49—Ngemihla Kakumkanikazi UEstere

Phantsi kwenceba eyabonakaliswa kubo nguKoreshi, phantse amawaka angamashumi amahlanu abantwana basekuthinjweni basebenzisa ithuba lomthetho owawuvumela ukubuya kwabo. Aba, phofu, xa kuthelekiswa namakhulu amawaka awayethe saa kuzo zonke izithili zeMedo-Persi, babelibathwana eliyintsalela. Uninzi lwamaIsrayeli lwalukhethe ukuhlala kwilizwe lokubhaca endaweni yokuthwala ubunzima nohambo lokubuyela (ekhaya) nokuphinda kwakhiwe izixeko namakhaya angamanxuwa.AN 598.1

Amashumi amabini, okanye ngaphezulu, eminyaka adlula, ukhutshwa komyalelo wesibini nguDariyo Hystaspes, ukumkani owayelawula ngoko, unokuhle kwanjengowokuqala. Ngaloo ndlela uThixo, ngenceba yaKhe, waba unika amaYuda akubukumkani beMedi-Persi elinye ithuba ukuba abuyele elizweni looyise. UYehova wawabona kwangaphambili amaxesha enkathazo awayeza kulandela ngexesha lika-Ahaswerosi,--uAhaswerosi wencwadi kaEstere, akanela ukwenza kuphela utshintsho lwemvakalelo ezintliziyweni zabantu abasegunyeni, kodwa wakwaphefumlela noZekariya ukuba acengane neembacuukubazibuye.AN 598.2

“Wenani! Wenani! Sabani ezweni langasentla,” yaba sisigidimi esanikwa izizwe ezithe saa zikaIsrayeli ezazisele zimi kumazwe amaninzi kude nekhaya lazo langaphambili. “Ngokuba ndiniphangalalisa njengemimoya yomine yezulu; utsho uYehova. Wa, Ziyon! Zisindise, wena uhleli nentombi enguBhabheli. Ngokuba utsho uYehova wemikhosi ukuthi, Undithume ukuphuthuma uzuko ezintlangeni ezinibhunyulayo; ngokuba onichukumisayo, uchukumisa ukhozo lweliso lakhe. Ngokuba uyabona, ndiya kulingisa ngesandla sam kuzo, zibe ngamaxhoba kwababezikhonza; nazi ukuba uYehova wemikhosi undithumile.” Zekariya 2:6-9.AN 599.1

Yayisekwayinjongo kaYehova, njengoko yayihleli injalo kwasekuqaleni, ukuba abantu baKhe babe yindumasi emhlabeni, ukuze kuzukiswe igama laKhe. Ngexesha leminyaka emide yokuthinjwa kwabo, wayebanike amathuba amaninzi okuba babuyele ekumthobeleni, abanye bakhetha ukuphulaphula baze bafunde; abanye balufumana usindiso phakathi kwembandezelo. Abaninzi kwaba babeza kubalwa phakathi kwesisalela esasiza kubuya. Bafaniswa yiMpefumlelo “[ne]hlamvu emantloko omsedare omde,” owawuza kutyalwa “entabeni ephakamileyo, ende. . . . entabeni ende yakwaIsrayeli.” Hezekile 17:22, 23.AN 599.2

Ngabo abo “uThixo wawuxhokonxayo umoya wabo” (Ezra 1:5) ababuyayo phantsi komthetho kaKoreshi. Kunjalo, uThixo akazange ayeke ukucengana nabo bazikhethela ngokuthanda ukuba bahlaleezweni labo lokubhacela, kwathi ngentlaninge yezenzeleli, wenza (uThixo) ukuba babenakho nabo ukubuya. Iqela elikhulu, phofu labo basilelayo ukusabela kumthetho kaKoreshi, lahlala lingachukumiseki kwiimpembelelo ezalandelayo; kwathi naxa uZekariya ebalumkisa ukuba basabe eBhabheli bengalibazisanga, abasiphulaphula isimemo.AN 599.3

Ngalo lonke ixesha, iimeko zobukumkani baseMedo-Persi zaziguquka ngokukhawuleza. UDariyo Hystaspes, ekwathi phantsi kolawulo lwakhe amaYuda afumana ukwenzelwa inceba enkulu, walandelwa nguAhaswerosi omkhulu. Kwakungexesha lolawulo lwakhe ekwathi aba bamaYuda abaya basilela ukuphulaphula isigidimi sokubaleka abaya babizelwa ukuba bajongane nentlekele embi. Njengoko balayo ukusebenzisa ithuba lokuzimela elalivulwe nguThixo, ngoku bajongana ubuso ngobuso nokufa.AN 600.1

