56—Ukufundiswa Ngomthetho KaThixo

[Esi sahluko sisekwe kuNehemiya 8; 9; and 10.]

Lalifikile ixesha lesikhumbuzo sokumema ngezigodlo. Babebaninzi ababeqokelelene eYerusalem. Udonga lwaseYerusalem lwalakhiwe ngokutsha, amasango emisiwe, nangona indawo enkulu yesixeko yayiseziindonga.AN 661.1

Phezu kweqonga lemithi, elalakhiwe kwesinye sezitrato ezibanzi, lijikelezwe macala onke zizikhumbuzo ezilusizi zokumka kobuqaqawuli bukaYuda, kwakumi uEzra, sele eyindoda ekhulileyo ngoku. Ngasekunene nangasekhohlo kwakhe kwakumi abazalwana bakhe abangabaLevi. Ekhangele emi eqongeni, amehlo ahamba-hamba phezu kolwandle lweentloko. Besuka kuwo wonke ummandla ojikelezileyo, babehlangene abantwana bomnqophiso. “UEzra wambonga uYehova, uThixo omkhulu. Baphendula bonke abantu, bathi, Amen: . . . bathoba, baqubuda kuYehova, bebhekise ubuso babo emhlabeni.”AN 661.2

Kanti ke nalapha, sasisabonakala isono sikaIsrayeli. Ngenxa yokwendiselana kwabantu nezinye iintlanga, ulwimi lwamaHebhere lonakaliswa, kwaza kwafuneka kubekho unonophelo olukhulu kwabo bathethayo ukuba bawuchaze umthetho ngolwimi lwabantu, ukuze bonke bawuqonde. Abanye bababingeleli nabaLevi bahlangana noEzra ekuchazeni imithetho-siseko yomthetho. “Balesa encwadini, emyalelweni kaThixo, ngokucacileyo, beqononondisa; bakuqonda ke ukulesa oku.”AN 662.1

“Iindlebe zabantu bonke zaphulaphula loo ncwadi yomyalelo.” Bawaphulaphula ngokuzimisela nangembeko amazwi Osenyangweni. Wathi xa uchazwa umthetho, babubona ubutyala babo, benza isimbonono ngenxa yokugqitha kwabo umthetho. Le mini ke, yayiyeyesidlo, imini yovuyo, umhlangano ongcwele, imini kaYehova awayalela abantu ukuba bayigcine ngovuyo nokonwaba; kwathi ngenxa yoku, bayalelwa ukuba bayibambe intlungu yabo, bavuye ngenxa yenceba enkulu kaThixo ngakubo.AN 662.2

“Le mini ingcwele kuYehova uThixo wethu,” watsho uNehemiya. “Musani ukwenza isijwili, musani ukulila. . . . Yiyani, nidle amanqatha, nisele izinto ezinencasa, nise isabelo kwabangalungiselwanga nto; ngokuba le mini ingcwele kwiNkosi yethu. Musani ukuba buhlungu; ngokuba uvuyo lukaYehova ligwiba lenu.”AN 662.3

Isigaba sokuqala semini sasinikelwe kunqulo lokukhonza, baza abantu balichitha ixesha eliseleyo ekukhumbuleni benombulelo, iintsikelelo zikaThixo nasekonwabeleni okumnandi [uThixo] awayebaphe kona. Kwabakho nezinto ezimnandi ezathunyelwa kumahlwempu, awayengenanto ayilungisileyo. Lwaba lukhulu ulonwabo ngenxa yamazwi omthetho owafundwayo aza aqondwa.AN 662.4

Ngemini elandelayo, ukufundwa nokuchazwa komthetho kwaqhubeka. Kwathi ngexesha elimisiweyo—ngomhla weshumi wenyanga yesixhenxe—iinkonzo ezizukileyo zeMini yoCamagushelo zenziwa, ngokomyalelo kaThixo.AN 665.1

