IiNcwadi zeMbali kwiTestamente eNdala

Ngokwendalo, la mabali axelwa ngokusuka kwinqaku elithile loluvo. Njengokuba kungakwazeki ukujonga intyatyambo, ilitye, okanye umthi ngaphezu kwekona enye ngexesha, akunqandeki okokuba ingxelo yembali iya kubonisa imbono yomntu okanye yeqela labantu abayibhalayo. Le mbono ibandakanya ubudlelwane bombhali besizwe okanye uhlanga nezithethe neenkolelo zabo. Ukwazi oku kungasinceda siqonde ukuba ababhali nabaqulunqi beencwadi zembali babeqwalasele kwiinkcukacha ezithile xeshikweni babeshiya ezinye ngaphandle. Benza izigqibo ezithile abanye mhlawumbi ababengenako ukuzenza. Kwaye bafikelela kwizigqibo ezisekelwe kwezi nkcukacha neengcinga. Sikwabona nkqu neembono ezahlukeneyo kuzo zonke iincwadi zeBhayibhile (kwaye ngamanye amaxesha ngaphakathi kwencwadi enye). Ngakumbi sisazi ngezimbono, kukhona sinako ukwazi ngcono iincwadi zembali.

Enye imbono exhaphakileyo kuzo zonke iincwadi zembali kwiTestamente eNdala yimbono yabantwana bakaSirayeli, abantu bakaThixo bomnqophiso. Ukholo lwabo eNkosini lwabanceda ukuba babone isandla saYo ebomini babo nakwimicimbi yesizwe sabo. Xeshikweni iincwadi zembali eqhelekileyo zidla ngokungaboni izinto ngale ndlela, le mbono yokomoya iyinxalenye yoko kwenza iincwadi zembali zeTestamente eNdala ukuba zixabiseke kangaka kubantu abafuna ukwakha ukholo lwabo kuThixo.

Iincwadi zembali ziqala apho incwadi yeDuteronomi iphela khona, phantse ekupheleni kweminyaka yamaSirayeli ayebhadula entlango. Incwadi kaYoshuwa ibonisa abantwana bakaSirayeli belungele ukungena eKanan, ilizwe labo lesithembiso, kwaye ichaza indlela abalithatha ngayo. Iincwadi ezilandelayo, AbaGwebi ukuya kwiziKronike II, zibonisa amava kaSirayeli kwilizwe lesithembiso, ukusukela kwixesha abathi bazinza kulo kude kuye kwixesha abathi boyiswa yi-Asiriya neBhabheli. Iincwadi zika-Ezra noNehemiya zibalisa ngokubuya kwamaqela aliqela amaSirayeli ebuyela kwisixeko sabo esikhulu, iYerusalem, eminyakeni engamashumi ngamashumi kamva. Ekugqibeleni, incwadi ka-Estere ibalisa ngebali lamaSirayeli awayephila elubhacweni phantsi kolawulo lwamaPersi.

Kwaye kulapho imbali yokulandelelana ngokwamaxesha yeTestamente eNdala iphela khona. Abanye abafunda iBhayibhile okokuqala bayamangaliswa kukufumanisa ukuba sele begqibile ngokwenene ukufunda ibali leTestamente eNdala ngaphambi kokuba bafunde okungaphezulu kwesiqingatha samaphepha ayo. Emva ko-Estere, asifumani nkcukacha zininzi malunga nembali yamaSirayeli. Endaweni yoko, iincwadi ezilandelayo—ingakumbi iincwadi zabaprofeti—zingena ngaphakathi kwixesha elichazwa zezi ncwadi zembali. Ulungiselelo lomprofeti uYeremiya, ngokomzekelo, lwenzeka ngexesha lweziganeko ezibhalwe kubo OoKumkani II 22–25 (nengxelo enxusene nayo kuzo IziKronike II 34–36). Ukwazi oku kungaphembelela indlela ofunda ngayo ngokubini amabali embali neencwadi zesiprofeto.

