URebheka—Umfazi Okhutheleyo Nowoyika UThixo

MASITHI ubufuna ukubonela unyana wakho umfazi. Ubuya kumkhethela umntu onjani? Bekuya kufuneka abe naziphi iimpawu loo mfazi? Ngaba ubuya kumkhangelela umntu omhle ngenkangeleko, okrelekrele, onobubele nokhutheleyo? Okanye ubuya kuqala ngokukhangela enye into?

UAbraham wayekuloo ngxaki. UYehova wayethembise ukuba uza kusikelela inzala yakhe ngonyana wakhe uIsake. Ngesi sihlandlo uAbraham sele elixhego, kodwa unyana wakhe uselisoka. (Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 17:19; 22:17, 18; 24:1) Ekubeni uIsake wayeza kunandipha iintsikelelo nomfazi wakhe owayengekabikho kunye nabantwana ababeza kubazala, uAbraham wenza amalungiselelo okuba uIsake afunelwe umfazi ofanelekileyo. Okona kwakubalulekile kukuba, umele abe ngumkhonzi kaYehova. Ekubeni lalingekho ibhinqa elinjalo eKanan, apho wayehlala khona uAbraham, kwafuneka aye kukhangela kwenye indawo. Ekugqibeleni kwakhethwa uRebheka. Wafunyanwa njani? Ngaba ulibhinqa elithanda izinto zokomoya? Sinokufunda ntoni ngokuqwalasela umzekelo wakhe?

Kukhangelwa Ibhinqa Elifanelekileyo

UAbraham uthumela oyena mkhonzi wakhe mkhulu, ekusenokwenzeka ukuba yayinguEliyezere, kwiMesopotamiya emgama ukuze akhethele uIsake umfazi kwizizalwana zika-Abraham ezingabanquli bakaYehova. Lo ngumbandela obaluleke gqitha kangangokuba uEliyezere uyafungiswa ukuba akasayi kukhethela uIsake umfazi ongumKanan. Iyaphawuleka indlela uAbraham awakugxininisa ngayo oku.—Genesis 24:2-10.

Esakuba efikile kwisixeko esihlala izizalwana zika-Abraham, uEliyezere usa iinkamela zakhe ezilishumi equleni. Khawube nomfanekiso-ngqondweni woku! Kusebusuku, yaye uEliyezere uyathandaza: “Yabona, ndimi ngasemthonjeni wamanzi, yaye iintombi zabantu besi sixeko ziyaphuma ukuza kukha amanzi. Maze kuthi ke ibhinqa eliselula endothi kulo, ‘Nceda uthobe ingqayi yakho, ndisele,’ lize ngenene lithi lona, ‘Sela, neenkamela zakho ndoziseza,’ ibe lilo olabele umkhonzi wakho, uIsake.”—Genesis 24:11-14.

Njengoko naliphi na ibhinqa leso sixeko lalisazi, inkamela enxaniweyo inokusela amanzi amaninzi gqitha (kangangeelitha ezili-100). Ngoko ibhinqa eliza kuseza iinkamela ezilishumi lifanele lilungele umsebenzi onzima gqitha. Ukwenza oko lingancediswa mntu bekuya kuqinisekisa ukukhuthala kwalo, ukuba nomonde, ukuthobeka nokuba nobubele ebantwini nakwizilwanyana.

Kwenzeka ntoni? “Kwathi, engekagqibi nokuthetha, gqi uRebheka, lowo wazalwa nguBhetuweli, unyana kaMilka, umfazi kaNahore, umntakwabo Abraham, enengqayi yakhe yamanzi egxalabeni lakhe. Laye ke ibhinqa elo liselula linomtsalane kakhulu ngembonakalo, liyintombi enyulu, . . . lehla ke laya emthonjeni, lazalisa ingqayi yalo yamanzi, laphinda lenyuka. Wabaleka ngoko nangoko umkhonzi lowo esiya kulihlangabeza waza wathi: ‘Nceda undirhabulise kula manzi asengqayini yakho.’ Lona lathi: ‘Sela, nkosi yam.’ Latsho liyihlisa ngokukhawuleza ingqayi yalo, layibamba ngesandla laza lamseza.”—Genesis 24:15-18.

