“Okufanele ukuKhumbule: IsiVumelwano,” Wozani, Ngilandeleni—Incwadi Yomuntu Ngamunye Neyemindeni: iTestamente eliDala 2020 (2021)
“Okufanele ukuKhumbule: IsiVumelwano,” Wozani, Ngilandeleni—Incwadi Yomuntu Ngamunye Neyemindeni: 2022
Okufanele ukuKhumbule
IsiVumelwano
ETestamenteni eliDala, uzovamisa ukuhlangabezana negama elithi isivumelwano. Namuhla sijwayele ukucabanga ngezivumelwano njengezethembiso ezingcwele esizenza noNkulunkulu, kepha emhlabeni wasemandulo, izivumelwano zaziyingxenye ebalulekile yokuphilisana kwabantu. Ukuze baphephe futhi baphile, abantu kwakumele bekwazi ukwethembana, kanti ukwenza izivumelwano kwakuyiyona ndlela eqotho yokwethembana.
Ngakho-ke, ngesikhathi uNkulunkulu ekhuluma noNowa, no-Abrahama, noma noMose ngezivumelwano, wayebamema ukuba bakhe ubudlelwano bokwethembana Naye. Isibonelo sesivumelwano esiqavile kwiTestamente eliDala yileso uNkulunkulu asenza no-Abrahama noSara—bese wasivuselela kwinzalo yabo u-Isaka noJakobe (ophinde abizwe ngo-Israyeli). Sijwayele ukusibiza ngesivumelwano no-Abrahama, noma kwiTestamente eliDala saziwa ngokuthi “isivumelwano” nje qha. Uzobona ukuthi kahle-kahle iTestamente eliDala yindaba yabantu abazibona beyizindlalifa zesivumelwano—abantu besivumelwano.
Isivumelwano no-Abrahama sisabalulekile nanamuhla, ikakhulukazi kwabaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina. Ngobani na? Yingoba nathi singabantu besivumelwano, noma ngabe siyinzalo ka-Abrahama, no-Isaka, kanye noJakobe ngokwegazi noma cha (bheka kwabaseGalathiya 3:27–29). Ngenxa yalesi sizathu, kubalulekile ukuba siqondisise ukuthi isivumelwano no-Abrahama ngempela siyini futhi sisho ukuthini kithi namuhla.
Siyini isivumelwano no-Abrahama?
U-Abrahama wayefuna ukuba “ngumlandeli wokulunga othembekileyo” (Abrahama 1:2), ngakho-ke uNkulunkulu wamumema ukuba akhe ubudlelwano besivumelwano naye. U-Abrahama wayengasiye owokuqala ukuba nalesi sifiso, futhi wayengasiye owokuqala ukuthola isivumelwano. Wafuna “izibusiso zobaba” (Abrahama 1:2)—izibusiso ezanikezwa u-Adamu no-Eva ngesivumelwano emva kwalokho zanikezwa labo abazifuna ngokuzimisela lezizibusoso.
Isivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu no-Abrahama kwakuyisethembiso sezibusiso ezinhle: ifa lomhlaba, inzalo eningi, ukuthola izimiso zobuphristi, kanye negama elizohlonishwa ngisho yizizukulwane ezizayo. Kepha lesi sivumelwano sasingagxilile nje kuphela kwizibusiso ezazizotholwa ngu-Abrahama nomndeni wakhe kuphela kepha nakwisibusiso bona abazoba yiso kwabanye abantwana baNkulunkulu. “Wena [uyoba] isibusiso,” kwasho uNkulunkulu. “futhi imindeni yonke yomhlaba iyakubusiswa kuwe” (Genesise 12:2–3).
Ngabe lesi sivumelwano sabaphakamisa na u-Abrahama, uSara, kanye nesizukulwane sabo phakathi kwabantwana baNkulunkulu? Baphakanyiswa ngokuthi kuyisibusiso ukubusisa abanye kuphela. Umndeni ka-Abrahama kwakumele “[ulethe] lobu bufundisi nobuPhristi ezizweni zonke,” babelane “ngisho nangezibusiso zeVangeli, okuyizibusiso zensindiso, ngisho ukuphila okuphakade” (Abrahama 2:9, 11).