Xa ufunda iTestamente eNdala, njengokufana nayiphi na imbali, unokufana ufunde malunga nabantu abenza okanye abathetha izinto ezo zithi, kumehlo amaxesha angoku, zibonakala zingaqhelekanga okanye nkqu zikhathaza. Kumele sikulindele oku—ababhali beTestamente eNdala babebona ihlabathi kwimbono leyo yayithe, ngokwezinye iindlela, yabanokwahluka kuleyo yethu. Ubundlobongela, ubudlelwane bobuhlanga, neendima zabafazi zezinye zemiba ababhali bamandulo ababeyibona mhlawumbi ngokwahlukileyo kunoko thina sikubonayo namhlanje.

Ngoko ke yintoni ekumele siyenze xa sidibana naloo mihlathi kwizibhalo ebonakala ikhathaza? Okokuqala, kunokunceda ukucingisisa ngomhlathi ngamnye ngokomxholo okwimeko ebanzi. Ingaba ingena njani kwicebo likaThixo losindiso? Ingaba ingena njani noko ukwaziyo malunga nendalo kaBawo waseZulwini noYesu Krestu? Ingaba ingena njani kwiinyaniso ezityhiliweyo kwezinye izibhalo okanye kwiimfundiso zabaprofeti abaphilayo? Ingaba ingena njani ekusebezeni koMoya entliziyweni yakho nasengqondweni yakho?

Kwezinye iindawo, umhlathi usenokubonakala ngathi awungeni kakuhle nakwenye yezi. Ngamanye amaxesha umhlathi usenokufana nengceba yephazili engakhangeleki ngathi inendawo phakathi kwezinye iingceba osele uzihlanganisile. Ukuzama ukunyanzelisa ingceba ukuba ingene akuyiyo eyona ndlela egqwesileyo. Kodwa ngokunjalo nokuyincama iphazili yonke. Endaweni yoko, usenokudinga ukuba ubeke bucala ingceba okwexeshana. Njengoko ufunda ngakumbi kwaye udibanisa ngakumbi iphazili, unokukwazi ukubona ngcono indlela amaqhekeza adibana ngayo.

Kananjalo kunokunceda ukukhumbula ukuba ukongeza ekusikelwe umda kwimbono ethile, iimbali zezibhalo ziphantsi kwempazamo yomntu. Ngokomzekelo, eminyakeni engamawaka-waka “izinto ezininzi ezicacileyo nezixabisekileyo [zasuswa] kuyo [iBhayibhile],” kuquka neenyaniso ezibalulekileyo neemfundiso (1Nifayi 13:28; bona kananjalo imiqolo 26, 29, 40). Kwangaxeshanye, kufuneka sizimisele ukuvuma ukuba ezethu iimbono zilinganiselwe: kuya kuhlala kukho izinto esingaziqondi ngokupheleleyo nemibuzo esingenakuyiphendula okwangoku.

Kodwa okwangoku, imibuzo engekaphendulwa ayidingi ukuba isivalele kwiinqobo ezintle zenyaniso yanaphakade ezifumaneka kwiTestamente eNdala—nkqu nokokuba ezo nqobo ngamanye amaxesha zifihlakele kumhlaba onamatye wamava akhathazayo nokhetho olubi olwenziwa ngabantu abangagqibelelanga. Mhlawumbi ezona zintle kakhulu kwezi nqobo ngamabali nemihlathi engqina ngothando lukaThixo—ingakumbi ezo zalathisa iingqondo zethu kwidini likaYesu Krestu. Nokuba uzijonge kweliphina na icala, iinqobo ezifana nezi zikhazimla ngokuqaqambileyo nanamhlanje njengokufana noko kwangelo xesha. Kwaye ngenxa yokuba ezi ngxelo zibalisa ngabantu bomnqophiso bakaThixo—amadoda nabafazi ababenobuthathaka bomntu kwaye nangoko bethanda kwaye beyikhonza iNkosi—iinqobo zenyaniso ziyaphuphuma kwiincwadi zembali kwiTestamente eNdala.