NgoHaman, umAgagi, indoda engenasazela ikwigunya eliphezulu eMedo-Persi, uSathana wasebenza ngeli xesha ukwenza ngokuchaseneyo neenjongo zikaThixo. UHaman waba nenkohlakalo ekrakra ngakuMordekayi, umYuda. UMordekayi wayengamonanga uHaman, kodwa wasuka nje wala ukumnika imbeko eyayinokumnqula. “[E]cekisa ukuba amse izandla . . . yedwa,” uHaman waceba “ukuwatshabalalisa onke amaYuda abesebukumkanini bonke buka-Ahaswerosi, abantu bakuloMordekayi.” Estere 3:6.AN 600.2

Elahlekiswe ziintetho zobuxoki zikaHaman, uAhaswerosi wakhokelelwa ekubeni awise umthetho okhululela ukubulawa kwabo bonke abangamaYuda “abathe saa, abangene phakathi kwezizwe” zobukumkani baseMedi-Persi. Indima 8. Umhla oqinisekileyo wamiswa ekwakuza kuthi ngawo amaYuda atshatyalaliswe kuthinjwe yonke into anayo. Wayengaqondanga ukumkaniukuba zaziya kuba yintoni iziphumo phaya phambili ezaziya kukhatshwa kukwenziwa ngokupheleleyo kwalo mthetho. USathana ngokwakhe, umphembeleli ofihlakeleyo wecebo, wayezama ukususa emhlabeni abo babegcine ukwaziwa kukaThixo wenene.AN 600.3

“Kuwo onke amazwe ngamazwe, kwindawo elithe lafika kuyo ilizwi lokumkani nomthetho wakhe, yaba sisijwili esikhulu kumaYuda, nokuzila ukudla, nokulila, nokumbambazela. Abaninzi bandlala iingubo ezirhwexayo nothuthu.” Estere 4:3. Umthetho wamaMedi namaPersi wawungenakujikwa, kwakubonakala kungekho themba; onke amaIsrayeli emiselwe isiphelo esiyintshabalalo.AN 601.1

Noko kunjalo, ukuceba kotshaba koyiswa ngaMandla alawula phakathi kwabantwana babantu. Ngokwazelelela kukaThixo, uEstere, umYudakazi owayemoyika Osenyangweni, wayenziwe wangukumkanikazi kubukumkani baseMedi-Persi. UMordekayi wayezalana kakhulu naye. Ekucinezelekeni kwabo okukhulu, bagqiba ukuba babhenele kuAhaswerosi ngenxa yabantu babo. UEstere, ngesibindi, wayeza kungena phambi kwakhe njengomthetheleli. “Ngubani na owaziyo,” watsho uMordekayi, “hi kanti ungene ebukumkanini ngenxa yexesha elinje? Indima 14.AN 601.2

Intlekele awayejongene nayo uEstere yayifuna ukwenza okukhawulezileyo nokunyanisekileyo; kodwa, bobabini, yena (uEstere) noMordekayi baqonda ukuba ngaphandle kokuba uThixo angasebenza ngamandla amakhulu ngenxa yabo, eyabo imizamo yayingekhe ifeze nto. Ngoko ke, uEstere wathabatha ixesha lokuthetha noThixo, ithende lamandla akhe. “Yiya,” wayalela uModerkayi, “uwahlanganise onke amaYuda anokufumaneka eShushan, nizile ukudla ngenxa yam. Musani ukudla, musani ukusela, imihla ibe mithathu, ubusuku nemini. Mna kananjalo neempelesi zam siya kwenjenjalo ukuzila ukudla; ndenjenjalo ukuya kukumkani ngokungesesikweni, nditshabalale ukuba ndiyatshabalala.” Indima 16.AN 601.3

Iziganeko ezalandelayo zaba zezikhawulezayo, -- ukuvela kukaEstere phambi kokumkani, inceba enkulu eyabonakalaliswa kuye, isidlo sikakumkani nokumkanikazi, abe uHaman ekuphela komenyiweyo, ukulala obungehliyo kukakumkani, ukuzukiswa esidlangalaleni kukaMordekayi, nokuthobeka nokuwakukaHaman kwakufunyanwa iqhinga lakhe elikhohlakeleyo, -- konke oku kuyinxalenye yebali eliqhelekileyo. UThixowabenzela okumangalisayo abantu baKhe abaguqukayo; kwaza kwakhutshwa ngukumkani umthetho othintelayo, obavumela ukuba balwe ukukhusela ubomi babo, waza wakhawuleziswa ukusiwa kuyo yonke indawo ebukumkanini ngabathwali abakhwele amahashe, “zingxanyisiwe lilizwi lokumkani.” “Nakumazwe ngamazwe onke, nakwimizi ngemizi yonke, elathi lafika kuyo ilizwi lokumkani nomthetho wakhe, yaba yimivuyo nemihlali kumaYuda, isidlo nomhla wokuchwayitha. Abaninzi ezizweni zelizwe baba ngamaYuda; ngokuba bafikelwa kukunkwantya ngamaYuda.” Estere 8:14, 17.AN 602.1