Lesi sivumelwano yisibusiso u-Abrahama ayesilangazelela. Emuva kokusithola, u-Abrahama wathi enhlizwyeni yakhe, “Inceku yakho ikufunile ngenhliziyo yayo; manje sengikufumene” (Abarahama 2:12).
Sekudlule izinkulungwane zeminyaka kwenzeka lokhu, kepha lesi sivumelwano sibuyiseliwe osukwini lwethu (bheka ku 1 Nefi 22:8–12). Futhi njengamanje siyafezeka ezimpilweni zabantu baNkulunkulu. Empeleni, ukufezeka kwesivumelwano kuhamba ngokushesha ezinsukwini zokugcina njengoba umsebenzi kaNkulunkulu uthuthuka, ubusisa imindeni emhlabeni wonke. Futhi noma ngubani, njengo-Abrahama, ofuna ukuba ngumlandeli wokulunga othembekileyo, noma ngubani ofuna uNkulunkulu ngokuzimisela, angaba yingxenye yawo.
Ngabe Sisho Ukuthini Isivumelwano no-Abrahama Kimi?
Ungumntwana wesivumelwano. Wenza isivumelwano noNkulunkulu ngesikhathi ubhabhadiswa. Uyasivuselela leso sivumelwano njalo uma wamukela isidlo seNkosi. Futhi wenza izivumelwano ezingcwele ethempelini. Zihlangene, lezi zivumelwano zikwenza umhlanganyeli kwisivumelwano no-Abrahama, esitholakala ngokugcwele kwizimiso zasethempelini. Njengoba uMongameli uRussell M. Nelson afundisa, “Ekugcineni, ethempelini elingcwele, singaba yizindlalifa ezihlangene kwizibusiso zomndeni waphakade, njengoba kwathenjiswa u-Abrahama, u-Isaka, uJakobe, kanye nenzalo yabo.”1
Ngenxa yalezi zivumelwano nezimiso, siba ngabantwana baNkulunkulu (bheka ku Eksodusi 6:7; Duteronomi 7:6; 26:18; Hezekeli 11:20). Siyehluka emhlabeni esikuwo. Izivumelwano zethu zenza sikwazi ukuba ngabafundi bakaJesu Kristu abazinikele nabeqiniso. “Izivumelwano zethu,” kwachaza uMongameli uNelson, “zisibophezela Kuye futhi zisinika amandla obunkulunkulu.”2 Futhi uma uNkulunkulu ebusisa abantu Bakhe ngamandla Akhe, kuhamba nesimemo nokulindela ukuthi bazobusisa nabanye—ukuthi “bazoba yisibusiso” kuyo “yonke imindeni emhlabeni” (Abrahama 2:9, 11).
Lokhu ukuqonda okuyigugu esikunikeziwe ngenxa yokuBuyiselwa kwesivumelwano sika-Abrahama ngoMprofethi uJoseph Smith. Ngakho-ke, uma ufunda ngezivumelwano kwiTestamente eliDala, ungacabangi nje qha ngobudlelwane bukaNkulunkulu no-Abrahama, Isaka, noJakobe. Cabanga nangobudlelwane Bakhe nawe. Ngesikhathi ufunda ngesibusiso senzalo enganakubalwa, (bheka ku Genesise 28:14), ungacabanga ngalabo abayizigidi ababiza u-Abrahama ngoyise. Cabanga nangesithembiso sikaNkulunkulu kuwe semindeni yaphakade nenzalo engapheli (bheka kwi Mfundiso neziVumelwano 131:1–4; 132:20–24). Ngesikhathi ufunda ngomhlaba wefa, ungacabangi nje kuphela ngomhlaba owathenjiswa u-Abrahama. Cabanga ngokuhleliwe ngomhlaba ukuba ube ngoweselestiyali—ifa elithenjiselwe “abamnene” aba “lindele eNkosini” (ngokukaMatewu 5:5; AmaHubo 37:9, 11; bheka futhi kwi Mfundiso neziVumelwano 88:17–20). Futhi uma ufunda ngesethembiso sokuthi abantu baNkulunkulu besivumelwano bazobusisa “imindeni yonke yomhlaba” (Abrahama 2:11), ungacabangi nje kuphela ngobufundisi buka-Abrahama noma abaphrofethi abamulandela. Cabanga nangokuthi ungenzani—njengomlandeli kaJesu Kristu wesivumelwano—ukuba yisibusiso kwimindeni eseduzane nawe.