Ukususela koweshumi elinantlanu ukuya kowamashumi amabini anesibini kuyo loo nyanga, abantu kunye nabaphathi babo basigcina kwakhona isiDlo seMinquba. Kwavakaliswa “emizini yabo yonke, naseYerusalem, kuthiwa, Phumani niye ezintabeni, nize namahlamvu eminquma, namahlamvu emimirtile, namahlamvu esundu, namahlamvu emithi ethe shinyi, ukuze kwenziwe iminquba njengoko kubhaliweyo. Baphuma abantu, bawazisa, bazenzela iminquba, elowo phezu kwendlu yakhe, nasezintendelezweni zabo, nasezintendelezweni zendlu kaThixo. . . . Kwabakho ke uvuyo olukhulu kunene. Kwaleswa encwadini yomyalelo kaThixo [nguEzra] imihla ngemihla.”AN 665.2

Njengoko babephulaphule imihla ngemihla amazwi omthetho, abantu babubona ubugwenxa babo, nobezono zesizwe kwizizukulwana ezadlulayo. Babona ukuba kwakungokuba bemka kuThixo ukuze ukhuselo olunenkathalo lurhoxiswe, nokuba abantwana baka-Abraham basasazwe kumazwe asemzini, baza bazimisela ukuyifuna inceba yaKhe [uThixo] nokubhambathisa ukuba baza kuhamba emithethweni yaKhe. Phambi kokuba bangene kule nkonzo izukileyo, eyayibanjwa ngosuku lwesibini emva kokuphela kwesikhumbuzo seMinquba, bazahlula kwiintlangaezaziphakathi kwabo.AN 665.3

Bathi abantu bakuthoba phambi kukaYehova, bevuma izono zabo, bebongoza ukuba baxolelwe, iinkokheli zabo zabakhuthaza ukuba bakholwe ukuba uThixo, ngokwesithembiso saKhe, wayiva imithandazo yabo. Kwakungafuneki ukuba benze isimbonono kuphela, balile, baguquke, kodwa kwakufuneka bakholwe ukuba uThixo ubaxolele. Kufuneka balubonakalalise ukholo lwabo ngokubalula iinceba zaKhe, bamdumise ngokulunga kwaKhe. “Sukani nime.” Batsho abafundisi. “Bongani uYehova uThixo wenu, kususela kwaphakade kude kuse ephakadeni.”AN 666.1

Emva koko, kwisihlwele esasibuthelene, njengoko sasimi sizivulile izandla sizibhekise phezulu ezulwini, kwaphuma ingoma:AN 666.2

“Malibongwe igama lobuqaqawuli bakho,
Elikuphakameleyo konke ukubonga nokudumisa.
Wena unguYehova wedwa,
Wena wenza izulu, izulu lawo amazulu,
nomkhosi wawo wonke,
Umhlaba nento yonke ephezu kwawo,
Iilwandle neento zonke ezikhona,
Uzidlisa ubomi zonke ezo zinto;
Umkhosi wamazulu uqubuda kuwe.”AN 666.3

Iindima 5, 6.

Yakuba iphelile ingoma yokudumisa, iinkokeli zebandla zachaza imbali kaIsrayeli, zibonisa ngendlela okwaye kukukhulu ngayo ukulunga kukaThixo ngakubo, nokuba kwakukukhulu kangakanani ukuswela kwabo umbulelo. Ibandla lonke laya lenza umnqophiso wokuyigcina yonke imithetho kaThixo. Bohlwaywa kakhulu ngenxa yezono zabo; ngoku babuvuma ubulungisa bokuphathwa kwabo nguThixo baza benza “umnqophiso wenene,” uze ugcinwe kwimo eya kuhlala ihleli, ube sisikhumbuzo soxanduva abaluthabathela phezukwabo, wabhalwa phantsi,bazaababingeleli,abaLevi,namadoda amakhulu, bonke bawusayina. Wawuza kuba sisikhumbuzo somthwalo nesithintelo ekuhendweni. Abantu bafunga besithi, “Sokuhamba ngomyalelo kaThixo, owawiswa ngesandla sikaMoses umkhonzi kaThixo, nokuyigcina nokuyenza yonke imithetho kaYehova iNkosi yethu, namasiko akhe.” Isifungo esenziwayo ngeli xesha sasiquka nesithembiso sokungendiselani nabantu belizwe [abakulo].AN 666.4