Ngaba URebheka Uyafaneleka?

URebheka ungumzukulwana womntakwabo Abraham, yaye ngaphandle kokuba emhle, unesidima. Akoyiki ukuthetha nomntu wasemzini, kwangaxeshanye engabonisi ukukhululeka ngokugqithiseleyo. Uthi uEliyezere akucela amanzi, amnike. Ukwenza oko kuqhelekile ekubeni kuluphawu lobubele. Kuthekani ngesicelo sesibini?

URebheka uthi: “Sela, nkosi yam.” Kodwa akazange aphelele apho. URebheka uhlabela mgama: “Ndozikhelela amanzi nazo iinkamela zakho zide zigqibe ukusela.” Wenza okungakumbi kunoko kulindelekileyo. Ngokuzimisela, ‘ukhawuleza aqongqothe ingqayi yakhe emkhombeni wokuseza aze abaleke kaninzi-ninzi ukuya kukha amanzi equleni, azikhelele zonke iinkamela zakhe.’ Usisinqininqini. Ingxelo ithi: ‘Lonke eli xesha le ndoda imondele imangalisiwe.’—Genesis 24:19-21.

Uthe akufumanisa ukuba eli bhinqa liyazalana noAbraham, uEliyezere waqubuda ebulela uYehova. Uyabuza enoba ikho kusini na indawo anokulala kuyo endlwini kayise, yena kunye nabo ahamba nabo. URebheka uyavuma aze abaleke ukuya kutsho kowabo ebaxelela ngezi ndwendwe.—Genesis 24:22-28.

Emva kokuphulaphula ibali likaEliyezere, umntakwabo Rebheka, uLabhan, kwakunye noyise, uBhetuweli, bayaqonda ukuba nguThixo owalathise izinto. Ngokuqinisekileyo nguRebheka okhethelwe uIsake. Bathi: “Mthabathe uhambe, abe ngumfazi wonyana wenkosi yakho, kanye njengoko ethethile uYehova.” Uvakalelwa njani yena uRebheka? Xa ebuzwa ukuba ukulungele kusini na ukuhamba ngokukhawuleza, uphendula ngegama elinye lesiHebhere elithetha ukuthi: “Ndikulungele ukuhamba.” Akanyanzelekanga ukuba asamkele esi sicelo. UAbraham wayesele emkhulule uEliyezere kwisifungo sakhe ‘ukuba umfazi lowo akakunqweneli’ ukuhamba naye. Kodwa noRebheka uyabona ukuba uThixo ubandakanyekile kulo mbandela. Ngoko ngaphandle kokulibazisa, uyayishiya intsapho yakowabo aye kutshata nendoda angayaziyo. Eso sigqibo senkalipho siyimbonakaliso ebalaseleyo yokholo. Ngokwenene, ungumfazi ofanelekileyo!—Genesis 24:29-59.

Xa edibana noIsake, uRebheka uzigquma ubuso ebonisa ukuzithoba. UIsake uyamthabatha abe ngumfazi wakhe, yaye ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo ngenxa yeempawu zakhe ezibalaseleyo, umthanda ngokwenene.—Genesis 24:62-67.

Amawele

URebheka akafumani bantwana kangangeminyaka eli-19. Ekugqibeleni ukhawula amawele, kodwa uva iintlungu ngoxa ekhulelwe, ngenxa yokuba aba bantwana bayalwa esibelekweni, nto leyo ebangela uRebheka akhale kuThixo. Nathi sinokwenjenjalo xa sineengxaki ezinkulu ebomini. UYehova uyamva uRebheka aze amomeleze. Uza kuzala amaqela amabini eentlanga yaye “elikhulu liya kukhonza elincinane.”—Genesis 25:20-26.

