibona iYerusalem njengezulu lawo, kwaye ayenomona kakhulu hleze uYehova enzele inceba iiNtlanga. ULw 28.5

Akuba ebuyile eBhabheli, kwanikwa ukuqwalasela okukhulu kwimfundiso yenkolo. Kulo lonke ilizwe, kwakhiwa izindlu zesikhungu, apho umthetho wawuchazwa khona ngababingeleli nababhali. Kwakhiwa izikolo, ezazibanga ukuba, kuhlangene nobugcisa kunye nobunzulu-lwazi, kwakukwafundiswa imithetho yobulungisa. Sekunjalo, ezi zenzeli zaya zonakala [ekuziphatheni]. Ngexesha lokuthinjwa, uninzi lwabantu lwafumana iingcamango namasiko eentlanga, baza ezo zinto bazizisa kwinkonzo yenkolo yabo. Kwizinto ezininzi bavumelana nezenzo zabantu abanqula izithixo. ULw 29.1

Ngexesha esimka kuThixo, amaYuda akholisa kakhulu ukulahlekwa ngumbono wemfundiso yokwenziwa kwenkonzo yonqulo. Loo nkonzo yayifundiswe nguKristu ngokwaKhe. Kuyo yonke indawo yayingumfuziselo waKhe; kwaye yayizele bubomi nobuhle basemoyeni. Asuka amaYuda alahlekwa bubomi basemoyeni, abambelela kwinkqubo ezifileyo. Athembela kwimibingelelo nemimiselo ngokwayo, endaweni yokwayama kuLowo ezo zinto zazisalatha kuYe. Ukuvala isithuba soko ayekulahlile, ababingeleli nabafundisi basuka bandisa okwakufunwa ngabo; kwathi bakukhula ngakumbi ekuqineni, kwaba kukona bebonakalisa ukumthanda kancinane uThixo. Babulinganisela ubungcwele babo ngobuninzi beenkonzo zabo, lo gama iintliziyo zabo zazizele likratshi nokuhanahanisa. ULw 29.2

Seyikho yonke imiyalelo yobucukubhede obungumthwalo onzima, kwakungakwazeki ukuwugcina umthetho. Abo babelangazelela ukukhonza uThixo, nababezama ukugcina imiyalelo yoorabhi, baphatheka kabuhlungu phantsi komthwalo onzima. Babengafumani kuphumla ekumangalelweni sisazela esikhathazekileyo. USathana wayesebenza ukubatyhafisa abantu, ethoba imbono yabo yesimilo sikaThixo, nokwenza ukuba ukholo lukaIsrayeli lungabi nto. Wathemba ukuba uya kwenza ibango awalenza ezulwini ukuvukela kwakhe,--elithi, oko kufunwa nguThixo akunabo ubulungisa, kwaye akunako ukuthotyelwa. NoIsrayeli, wathi, akazange awugcine umthetho. ULw 29.3

Nangona amaYuda ayelangazelela ukufika kukaMesiya, ayengenayo imbono yomsebenzi awayeza kuwenza. Ayengakhangelanga ekukhululweni esonweni, kodwa ekuhlangulweni kumaRoma. Ayelindele ukuba uMesiya eze njengomoyisi, ukuze aphule amandla omcinezeli, amphakamise uIsrayeli ukuba abe nobukhosi kwihlabathi lonke. Ngalo ndlela, yayilungiseke kakuhle indlela yokuba angamamkeli uMsindisi. ULw 30.1

Ngexesha lokuzalwa kukaKristu, isizwe sasityabuka phantsi kolawulo lweenkosi zaso zasemzini, sikwathuthunjiswa kukulwa sisodwa ngaphakathi. AmaYuda ayevunyelwe ukuba agcine isimo solawulo oluzimele lodwa; kodwa kungabikho nto isitha ukuba babengaphantsi kwedyokhwe yamaRoma, okanye babe nesivumelwano esinokuwathintela kwigunya lawo [amaRoma]. AmaRoma alibanga ilungelo lokunyula nokususa umbingeleli omkhulu, saye isikhundla eso sasifunyanwa ngamaqhinga, ukunyoba, nangokubulala. Ngaloo ndlela, ububingeleli bonakala ngakumbi nangakumbi. Kanti ke kunjalo, ababingeleli babesenalo igunya elikhulu, baza balisebenzisela ukuzizuzela inzuzo nemali. Abantu babengaphantsi kweemfuno zabo [ababingeleli] ezingenanceba, bekwarhafiswa kakhulu ngamaRoma. Le meko yokuma kwezinto yasasaza ukunganeliseki okukhulu. Kwakusithi rhoqo kubekho ukuqhamka kokuvukela. Ukubawa nobugebenga, ukungathembi nokungakhathali ngokwasemoyeni, zaba zizinto eziyitya ngaphakathi intliziyo yesizwe. ULw 30.2

Intiyo ngakumaRoma, ikratshi lobuzwe nelasemoyeni, lawakhokelela amaYuda ukuba abambelele ngqongqo kwindlela yawo yokunqula. Ababingeleli bazama ukugcina isidima sobungcwele ngokuqaphelisisa ngocoselelo iinkonzo zenkolo. Abantu, ebumnyameni nasekucinezelweni kwabo, nabalawuli, ekunxanelweni amandla, balangazelela ukufika kwaLowo owayeza kufika oyise iintshaba zabo, abuyisele ubukumkani kuIsrayeli. ULw 30.3

Ayezifundile iziprofeto, kodwa bengenawo umbono wasemoyeni. Ngenxa yoko bazigqitha ezo zibhalo zazisalatha ekuthotyelweni phantsi kokufika kokuqala kukaKristu, azisebenzisa ngendlela engeyiyo ezo zazithetha ngobuqaqawuli bokufika kwaKhe kwesibini. Ikratshi lawusitha umbono wawo. Aya asichaza isiprofeto ngokufuna okuhambelana nomnqweno wawo ofuna okukokwawo. ULw 30.4