Izifundo Ezivela EmiBhalweni: Zakariya 1:1–14:21

UJehova Ushukumisa Umoya Wabantu BaKhe

EKUPHELENI kuka-538 B.C.E. noma ekuqaleni kuka-537 B.C.E., inkosi yasePheresiya uKoresi yakhipha isinqumo sokuthi amaJuda aphume eBabiloni abuyele eJerusalema ukuze “akhe indlu kaJehova.” (Ezra 1:3) Nokho, ngo-520 B.C.E. ithempeli lalingakakhiwa kabusha. Ngenxa yalokho, uJehova waphakamisa umprofethi uZakariya ukuba asebenze noHagayi ekushukumiseni umoya wabantu.

Amazwi aphefumlelwe kaZakariya avuselela intshiseko yamaJuda athembekile ngokubonisa ukuthi uJehova wayewasekela futhi wayezowubusisa umsebenzi wawo. Lencwadi yeBhayibheli nathi isinikeza intshiseko ngoba iqukethe iziprofetho zikaMesiya, kanye nezinye iziprofetho ezigcwaliseka esikhathini sethu.a Futhi isinikeza izifundo ezibalulekile.

UJehova Ubusisa Abantu Bakhe

UJehova uyabakhathalela abantu bakhe. Ngemva kokuba amaJuda esevumile ukuthi ukujeziswa kwawo uNkulunkulu kwakulungile, uZakariya uba nemibono emithathu ebonisa ukubakhathalela kwaKhe ngokuqhubekayo. Kowokuqala, ubona amahhashi anabagibeli abayizingelosi. Enye ingelosi ikhathazekile ngokuthi izizwe ezabangela amaJuda usizi ‘zihlezi zithule.’ Kowesibili, uJehova uzimisele ukunquma ‘izimpondo ezine’—imibuso engohulumeni eyahlakaza abantu bakhe. Futhi umbono wesithathu uchaza ngokucacile ukunakekela kukaJehova kothando, okuyisivikelo ngeJerusalema.—1:1–2:13.

Akekho oyokwazi ukuthiya izinceku zikaNkulunkulu ezithembekile. Embonweni wesine, uSathane, umphikisi oyinhloko wabantu bakaNkulunkulu, usolwa ngokuqondile. (Qhathanisa nesAmbulo 12:10.) Kowesihlanu, uZakariya uzwa ukuthi abantu bakaNkulunkulu bayoyenza intando yaKhe naphezu kwezithiyo ezinjengezintaba. Kanjani? “Kungabi-ngempi, kungabi-ngamandla, kepha kube-ngomoya wami kuphela, usho uJehova-Sebawoti.”—3:1–4:14.

Izinceku zikaNkulunkulu ‘zizonda okubi.’ (IHubo 97:10, 11) Embonweni wesithupha, uNkulunkulu ukhipha isiqalekiso kwababi abangakajeziswa. Futhi kowesikhombisa, okufanekisela ububi kuyiswa “ezweni laseShineyari,” indawo yenkolo yamanga yaseBabiloni. Yeka ukuthi indawo enhle kanjani yako! Ububi abunandawo phakathi kwabantu bakaJehova, ababuzondayo. Ngokulandelayo uZakariya ubona izinqola ezine ezidonswa amahhashi—amabutho ayizingelosi zomoya ezithunywa ukuba zivikele izinceku zikaNkulunkulu emhlabeni.—5:1–6:8.

Ukubona Iziprofetho Kusengaphambili

Ukugcwaliseka kwezwi lesiprofetho likaJehova kuvusa amadlingozi futhi kuqinisa ukholo. Yeka ukuthi lokhu kuyiqiniso kanjani ekuboneni kusengaphambili kukaZakariya iziprofetho zosuku lwethu! Esebenzisa isiliva negolide elinikelwe amaJuda athunjiwe, kumelwe enzele umPristi Omkhulu uJoshuwa umqhele omuhle. Ngaphezu kwalokho, “abakude [eBabiloni] bayakufika, bakhe ithempeli likaJehova,” ngisho nanjengoba abaningi bashiya iBabiloni Elikhulu ukuze basize emsebenzini wethempeli ngemva kuka-1919. Ukuqondiswa kwemibono ephambene ngokuzila kwaholela ekuchazweni kwesimo esizayo esijabulisayo seJerusalema. Kwabikezelwa ukuthi ‘amadoda ayishumi avela ezizweni zonke’ ayeyohlanganyela namaJuda angokomoya ekukhulekeleni kweqiniso. (Galathiya 6:16; IsAmbulo 7:4-10) “Jabula nokujabula, ndodakazi yaseJerusalema,” kusho uJehova. Inkosi yalo iza igibele imbongolo futhi “iyakukhuluma ukuthula kwabezizwe.”—6:9–9:11.

UNkulunkulu Nabelusi

Ababonisi banomthwalo wemfanelo onzima futhi kufanele bakhonze ngentshiseko. Ngemva kokuthembisa ukusindisa abantu bakhe, uJehova uzwakalisa intukuthelo yakhe ngabelusi abangathembekile. ‘Abelusi abathathu’ bonakalisa umhlambi kangangokuthi uNkulunkulu uphula isivumelwano sakhe nabantu bakhe. IJerusalema liyoba “itshe elisindayo.” Noma ubani olihlaselayo ‘uyakusikwa nokusikwa.’ Kodwa “ababusi bakwaJuda”—labo abengamela abantu bakaNkulunkulu abakhethiweyo—kumelwe ‘njengomcengezi womlilo,’ bashiseke ngokuphawulekayo.—9:12–12:14.

