Imbono YeBhayibhile
Ngaba UYehova WayenguThixo Wesizwe SamaYuda?
KUMAZWE amaninzi namhlanje, igama elithi Yehova linxulunyaniswa ngokusondeleyo nentlangano yale mihla yamaNgqina kaYehova. Ukanti, eli gama liyabonakala nakwezinye iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile ezisetyenziswa zezinye iinkonzo ngaphandle kwamaNgqina kaYehova. Eneneni, igama elithi Yehova njengoko limelwa yiTetragrammaton belisetyenziswa kangangamawaka eminyaka.
Ngamaxesha athile uYehova ubizwa ngokuba “NguThixo kaSirayeli.” (1 Kronike 17:24) La mazwi abangela ukuba abaninzi bakholelwe ukuba wayenguthixo nje wesizwe esithile amaHebhere amboleka kuso okanye azenzela yena. Umbhali wencwadi ethi A History of God, uKaren Armstrong uthi: ‘UYehova waqala ukubakho njengothixo wesizwe samaSirayeli oneengcwangu. Kamva, malunga nenkulungwane yesixhenxe neyesithandathu ngaphambi kwexesha eliqhelekileyo, abaprofeti bakwaSirayeli, benza lo Thixo wesizwe wayinto yokwenene engenakuchazwa mntu.’
Iqela lababhali-mbali ngezinto zonqulo lizamile ukuphanda imvelaphi yegama elithi Yehova kwimithombo yamaKanan okanye yamaYiputa. Abanye baqiqa ngelithi “ligama elidala lesizwe esithile” yaye alibhekiseli kuThixo ekuthethwa ngaye “kwiTestamente Entsha.” Ngaba oko kuyinyaniso? Lutyhila ntoni ufundisiso lweBhayibhile?
UYehova—UThixo Wabantu Bonke
IBhayibhile iyavuma ukuba uYehova wayenolwalamano olusenyongweni nohlanga lwakwaSirayeli. Kodwa esi ayisosizathu sokumgqala njengothixo nje weso sizwe. Umpostile ongumKristu uPawulos wabuza: “Ngaba unguThixo wamaYuda kuphela? Akanguye na kwanowabantu beentlanga?” Yathini impendulo ecacileyo kaPawulos? Yathi: “Ewe, ukwanguye nowabantu beentlanga.” (Roma 3:29) Yayinguwuphi uThixo awayebhekisela kuye uPawulos? Eneneni, kwakule ncwadi inye eyayisiya kumaRoma, igama elithi Yehova livela izihlandlo ezili-19. Ecaphula umprofeti wamandulo ongumHebhere uYoweli, umpostile uPawulos wathi asingomaYuda nje kuphela, kodwa “wonk’ ubani obiza egameni likaYehova uya kusindiswa.”—Roma 10:13; Yoweli 2:32.
AmaSirayeli akazange azikhethele uYehova njengoThixo wawo; kunoko, uYehova wawakhetha ukuze afeze injongo yakhe—leyo yokulungiselela uMesiya indlela. Ngaphezu koko, ikamva lothixo wesizwe esithile lixhomekeke kwelo labantu bakhe. Ukuba isizwe siyapheliswa, nothixo waso uyaphela. Akukhange kube njalo ngoYehova.
Umnqophiso kaYehova noAbraham—owenziwa kwiinkulungwane ngaphambi kwexesha lobuKristu—wawuthembisa iintsikelelo kubantu bazo zonke iintlanga, ubonisa umdla kaThixo kubantu bonke. (Genesis 12:1-3; IZenzo 10:34, 35; 11:28) UKumkani uDavide wakwaSirayeli, wabonisa ukuba uYehova wayengumnini womhlaba kungekuphela nje wamaSirayeli: “NgokaYehova umhlaba noko kuwuzalisileyo, umhlaba onemveliso nabo bahlala kuwo.”—INdumiso 24:1.
Kamva, xa unyana kaDavide uSolomon wanikezela itempile yonqulo kuYehova, wabonisa ukuba kwakukho indlela yokuba uYehova unokufikelelwa ngabantu abathobekileyo balo naluphi na uhlanga. Kumthandazo wakhe wokunikezela, uSolomon wathi: “Kwanowasemzini, ongeyiyo inxalenye yabantu bakho amaSirayeli ovela kwilizwe elikude ngenxa yegama lakho . . . aze eze kuthandaza kule ndlu, kwanga ungeva usemazulwini, kwindawo ohlala kuyo emisiweyo, uze wenze ngokuvumelana nako konke oko akubizayo owasemzini; ukuze zonke izizwana zomhlaba zilazi igama lakho zize zikoyike njengabantu bakho amaSirayeli, ukuze zazi ukuba le ndlu ndiyakhileyo ibizwe ngegama lakho.”—1 Kumkani 8:41-43.
USirayeli Uyalahlwa
Ngokuphathelele ulwalamano lwamaSirayeli noYehova, uNjingalwazi uC. J. Labuschagne wabhala wathi: “Ukutyhubela imbali uhlanga lakwaSirayeli lwabona izihlandlo ezininzi ukuba uThixo ‘wohlanga’ unokwenza izinto ngendlela ebonisa ukuba akakholiswa lolo hlanga kanti ngamanye amaxesha wenza izinto ngokuchasene nohlanga olo.” Xa uSirayeli wachasa uMesiya ngenkulungwane yokuqala, uYehova walulahla olo hlanga.
Noko ke, igama likaYehova laliza kuqhubeka lisetyenziswa ngamaKristu. Njengoko ibandla lamaKristu lalisanda, amalungu alo aquka abantu bazo zonke iintlanga. Xa wayesongamela kwindibano yamaKristu eYerusalem, umfundi ongumYuda uYakobi wathetha ngokuba uThixo “wayiphethulela ingqalelo yakhe [kwabo bangengomaYuda] ezintlangeni ukuba kuzo athabathe isizwana segama lakhe.” Ubungqina bokuba oku kwakuxelwe kwangaphambili, uYakobi wandula wacaphula kwisiprofeto esikwincwadi ka-Amos apho igama likaYehova livelayo.—IZenzo 15:2, 12-18; Amosi 9:11, 12.
Ubakhathalele Bonke, Ubasikelela Bonke
Engqina ukuba uYehova unguThixo wabantu bonke, uPawulos wabhala: “Akukho lucalucalulo phakathi komYuda nomGrike, kuba kukho iNkosi enye kubo bonke, esisityebi kubo bonke abo babiza kuyo.” (Roma 10:12) Ewe, bonke abantu abathobelayo banokufumana iintsikelelo zikaYehova.
Kubo bonke abantwana bakhe abathembekileyo nabathobelayo—kungakhathaliseki ukuba bangabaluphi na uhlanga okanye isizwe—uYehova uthembisa ikamva eliqaqambileyo. ILizwi lakhe libachaza abo bantu ‘njengezinto ezinqwenelekayo zazo zonke iintlanga.’ (Hagayi 2:7) Abo bantu bafunda ukumazi uYehova baze bamthande. Incwadi yokugqibela yeBhayibhile ithi ngabo: “Zonke iintlanga ziya kuza zinqule phambi kwakho [Yehova], ngenxa yokuba imimiselo yakho yobulungisa ibonakalisiwe.”—ISityhilelo 15:4.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 28]
UMoses ephethe iMithetho Elishumi