📖 Utangulizi wa Agano la Kale — Sehemu ya 7: Fasihi ya Hekima – Kifungu cha 1 (Ayubu na Zaburi)📖 Old Testament Survey — Unit 7: Wisdom Literature – Part 1 (Job & Psalms)

Hekima Si Akili Nyingi. Ni Ustadi wa Kuishi.Wisdom Isn't IQ. It's Skill in Living.

Mwanafunzi mwenye akili kuliko wote niliyewahi kuwa naye seminarini alishindwa katika ndoa yake. Wa pili kwa akili hawezi kudumu katika kazi. Nawapenda wote wawili, lakini hakuna hata mmoja wao aliyekuwa na hekima. Hekima na akili si kitu kimoja — na Agano la Kale linalijua hilo. Neno la Kiebrania chokmah hapo awali lilimaanisha ustadi wa fundi: mfumaji aliyeujua vizuri mtambo wake wa kufuma, seremala aliyezijua mbao zake, mfua dhahabu aliyeujua moto wake. Hekima ni ustadi wa kuishi. Ni ufundi wa kuchukua malighafi ya siku ya kawaida — kazi yako, ndoa yako, fedha zako, kinywa chako — na kuunda kitu kinachomheshimu Mungu.The smartest student I ever had in seminary flunked his marriage. The second smartest can't hold a job. I love them both, but neither one of them was wise. Wisdom and intelligence are not the same thing — and the Old Testament knows this. The Hebrew word chokmah originally referred to a craftsman's skill: a weaver who knew her loom, a carpenter who knew his wood, a goldsmith who knew his fire. Wisdom is skill in living. It's the craft of taking the raw material of an ordinary day — your job, your marriage, your money, your mouth — and shaping something that honors God.

Vitabu vitano vya Agano la Kale vimetengwa kwa ajili ya ufundi huu: Ayubu, Zaburi, Mithali, Mhubiri, na Wimbo Ulio Bora. Vinaweka kila jibu la mlalo (kati ya wanadamu) juu ya msingi wa wima wa kumcha Bwana. "Kumcha Bwana ndio mwanzo wa hekima" (Zaburi 111:10; Mithali 9:10). Zingatia neno hilo: mwanzo. Si mwisho. Si zawadi ya mwisho. Ni mstari wa kuanzia. Huhitimu kutoka katika kumcha Bwana; unaanzia hapo na unaendelea kutembea. Sehemu hii inachukua vitabu viwili vya kwanza vya safari hiyo: Ayubu, ambamo hekima inafuliwa motoni, na Zaburi, ambamo hekima inajifunza kuimba.Five Old Testament books are devoted to this craft: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They ground every horizontal answer in the vertical fear of the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10). Notice the word: beginning. Not the end. Not the prize. The starting line. You don't graduate from the fear of the Lord; you start there and you keep walking. This unit takes the first two books of that journey: Job, where wisdom is forged in fire, and Psalms, where wisdom learns to sing.

I. Ayubu: Kitabu Kinachokataa Majibu RahisiI. Job: The Book That Refuses Easy Answers

Wakristo wengi hukiruka kitabu cha Ayubu. Hilo ni kosa. Ayubu ni kitabu ambacho Mungu alitupa kwa ajili ya siku ambazo hakuna kitu kinachoeleweka. Kitabu kinaanza kwa tukio ambalo wasomaji wengi hukosa kuelewa maana yake. Ni mahakama. Wana wa Mungu wanajihudhurisha. Na mshtaki — ha-satan, "mpinzani" — anaingia miongoni mwao. Mungu anasema kwanza: "Je! Umemwangalia huyo mtumishi wangu Ayubu? Kwa kuwa hapana mmoja aliye kama yeye duniani, mtu mkamilifu, mwelekevu, mwenye kumcha Mungu, na kuepukana na uovu" (Ayubu 1:8). Shetani anajibu kwa dharau: Bila shaka anakupenda. Umemlipa ili akupende. Mnyang'anye vyote uone atakavyokukufuru mbele ya uso wako.Most Christians skip Job. That's a mistake. Job is the book God gave us for the days nothing makes sense. The book opens with a scene most readers miss the meaning of. It's a courtroom. The sons of God present themselves. And the accuser — ha-satan, "the adversary" — comes in among them. God speaks first: "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" (Job 1:8). Satan sneers back: Sure he loves you. You've paid him to. Take it all away and watch him curse you to your face.

Na huu ndio ufunguo muhimu kuliko yote wa kukifasiri kitabu kizima: msomaji anajua kile ambacho Ayubu hajui. Sisi tuko mahakamani. Ayubu hayuko. Hajui kamwe habari ya ule mjadala wa mbinguni. Mkewe hajui. Rafiki zake watatu hawajui. Kwao, mateso yanafika kama dhoruba ya radi kutoka katika anga lisilo na wingu — nao wanatumia sura thelathini na tano wakijaribu kueleza dhoruba ambayo hawawezi kuona chanzo chake. Ikiwa umewahi kujiuliza kwa nini rafiki hao wanasikika kuwa na uhakika mwingi namna hiyo na wakati huo huo wamekosea sana, hiyo ndiyo sababu. Walikuwa wakijaribu kusoma kitabu ambacho utangulizi wake umechanwa na kuondolewa.And here is the most important interpretive key in the whole book: the reader knows what Job doesn't. We are in the courtroom. Job is not. He never finds out about the wager. His wife doesn't know. His three friends don't know. To them, the suffering arrives like a thunderstorm out of a clear sky — and they spend thirty-five chapters trying to explain a storm they can't see the cause of. If you ever wonder why the friends sound so confident and so wrong, that's why. They were trying to read a book with the prologue torn out.

