U-EsteriIsampula

Ezahlukweni zokugcina zika-Esteri kufanele sizizwe sikhululekile futhi singakhululekile. Abantu bakaNkulunkulu ePheresiya sebezosindiswa ngochungechunge lwezinguquko ezimangalisayo, kodwa imininingwane eminingana endabeni iyathusa.

UHamani ufile, kodwa umyalo wakhe wokuba amaJuda abhujiswe usasebenza. Indlovukazi u-Esteri icela inkosi ukuba iwuguqule lo myalo, futhi uXerxes unikeza u-Esteri noMoridekayi amandla okwenza kanjalo. Babhala ukuguqulwa kwezwi lomyalo kaHamani, ovumela amaJuda ukuba azivikele futhi aziphindiselele ezitheni zawo ngosuku lwe-13 luka-Adari. Kodwa uMoridekayi, esikhundleni sokubonisa ubunye nabantu bakhe, uyaphuma esigodlweni sikaXerxes egqoke njengenkosi yasePheresiya. Kodwa-ke njengoba izindaba zokuhlehla kukaHamani noMoridekayi zisabalala, amaPheresiya kuwo wonke umbuso kaXerxes aba amaJuda futhi abonisa ubumbano ngokukhuleke kuNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.

Futhi lapho umhla we-13 ka-Adari ufika, izitha ezazinethemba lokubhubhisa amaJuda ziyabhujiswa ngokwazo. Nakuba umyalo kaMoridekayi wawuvuma, sitshelwa ukuthi abaJuda abaphanganga. Lena akuyona impi yokuziphindiselela kodwa impi ehlehlisa isono senkosi yokuqala yakwa-Israyeli, uSawule. Ngokuphambene ngokuqondile nemiyalo kaNkulunkulu, uSawule wamsindisa ukhokho wamadodana kaHamani futhi waliphanga izwe lakhe. Njengoba amaJuda eqala ukubusa ePheresiya, ayaqaphela ukuthi angaphindi izono ezifanayo zombuso kaSawule. Kodwa kuyaphawuleka ukuthi uNkulunkulu akakayivumeli noma ayale le mpi entsha.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, uEsteri ucela olunye usuku lwempindiselo kwinhloko-dolobha yasePheresiya nokuba izidumbu zamadodana kaHamani zibekwe obala—zibethelwe ezihlahleni—eziseduze kukayise. UMoridekayi ube esewenza ngokusemthethweni lo mgubho ngedili elifana namadili asePheresiya aqala indaba ka-Esteri. Umkhosi wabizwa ngokuthi iPhurimi ngenkatho uHamani ayisebenzisayo; azisezona izinto zokufa, kodwa ukuphila nokunqoba. Kodwa njengempi engagunyaziwe, iPurimu ukuphela komkhosi wamaJuda emiBhalweni ongamiswanga ngokuqondile nguNkulunkulu. Ngokudabukisayo, le ncwadi iphetha ngokuthi uXerxes usahlezi esihlalweni sakhe sobukhosi futhi uMoridekayi uphakanyiselwe esihlalweni sobukhosi esasisetshenziswa uHamani ukuze acebe ukubhubhisa amaJuda.

U-Esteri noMoridekayi bangamaqhawe, kodwa izenzo zabo ngokuvamile azijabulisi. U-Esteri ufihla ubuJuda bakhe futhi ushiya imithetho yamaJuda. Zombili zinomfanekiso wombuso wamaPheresiya futhi zinamagama asuselwa konkulunkulu basePheresiya. Akukho nkinga yokuziphatha eyafika ezingqondweni zabo njengoba u-Esteri engena ekamelweni lenkosi ukuze “ayithokozise”. U-Esteri ufunaizidumbu zamadodana kaHamani zibekwe obala ngemva kosuku lwempindiselo. Futhi uMoridekayi, enza njengoba uNkulunkulu enzile emBhalweni, usungula idili lombuso wonke. Okwengeza kukho konke lokhu kungaqondakali kokuziphatha ukuthi njengoba amaqhawe ethu enza njengamaPheresiya, amaPheresiya aqala ukukhonza njengamaJuda.

Ngokudabukisayo, izwe lika-Esteri liyizwe esiliqaphelayo—izwe lapho uNkulunkulu ebonakala engathi uthule, futhi njengezwe lapho labo abanamandla okumela uNkulunkulu ngokuvamile benza njengababusi abacindezela abantu. Singamalungu ezwe lapho amabandla aholela abantu ukuba baqale ukwenza njengoJesu, kusayiwona amabandla enza njengoXerxes ohlukumezayo.

Kodwa izindaba ezinhle kakhulu esizinikezwa yincwadi eyindida njengeka Esteri ziwukuthi uNkulunkulu akalinganiselwe emandleni akhe okwenza okuhle nokusindisa, ngisho nalapho bonke abantu benza okubi. Futhi ukufa kukaJesu kufakazela iphuzu elifanayo. Ngaphambi kokuba uJesu afe, abaholi bakwa-Israyeli babefuna afe. Izicukuthwane zaseRoma zazingamagwala. Isixuku sasilambele igazi. Futhi ngenxa yazo zonke izenzo ezinhle nezimangaliso abafundi bakaJesu ababezibonile futhi bazenza ngokwabo, bonke bamkhaphela, bamphika. Kodwa njengezenzakalo zika-Esteri, amandla kaNkulunkulu ayengalinganiselwe izenzo zalamadoda nabesifazane. Kunalokho, ububi, isiyaluyalu, nokungaqondakali kokuziphatha kwanikeza inkundla yovuko nobufakazi bokuthi uNkulunkulu angakwazi ukuguqula ukufa kube ingunaphakade lokunqoba nokuphila.

Ngiyakhuleka ukuthi uMoya oNgcwele avule amehlo akho ukuze ubone uNkulunkulu ongabanjiwe ububi bomuntu. Futhi kwangathi ungabona uJesu njengalowo ofa ukuze abuyisele ukufa ekuphileni.