Ngemini eyayityunjiwe yokutshatyalaliswa kwawo, “abizelana ndawonye amaYuda emizini yawo, emazweni onke kakumkani uAhaswerosi, ukuba abase isandla abo babefuna ukuwenzaokubi; akwema mntu ebusweni bawo, ngokuba izizwe zonke zafikelwa kukunkwantya.” Iingelosi ezibalaseleyo ngamandla zazithunyiwe nguThixo ukuba zikhusele abantu baKhe lo gama “[zi]khusela ubomi bawo.” Estere 9:2, 16.AN 602.2

UMordekayi wanikwa isikhundla sembeko esasisesikaHaman ngaphambili. “Ebenganeno kokumkani uAhaswerosi, emkhulu kumaYuda, ekholekile kuninzi lwabazalwana bakhe” (Estere 10:3); waza wazama ukukhulisa intlalakahle kaIsrayeli. Wenjenjalo uThixoukubuyisela abantu baKhe abanyuliweyo ekuthandwenikwakhona kwibhotwe laseMedi-Persi, nto leyo eyenza ukubanako ukufezekisa injongo yaKhe yokubabuyisela kwilizwe labo. Sekunjalo, kwada kwadlula iminyaka eliqela emva koko, ngomnyaka wesixhenxe ka-Ahaswerosi I, owalandela uAhaswerosi omKhulu, ekwathi iqela elikhulu labuyela eYerusalem phantsi kukaEzra.AN 602.3

Amava anzima awafikela abantu bakaThixo ngemihla kaEstere, ayengengawo awelo xesha kuphela. Umtyhilelwa, ekhangele phambili ekupheleni kwexesha, wathi, “Yamqumbela umfazi inamba, yemka yaya kulwa nabaseleyo bembewu yakhe, abo bayigcinayo imithetho kaThixo, abanobungqina bukaYesu Kristu.” IsiTyhilelo 12:17. Abanye babo baphilayo namhla emhlabeni, baya kuwabona la mazwi ezaliseka. Kwala moya mnye owathi kwizizukulwana ezadlulayo, wakhokelela abantu ekutshutshiseni ibandla lenyaniso, uya kuthi nakwixa elizayo ukhokelele ekulandelweni kwekhondo elifanayo ngakwabo bagcine ukuthembeka kwabo kuThixo. Nangoku, amalungiselelo eli dabi likhulu lokugqibela, ayenziwa.AN 605.1

Umthetho oza kuphuma ekugqibeleni uchasa abantu bakaThixo abangamasalela uza kufana twatse nalowo wakhutshwa nguAhaswerosi ngakumaYuda. Namhlanje iintshaba zebandla lenyaniso zibona kwiqela elincinane eligcina umthetho weSabatha uMordekayi esangweni. Ukuhlonela kwabantu bakaThixo umthetho waKhe kusisikhubekiso esizingileyo kwabo bakulahlileyo ukumoyika uYehova baye beyinyhasha iSabatha yaKhe.AN 605.2

USathana uza kuvusa ingqumbo ngakwibathwana elalayo ukwamkela amasiko nezithethe ezithandwayo. Amadoda asezikhundleni nadumileyo aya kuhlangana nabangenamthetho nabakhohlakeleyo ukuba bacebisane ukuchasa abantu bakaThixo. Ubutyebi, ubulumko, imfundo, zizinto eziya kuqhubeka nokubenza bajongelwe phantsi.AN 605.3

Abalawuli abatshutshisayo, abafundisi, namalungu ebandla bonke, baya kuceba okubi ngakubo. Ngelizwi nangosiba, ngokuzigwagwisa, uloyikiso, nokuhlekisa, baya kuzama ukulubhukuqa ukholo lwabo. Ngokuthetha ubuxoki ngezibheno zemisindo, abantu baya kuxhokonxa iimvakalelo zabantu. Ukungabi naye u-“Sithi isiBhalo” abanokumbeka phambi kwabo bamele iSabatha yeBhayibhile, baya kubhenela kwimithetho yengcinezelo ukuvala isikhewu sentswelo. Ukuzuza ukuthandwa nokuxhaswa, abenzi bemithetho baya kuyekela ekufunweni kwemithetho [yokugcinwa] kweCawa. Bona ke abo bamoyikayo uThixo, abasayi kuba nakho ukwamkela isimiso esaphula umyalelo wemiThetho eliShumi. Kweli bala likafayayo kuya kuliwa idabi lokugqibela elikhulu kwimbambano phakathi kwenyaniso nobuxoki. Thina ke, asishiywanga ekuthandabuzeni ukuba ungantoni umxholo. Namhlanje, njengakwimihla kaEstere noMordekayi, uYehova uya kuyigwebela inyaniso yaKhe nabantu baKhe.AN 606.1