“Iingcinga Onokuzigcina eNgqondweni: INdlu kaSirayeli,” Uze, uNdilandele—Yabantu Ngabanye kunye Neentsapho: iTestamente eNdala 2022 (2021)
“Iingcinga Onokuzigcina eNgqondweni: INdlu kaSirayeli,” Uze, uNdilandele—Yabantu Ngabanye kunye Neentsapho: 2022
Iingcinga Onokuzigcina eNgqondweni
INdlu kaSirayeli
Kwindawo ethile entlango empuma yeKanan, uYakobi walinda ngemincili indibano nomntakwabo oliwele, u-Esawu. Ukugqibela kwakhe uYakobi ukumbona uEsawu, malunga neminyaka engama-20 ngaphambili, uEsawu wayesongela ukumbulala. UYakobi wayechithe ubusuku bonke esilwa entlango, ecela intsikelelo kuThixo. Ngenxa yokholo lukaYakobi, nokuzingisa, kunye nokuzimisela, uThixo wayeyiphendule imithandazo yakhe. Ngobo busuku igama likaYakobi latshintshwa laba nguSirayeli, igama elithetha ukuba “unonyamezelo kunye noThixo” (Genesis 32:28, umbhalo osemazantsi b; bona kwakhona Genesis 32:24–32).1
Kufuphi noMlambo weYaboki, uYakobi wafumana igama elinguSirayeli.
Eli lixesha lokuqala igama uSirayeli livela eBhayibhileni, kwaye ligama elonyamezayo kuyo yonke loo ncwadi kwaye kuyo yonke imbali. Kungekudala eli gama lalibhekisa kubantu abangaphezu kwendoda enye. USirayeli wayenoonyana abali-12, kwaye inzala yabo yaziwa njenge “ndlu kaSirayeli,” “izizwe zakwaSirayeli,” “abantwana bakaSirayeli,” okanye “amaSirayeli.”
Kuyo yonke imbali, abantwana bakwaSirayeli babonisa ukubaluleka okukhulu kwimvelaphi yabo kwisinye sezizwe ezilishumi elinambini zakwaSirayeli. Umnombo wabo yayinxalenye ebalulekileyo yesazisi somnqophiso sabo. UMpostile uPawulos wabhengeza ukuba “wayengowesizwe sakwaBhenjamin” (AbaseRoma 11:1). Xa uLihayi wathumela oonyana bakhe eYerusalem ukuba bayokubuyisa amacwecwe obhedu, esinye isizathu yayikukuba amacwecwe “ayenomlibo wookhokho bakhe” (1 Nefayi 5:14; bona kwakhona 1 Nefayi 3:3). ULihayi wafumanisa ukuba wayesisizukulwana sikaYosefu, kwaye ukuqonda kwakhe emva kwendibaniselwano yendlu yakwaSirayeli kwabonakala kubalulekile kubo kwiminyaka ezayo (bona Alma 26:36; 3 Nifayi 20:25).
KwiBandla namhlanje, usenokuva malunga noSirayeli kumabinzana awafana “ukuhlanganiswa kukaSirayeli.” Siyacula malunga “noMkhululi kaSirayeli,” “Ithemba lakwaSirayeli,” kunye “Nina Badala bakwaSirayeli.”2 Kwezi meko, asithethi okanye sicula kuphela ngobukumkani bamandulo bakwaSirayeli okanye isizwe sanamhlanje esibizwa ngokuba nguSirayeli. Endaweni yoko, sithetha ngabo bahlanganiselwa kwiintlanga zehlabathi kwiBandla likaYesu Krestu. Sithetha ngabantu abanyamezelayo noThixo, abazifuna ngenyameko iintsikelelo zaKhe, kwaye kuthi ngobhaptizo, baye baba ngabantu baKhe bomnqophiso.
Intsikelelo yakho yobusolusapho ibhengeza unxibelelwano lwakho kwesinye sezizwe zendlu kaSirayeli. Oko kungaphezulu kwesiqwengana somdla wolwazi lwembali yosapho. Ukuba yinxalenye yendlu kaSirayeli kuthetha ukuba unobudlelwane bomnqophiso kunye noBawo waseZulwini kunye noYesu Krestu. Kuthetha ukuba, njengo-Abraham, nawe wenzelwe ukuba ube “yintsikelelo” kubantwana bakaThixo (Genesis 12:2; Abraham 2:9–11). Kuthetha ukuthi, kumazwi kaPetros, ukuba “Ke nina nisisizukulwana esinyuliweyo, isibingeleli esibukumkani, uhlanga olungcwele, abantu abayinqobo, ukuze nivakalise isidima salowo wanibizayo ukuba niphume ebumnyameni, ningene ekukhanyeni kwakhe okungummangaliso” (1 Petros 2:9). Kuthetha ukuba wena ungomnye “ozinyamezelayo noThixo” njengoko uzukisa iminqophiso yakho naYe.
Umzobo womthi wosapho lukaYakobi, nguKeith L. Beavers