UJehova uyabazonda abazenzisi. Ebandleni likaNkulunkulu, noma obani abaphikelelayo ‘bekhuluma amanga bayagwazwa,’ balahlwa njengezihlubuki. “Izingxenye ezimbili” ezweni ziyonqunywa, kuyilapho ingxenye yesithathu iyocwengisiswa ngomlilo. Okufuzisela lokhu, inani elikhulu lalabo abathi bangamaKristu—labo beLobukholwa—liye lanqunywa uJehova. Kusukela ngo-1919 kuqhubeke, inani elincane kuphela lamaKristu athembekile, agcotshiwe eliye labiza igama likaJehova futhi lazithoba enqubweni yakhe yokucwengisisa.—13:1-9.

Abantu bakaJehova bangathembela esivikelweni sakhe. Lapho izitha zizama ukubhubhisa abakhulekeli beqiniso, uNkulunkulu uyobavikela abantu bakhe futhi aqothule isixuku sikaSathane. Ukuhlukana kweNtaba yemiNqumo kuphumela echibini elingokomfanekiso abagcotshiwe abathola kulo isivikelo ngaphansi koMbuso kaJehova wendawo yonke nohulumeni wobuMesiya weNdodana yakhe. Kuyoba nokukhanya ezincekwini ezithembekile zikaNkulunkulu nobumnyama ezizweni. Isintu kumelwe sikhethe: Ukuthi sikhulekela uJehova sikanye nabantu bakhe noma sibhujiswa phakade.—14:1-21.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 31]

IZINGCAPHUNO ZEBHAYIBHELI ZIYAHLOLWA

○ 1:3—Nakuba amaJuda abuyela eBabiloni ngo-537 B.C.E., anxuswa futhi ukuba abuyele kuNkulunkulu ngokulalela nokukhulekela komphefumulo wonke. Ayeyonikeza ubufakazi obubonakalayo balokhu kubuyela ngokuhlanganyela emsebenzini wokwakha kabusha lize liphele ithempeli.

○ 2:1-5—Ngokunokwenzeka, lensizwa yayilinganisa iJerusalema ukuze yakhe udonga oluyisivikelo oluzolihaqa. Kodwa ingelosi kaNkulunkulu yabonisa ukuthi ukukhula kwalomuzi kwakungamelwe kubekelwe imigoqo ngodonga. Akekho owayengavimbela ukukhula okuqhubekayo kweJerusalema. UJehova wayezoba umvikeli walo, njengoba ngisho nanamuhla evikela insali egcotshiwe eyoba ingxenye yeJerusalema Elisha lasezulwini.—IsAmbulo 21:2.

○ 6:11-15—Ukuthweswa komPristi Omkhulu uJoshuwa umqhele kwakungamenzi inkosi engumpristi, ngoba wayengekho ohlwini lobukhosi lukaDavide. Kunalokho, kwenza uJoshuwa waba umfuziselo ongokwesiprofetho kaMesiya, isiprofetho esiphathelene ‘neHlumela’ esigcwaliseka kuye ngokugcwele. (Zakariya 3:8; Jeremiya 23:5) UJoshuwa wasiza ekuqedeni umsebenzi wokwakhiwa kabusha kwethempeli eJerusalema. INkosi engumPristi engokwasezulwini, uJesu Kristu, iqedela umsebenzi ethempelini elingokomoya.

○ 11:4-11—Abantu abanjengezimvu ‘babeyizimvu zokuhlatshwa’ ngenxa yokuthi babexhashazwa abelusi bakahulumeni. Ngenye induku ebizwa ngokuthi “uMusa” nenye okuthiwa “uZibopho,” uZakariya wasebenza njengomalusi ophethe induku yokuqondisa umhlambi nentonga yokuxosha izilo. (IHubo 23:4) Wafanekisela uJesu, owayethunyelwe ukuba abe umelusi ongokomoya kodwa wenqatshwa amaJuda. Futhi njengoba uZakariya aphula induku okuthiwa uMusa, uNkulunkulu wayeka ukusebenzelana ngomusa namaJuda, ephula isivumelwano sakhe nabo. Njengoba uZakariya aphula induku okuthiwa uZibopho, ukusula kukaNkulunkulu isivumelwano soMthetho namaIsrayeli kwashiya amaJuda engenaso isibopho sobunye esingokwasezulwini. Ukwahlukana kwawo ngokwenkolo kwaphumela enhlekeleleni lapho iJerusalema libhujiswa amaRoma ngo-70 C.E.

○ 12:11—‘Ukulila kweHadadi-Rimoni’ kungase kubhekisele ekulileleni ukufa kweNkosi yakwaJuda uJosiya. Ngokusobala iHadadi-Rimoni kwakuyindawo esechibini laseMegido, lapho abulawa khona elwa noFaro-Nekho. Ukufa kukaJosiya kwalilelwa, uJeremiya ehlabelela nabaculi bekhuluma ngalenkosi ezililweni.—2 IziKronike 35:20-25.

[Isithombe ekhasini 31]

Njengoba uZakariya abikezela, abantu bazo zonke izizwe manje bahlanganyela noIsrayeli ongokomoya