Izifundo Ezivela KwiZibhalo: Zekariya 1:1–14:21

UYehova Uvuselela Umoya Wabantu Bakhe

NGASEKUPHELENI kowama-538 B.C.E. okanye ekuqaleni kowama-537 B.C.E., ukumkani wasePersi uKoreshi wamis’ umthetho wokuba amaYuda ayefanele emke eBhabhiloni abuyele eYerusalem ukuze “ayakhe indlu kaYehova.” (Ezra 1:3) Noko ke, ngowama-520 B.C.E., itempile yayingekakhiwa kwakhona. Ngenxa yoko, uYehova wanyula umprofeti uZekariya ukuba asebenze ndawonye noHagayi ukuvuselela umoya wabantu.

Amazwi aphefumlelweyo kaZekariya awomeleza kwakhona amaYuda awayethembekile ngokuwabonisa ukuba uYehova wayewaxhasa yaye wayeya kuwusikelela umsebenzini wawo. Le ncwadi yeBhayibhile nakuthi ivus’ umdla kuba iqulethe iziprofeto ezingoMesiya, kuquka nezinye iziprofeto ezizaliseka kwixesha lethu.a Kwakhona isifundisa izinto ezixabisekileyo.

UYehova Uyabasikelela Abantu Bakhe

UYehova unenkxalabo ngabantu bakhe. Emva kokuba amaYuda aye avuma ukuba ukululekwa kwawo nguYehova kwakusesikweni, uZekariya ubona imibono emithathu ebonisa inkxalabo Yakhe eqhubekayo ngawo. Kowokuqala, ubona amahashe amathathu akhwelwe zizithunywa zezulu. Esinye isithunywa sezulu sikhathazekile kukuba iintlanga ezabangela intlekele kumaYuda ‘zihleli zizolile.’ Kowesibini, uYehova ulungiselela ukuwisa phantsi “iimpondo ezine”—amagunya oburhulumente awachithachitha abantu bakhe. Yaye umbono wesithathu uchaza ngokucacileyo inkxalabo enothando kaYehova nenkuselo yakhe ngeYerusalem.—1:1–2:13.

Akukho namnye uya kukwazi ukuthintela abakhonzi bakaThixo abathembekileyo. Kumbono wesine, uSathana, umchasi omkhulu wabantu bakaYehova, ukhalinyelwa ngokuqatha. (Thelekisa ISityhilelo 12:10.) Kowesihlanu, uZekariya ufumanisa ukuba abantu bakaThixo baza kwenza ukuthanda Kwakhe phezu kwayo nje imiqobo enjengentaba. Baza kukwenza njani? “Akungabukroti, akungamandla; kungoMoya wam; utsho uYehova wemikhosi.”—3:1–4:14.

Abakhonzi bakaThixo ‘bakuthiyile okubi.’ (INdumiso 97:10, 11) Kumbono wesithandathu, uThixo uvakalisa iziqalekiso kubenzi bobubi abathe kude kube ngoku abohlwaywa. Yaye kowesixhenxe, umbono wobubi ufukulwa usiwe “ezweni laseShinare,” isixeko sonqulo lobuxoki olubuBhabhilonirha. Leyo yindawo efanelekileyo yalo! Ububi abufuneki phakathi kwabantu bakaYehova, ababuthiyileyo. Ngokulandelayo uZekariya ubona iinqwelo zokulwa ezine ezitsalwa ngamahashe—imikhosi yezithunywa zezulu ezingumoya iyalelwe ukukhusela abakhonzi bakaThixo abasemhlabeni.—5:1–6:8.

Ukuqalisa Kokuzaliseka Kweziprofeto

Ukuzaliseka kwelizwi lesiprofeto likaYehova kuyachulumancisa yaye komeleza ukholo. Hayi indlela okuyinyaniso ngayo oku ngokuqalisa kokuzaliseka kweziprofeto zikaZekariya kumhla wethu! Esebenzisa isilivere negolide eyanikelwa ngamaYuda awayesebukhobokeni, kufuneka enze isithsaba esizukileyo soMbingeleli Omkhulu uYoshuwa. Ngaphezu koko, “baya kuza abakude [abaseBhabhiloni] bakhe etempileni kaYehova,” kanye njengokuba abaninzi bayishiyayo iBhabhiloni Enkulu ukuza kunceda kumsebenzi wetempile emva kowe-1919. Ukulungiswa kweengcamango eziphosakeleyo ezimalunga nokuzila ukudla kwakhokelela kwinkcazelo yokuza kwemeko evuyisayo yeYerusalem. Kwaxelwa kwangaphambili ukuba ‘amadoda alishumi aphuma kuzo zonke iintlanga’ ayeya kuthelela amaYuda okomoya kunqulo lokwenyaniso. (Galati 6:16; ISityhilelo 7:4-10) UYehova uthi: “Duma, ntombi inguYerusalem.” Ukumkani wayo uza ekhwele iesile yaye oko ‘kuya kuthetha uxolo kwiintlanga.’—6:9–9:11.

UThixo Nabalusi

Abaveleli banembopheleleko enzima yaye bafanele bakhonze ngenkuthalo. Emva kokuthembisa ngokusindisa abantu bakhe, uYehova uvakalisa umsindo wakhe nxamnye nabalusi abangathembekanga. “Abalusi abathathu” bonakalisa umhlambi ngokokude uYehova awaphule umnqophiso wakhe nabantu bakhe. IYerusalem iya kuba “lilitye elingumthwalo.” Nabaphi na abayihlaselayo baya “kuzisikisa, bazilimazise”. Kodwa “iinkosana zakwaYuda”—ezo zongamelayo phakathi kwabantu abanyuliweyo bakaThixo—zimele zibe “njengokhamba lomlilo,” zikhuthale ngokukhethekileyo.—9:12–12:14.

