Imba yaIsraeri

Pane imwe nzvimbo murenje kumabvazuva kweKanani, Jakobo akamirira achitya kusangana nemupatya wake, Esau. Nguva iyo Jakobo yaakanga apedzisira kuona Esau, makore angangoita makumi maviri aikanga apfuura, Esau aida kumuuraya. Jakobo akapedza usiku hwose achiteterera, achitsvaka ropafadzo kubva kuna Mwari. Nokuda kwerutendo rwaJakobo, tsungiriro, uye neushing, Mwari vakapindura minamato yake. Usiku ihwohwo zita raJakobo rakashandurwa kunzi Israeri, zita rinoreva kuti, pakati pezvimwe zvinhu, “anotsungirira naMwari” (Genesi 32:28, chinyorwa chepazasi pepeji b).

Iyi ndiyo nguva yokutanga zita rekuti Israeri yarinoonekwa muBhaibheri, uye izita rinoenderera mberi nemuBhaibheri rose uye nemunhoroondo yose. Nenguva diki zita racho rakazova rinoreva vakawanda kupfuura munhu mumwechete. Israeri akanga aine vanakomana gumi nevaviri, uye zvizvarwa zvavo zvaizivikanwa pamwechete “seimba yaIsraeri,” “madzinza aIsraeri,” “vana vaIsraeri,” kana kuti “vaIsraeri.”

Nemunhoroondo yose, vana vaIsraeri vaikoshesa zvikuru rudzi rwavo rwaibva kune rimwe ramadzinza gumi nemaviri aIsraeri. Dzinza ravo raiva chikamu chakakosha chezivikanwo yechibvumirano yavo. Muapostora Pauro akazivisa kuti aive “wedzinza raBenjamini” (VaRoma 11:1). Chimwe chechikonzero Rihai chaakatuma vanakomana vake kuJerusarema kunotora mahwendefa endarira ndechokuti mahwendefa aya aiva “mutsetse wemadziteteguru avo” (1 Nifai 5:14). Rihai akaona kuti aiva chizvarwa chaJosefa, uye nzwisiso yezvizvarwa zvake yeukama hwavo neimba yaIsraeri yakazova inokosha kwavari mumakore akatevera.

MuChechi nhasi, unogona kunzwa pamusoro paIsraeri mumashoko akaita sekuti “kuunganidzwa kwaIsraeri.” Tinoimba pamusoro “peMununuri waIsraeri,” “Hope of Israeli,” uye “Ye Elders of Israel.” Mumamiriro ezvinhu aya, hatisi kutaura kana kuimba pamusoro peumambo hweIsraeri hwechinyakare kana rudzi rwanhasi runonzi Israel. Asi, tiri kutaura pamusoro pevanhu vakaunganidzwa kubva kumarudzi epanyika pose kupinda muChechi yaJesu Kristu. Tiri kutaura nezve vanhu vanotsungirira naMwari, vanotsvaka nemwoyo wose maropafadzo Avo, uye avo, kuburikidza nerubhabhatidzo, vava vanhu Vavo vechibvumirano. Mumashoko aMutungamiri Russell M. Nelson, kuva vaIsraeri zvinoreva “kubvumira Mwari kuti vakunde muupenyu hwedu, … kubvumira Mwari kuva neshanduro ine simba gurusa muupenyu hwedu.”

Ropafadzo yako yapatiriyaki inozivisa ukama hwako nerimwe remadzinza eimba yaIsraeri. Izvi zvinopfuura kungova chidimbu chinonakidza chenhoroondo yemhuri. Zviri maereranowo neranhasi uye neramangwana rako. Kuva chikamu cheimba yaIsraeri zvinoreva kuti une ukama hwechibvumirano naBaba Vokudenga uye naJesu Kristu. Zvinoreva kuti iwe, saAbrahama, uripo kuti uve “ropafadzo” kuvana vaMwari (Genesi 12:2; Abrahama 2:9–11). Zvinoreva, mumashoko aPetro, kuti “imi muri chizvarwa chakasarudzwa, hupirisita hwamambo, rudzi rutsvene, vanhu vaakazviwanira; kuti muparidze kunaka kwaiye wakakudanai kuti mubve parima muuye kuchiedza chake chinoshamisa” (1 Petro 2:9). Zvinoreva kuti iwe “unobvumira Mwari kuti vakunde”—kuti uri uyo “anotsungirira naMwari” apo paunokudza zvibvumirano zvako Navo.