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba loo mazwi akakokuphela kwesizathu sokuba uRebheka amthande gqitha unyana wakhe omncinane, uYakobi. La makhwenkwe ahlukile. UYakobi ‘akanakusoleka,’ kodwa uEsawu akazikhathalele izinto zokomoya kuba wathengisela uYakobi ubuzibulo bakhe, ilungelo lakhe lokufumana njengelifa izithembiso zikaThixo ngesidlo nje esinye. Ukutshata kukaEsawu namabhinqa amabini angamaHiti kubonisa ukungayikhathaleli—kwanokuyicaphukela—imilinganiselo yokomoya, nto leyo eyazisela abazali bakhe intlungu.—Genesis 25:27-34; 26:34, 35.

Ukuzanyelwa KukaYakobi Intsikelelo

IBhayibhile ayichazi enoba uIsake wayesazi ukuba uEsawu umele akhonze uYakobi. Kodwa ke, uRebheka noYakobi bayazi ukuba nguye oza kusikelelwa. URebheka uthabatha inyathelo ngoko nangoko akuva ukuba uIsake uzimisele ukumsikelela uEsawu, xa emphathela isidlo senyamakazi. Ukuzimisela kwakhe nenzondelelo awayenayo eselula azikapheli. ‘Uyalela’ uYakobi ukuba amphathele amatakane amabini ebhokhwe. Uza kwenza isidlo esithandwa ngokwenene ngumyeni wakhe. Emva koko, kuza kufuneka uYakobi azenze uEsawu ukuze asikelelwe. UYakobi uyala. Kaloku, uyise usenokuliqonda eli yelenqe aze amqalekise! URebheka uyanyanzelisa. Uthi: “Makube phezu kwam ukuqalekiswa kwakho, nyana wam.” Wandula ke asenze esi sidlo, anxibise uYakobi njengoEsawu aze amthumele kumyeni wakhe.—Genesis 27:1-17.

Isizathu sokuba uRebheka enze izinto ngolu hlobo asichazwa. Abaninzi bayamgxeka, kodwa akunjalo ngeBhayibhile, noIsake akazange amgxeke akufumanisa ukuba uye wasikelela uYakobi. Kunoko, uIsake umsikelela ngakumbi. (Genesis 27:29; 28:3, 4) URebheka uyakwazi oko uYehova wakuxela kwangaphambili ngokuphathelele oonyana bakhe. Ngoko uyaqinisekisa ukuba uYakobi ufumana intsikelelo anelungelo layo. Ngokucacileyo oku kuvisisana nokuthanda kukaYehova.—Roma 9:6-13.

UYakobi Uthunyelwa KwaHaran

Ngoku uRebheka uthintela ingqumbo kaEsawu ngokubongoza uYakobi ukuba asabe de iphele. Ucela imvume yokwenjenjalo kuIsake kodwa akamchazeli ukuba uEsawu unomsindo. Kunoko, ngobuchule uchazela umyeni wakhe ngenkxalabo anayo yokuba uYakobi angaze atshate nomKanan. Loo nto yabangela ukuba uIsake ayalele uYakobi ukuba awuphephe umtshato onjalo waza wamthumela kwintsapho yakuloRebheka ukuba aye kukhangela umfazi owoyika uThixo. Ayikho ingxelo ebonisa ukuba uRebheka waphinda wambona uYakobi, kodwa izinto awazenzayo zazisa iingenelo ezingathethekiyo kuhlanga lukaSirayeli.—Genesis 27:43–28:2.

Kusichukumisa gqitha oko sikwaziyo ngoRebheka. Wayeyimbelukazi, kodwa obona buhle bakhe babubangelwa luzinikelo lwakhe lobuthixo. Yiloo nto kanye uAbraham awayeyifuna kumolokazana. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ezinye iimpawu zakhe ezintle zingaphaya kwento uAbraham awayeyilindele. Ukholo nenkalipho awayenayo ekulandeleni ulwalathiso lukaThixo, kwanenzondelelo, isidima nokubuka kwakhe iindwendwe ziimpawu ezo ezifanele zixeliswe ngawo onke amabhinqa angamaKristu. Ezi ziimpawu noYehova azilindeleyo kwibhinqa elingumzekelo wokwenene.