UYehova uyithiyile inkohliso. Kwibandla likaThixo, nabaphi na abaqhubeka ‘bethetha ubuxoki’ ‘bahlatywa amahlanza’, bekhutshelwa ngaphandle njengabawexuki. “Izahlulo ezibini” elizweni ziya kunqanyulwa, ngoxa isahlulo sesithathu siya kucikidwa ngomlilo. Ngokufanekisela oku, uninzi lwabo bazibanga bengamaKristu—abo beNgqobhoko—baye banqunyulwa nguYehova. Ukususela ngowe-1919 ukusa phambili, kuphela libathwana elithembekileyo, lamaKristu athanjisiweyo eliye labiza egameni likaYehova laze lathobela ukulicikida kwakhe.—13:1-9.

Abantu bakaYehova banokuthembela kwinkuselo yakhe. Xa iintshaba zizama ukutshabalalisa abakhonzi abanyanisekileyo, uThixo uya kubakhusela abantu bakhe aze atshayele isihlwele sikaSathana. Ukuqhekeka kweNtaba yeMinquba kwenzeka kwinduli yokomfuziselo apho abanyuliweyo bakhe banamava enkuselo phantsi koBukumkani bukaYehova behlabathi lonke norhulumente woNyana wakhe onguMesiya. Kuya kubakho ukukhanya kubakhonzi bakaThixo abathembekileyo nobumnyama ezintlangeni. Uluntu lumele lukhethe: Enoba luya kukhonza uYehova nabantu bakhe okanye luya kufumana intshabalalo kanaphakade.—14:1-21.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 31]

UKUHLOLISISWA KWEENDINYANA ZEBHAYIBHILE

○ 1:3—Nangona amaYuda abuyayo eBhabhiloni ngowama-537 B.C.E., kwakhona abongozwa ukuba abuyele kuThixo ngokumthobela nokumkhonza ngomphefumlo uphela. Ayeya kubonakalisa ubungqina obubonakalayo bokubuya kwawo ngokuxakeka kumsebenzi wokuphinda akhe de ibe itempile yayigqityiwe.

○ 2:1-5—Kusenokwenzeka ukuba, lo mfana wayelinganisa iYerusalem ukuze akhe udonga lokhuselo olwaluza kuyijikeleza yonke. Kodwa isithunywa sezulu sikaThixo sabonisa ukuba ukwanda kweso sixeko kwakungasayi kuthintelwa ngodonga. Akukho mntu wayenokuthintela ukwanda okuqhubekayo kweYerusalem. UYehova wayeya kuyikhusela, kanye njengokuba namhlanje ekhusela intsalela ethanjisiweyo eya kuba yinxalenye yeYerusalem Entsha yasezulwini.—ISityhilelo 21:2.

○ 6:11-15—Ukuthweswa isithsaba koMbingeleli Omkhulu uYoshuwa akuzange kumenze ukuba abe ngumbingeleli ongukumkani, kuba wayengengowomnombo wobukumkani bukaDavide. Kunoko, kwamenza uYoshuwa waba ngulowo umele isiprofeto esingoMesiya, lowo isiprofeto esiphathelele “Ihlumelo” sizalisekiswa kuye ngokupheleleyo. (Zekariya 3:8; Yeremiya 23:5) UYoshuwa wancedisa ekugqityweni komsebenzi wokuphinda kwakhiwe itempile eYerusalem. UMbingeleli onguKumkani wasezulwini, uYesu Kristu, ugqibezela umsebenzi wetempile yokomoya.

○ 11:4-11—Abantu ababumvu ‘babengumhlambi wezixhelwayo’ kuba abelusi baseburhulumenteni babebaxhaphaza. Ngenye intonga ebizwa ngokuba “nguMnandi” yaye ngenye ‘enguZintya,’ uZekariya wema njengomalusi ophethe intonga ukukhokela umhlambi nentonga yokugxotha amarhamncwa. (INdumiso 23:4) Wafanekisela uYesu, owayethunyelwe ukuze abe ngumalusi wokomoya kodwa akazange amkelwe ngamaYuda. Njengoko uZekariya wayaphulayo intonga enguMnandi, uThixo wakuyeka ukuqhubana namaYuda kamnandi, ewaphula umnqophiso wakhe nawo. Yaye njengoko uZekariya wayaphulayo intonga enguZintya, ukuphelisa kukaThixo umnqophiso womthetho namaSirayeli kwawashiya amaYuda engenalwalamano lobuthixo. Ukungamanyani kwawo ngokonqulo kwawazisela intlekele yokutshatyalaliswa kweYerusalem ngamaRoma ngowama-70 C.E.

○ 12:11—‘Isililo saseHadade-rimon’, sisenokuba sibhekisela ekuzileleni ukufa kukaKumkani uYosiya wakwaYuda. Kubonakala ukuba iHadade-rimon yayisisixeko esikwintlambo yeMegido, apho wabulawa khona kwidabi kunye noFaro-Neko. Ukufa kukaYosiya kwazilelwa, isimbonono sikaYeremiya neemvumi zikhankanya ukumkani emaculweni.—2 Kronike 35:20-25.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]

Njengokuba uZekariya waxela kwangaphambili, ngoku abantu bazo zonke iintlanga banxulumana noSirayeli wokomoya