Phambi kokuba iphele imini yokuzila, abantu baya babonakalalisa ngakumbi ukuzimisela kwabo ukubuyela kuYehova, ngokubhambathisa ukuba baza kuyeka ukuyihlambela iSabatha. UNehemiya akazange ngeli xesha, njengoko wenzayo kamva, asebenzise igunya lakhe ukunqanda abarhwebi beentlanga ukuba bangene eYerusalem, kodwa ukuzama ukusindisa abantu ekuweni ekulingweni, wababophelela, ngomnqophiso onendili, ukuba bangawaphuli umthetho weSabatha ngokuthenga kwaba bathengisi, enethemba lokuba oku kuya kubatyhafisa abamashishini kuze kuphele ukungenwa kuphunywa [ngeSabatha].AN 667.1

Kwaya kwenziwa nomsindleko wokuxhaswa konqulo lukaThixo lukawonke-wonke. Ukongeza esishumini, ibandla labhambathisa ukuba yonke iminyaka kuya kunikelwa isixa esibekiweyo kwiinkonzo zengcwele. “Sibawisele amaqashiso,” uyabhala uNehemiya, “. . . sizise intlahlela zeziqhamo zonke zemithi yonke, iminyaka ngeminyaka, endlwini kaYehova; nabamazibulo koonyana bethu nawemfuyo yethu, ngoko kubhaliweyo emyalelweni, namazibulo eenkomo zethu, nawempahla emfutshane.”AN 667.2

UIsrayeli wayebuyele kuThixo ngentlungu enkulu ngenxa yokuhlehla.Babesivumeisono ngokukhala nokumbabazela. Babebuvumile ubulungisa bokuphathwa kwabo nguThixo, baza banqophisa ukuwuthobela umthetho waKhe. Ngoku kufuneka babonise ukukholwa kwizithembiso zaKhe. UThixo wayekwamkele ukuguquka kwabo; ngoku kwakufuneka bavuye ngokuqinisekiswa kokuxolelwa kwezono nokubuyiselwa kwabo kwimfesane yezulu.AN 668.1

Amalinge kaNehemiya okubuyisela unqulo lukaThixo lwenene aba nempumelelo. Lo gama abantu benyanisile kwisifungo abasenzileyo, lo gama belithobela ilizwi likaThixo, noYehova uya kusizalisekisa isithembiso ngokuthulula iintsikelelo ezityebileyo phezu kwabo.AN 668.2

Kwabo basibonayo isono sabo, abasindwa yintliziyo yokungabi nto kwabo, zikho izifundo zokholo nenkuthazo kule ngxelo. IBhayibhile isibeka ngokuthembekileyo isiphumo sokreqo lukaIsrayeli; kodwa ikwazoba nokuthobeka okunzulu kunye nokuguquka, ukuzinikela ngokunyanisekileyo nombingelelo wobubele oluphawu lwamaxesha okubuyela kuYehova.AN 668.3

Konke ukubuyela kuYehova okuyinyaniso kuzisa uvuyooluhlalayo ebomini xa umoni eziyekela kwimpembelelo kaMoya Oyingcwele, uzibona ubutyala nokungcola kwakhe xa ezithelekisa nobungcwele noMphengululi weentliziyo omkhulu. Phofu akaye athi, ngenxa yoku, ancame ashiye; kuba sele ekufumene ukuxolelwa. Unakho ukuvuya kule ngqondo yokuba izono zixolelwe, naseluthandweni lukaBawo wasezulwini oxolelayo. Kuluzuko kuThixo ukubawola aboni abaguqukayo ezingalweni zothando lwaKhe, ababophe amanxeba abo, abahlambulule esonweni, abambathise ngeengubo zosindiso.AN 668.4