Zingatia pia kwamba Shetani amefungwa kwa kamba. Hawezi kusonga hata inchi moja kupita mpaka ambao Mungu ameuweka. "Tazama, yote aliyo nayo yamo mkononi mwako; ila usinyoshe mkono wako juu yake yeye mwenyewe" (Ayubu 1:12). Baadaye kamba inaongezwa urefu, lakini haikatwi kamwe. Ibilisi ni halisi. Ni mwovu. Pia amefungwa kwa kamba. Hakuna chembe hata moja inayojiendea yenyewe katika ulimwengu wa Biblia. Mateso yakikufikia, yamepita kwanza katika mkono wa Baba yako. Hilo si fundisho la kustarehesha. Hata hivyo, ndilo fundisho pekee linalosimama imara kando ya kaburi.Notice also that Satan is on a leash. He cannot move one inch beyond the boundary God sets. "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person" (Job 1:12). Later the leash is lengthened, but never cut. The Devil is real. He is malicious. He is also leashed. There are no rogue molecules in the universe of the Bible. If suffering reaches you, it has passed through the hand of your Father first. That's not a comfortable doctrine. It is, however, the only one that holds up at the graveside.

Jibu la Ayubu kwa wimbi la kwanza la maafa ni mojawapo ya sentensi kuu katika Maandiko: "Bwana alitoa, na Bwana ametwaa; jina la Bwana na libarikiwe" (Ayubu 1:21). Spurgeon alihubiri juu ya mstari huu na akatupa maneno ambayo kila mtakatifu anayeteseka anapaswa kuyakariri: "Mungu anapoweka kikombe kichungu midomoni mwako, ubusu mkono unaokishika. Libusu wimbi linalokutupa dhidi ya Mwamba wa Milele." Libusu wimbi. Usipigane na wimbi; wimbi si adui yako. Wimbi ndilo hasa linalokusukuma kwenye Mwamba ambao vinginevyo ungeupita bila kuujali. Ikiwa uko katika maji mengi leo, libusu wimbi.Job's response to the first wave of catastrophe is one of the great sentences in Scripture: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Spurgeon preached on this verse and gave us a line every suffering saint should memorize: "When God puts a bitter cup to your lips, kiss the hand that holds it. Kiss the wave that throws you against the Rock of Ages." Kiss the wave. Don't fight the wave; the wave is not your enemy. The wave is the very thing driving you onto the Rock you would otherwise have walked past. If you are in deep waters today, kiss the wave.

Kisha wanakuja rafiki zake. Elifazi, Bildadi, na Sofari wanafika na — tuwape haki yao — wanaanza vizuri. Wanaketi kimya pamoja na Ayubu kwa siku saba. Siku saba! Wengi wetu hatuwezi kustahimili dakika saba. Lakini kisha wanafungua vinywa vyao, na wanaharibu kila kitu. Hoja yao ni hoja ya kimantiki yenye hatua tatu: Mungu huwabariki wenye haki na kuwaadhibu waovu. Wewe, Ayubu, unaadhibiwa. Kwa hiyo wewe, Ayubu, lazima uwe mwovu. Tubu nawe utarejeshwa. Ni safi. Ina mantiki. Ni makosa. Wanajaribu kumtetea Mungu kwa kumshtaki Ayubu, nao wanaishia kufanya kinyume cha kile walichokusudia.Then come the friends. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar arrive and — credit where it's due — they start well. They sit in silence with Job for seven days. Seven days! Most of us can't manage seven minutes. But then they open their mouths, and they ruin it. Their argument is a syllogism. God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked. You, Job, are being punished. Therefore you, Job, must be wicked. Repent and be restored. It's clean. It's logical. It's wrong. They're trying to defend God by accusing Job, and they wind up doing the opposite of what they intend.

Mtu wa nne, Elihu, anajitokeza baadaye. Yeye ni kijana zaidi na wazee hao mwanzoni hawamjali, lakini mzingatie: anakaribia zaidi ukweli. Elihu anapendekeza jambo ambalo wengine hawakulisema — kwamba mateso yanaweza kuwa nidhamu, usafishaji, mwalimu badala ya adhabu. Yuko karibu zaidi na ukweli. Lakini kukaribia si kufika. Yeye pia bado hajui habari ya ile mahakama.A fourth man, Elihu, shows up late. He's younger and the older men ignore him at first, but pay attention to him: he gets warmer. Elihu suggests something the others didn't — that suffering can be discipline, refining, a teacher rather than a punishment. He's closer to the truth. But warmer is not there. He still doesn't know about the courtroom either.

Na kisha kisulisuli. Kutoka katika dhoruba Mungu anasema — na hili ndilo linaloshangaza sana: Mungu haelezi kamwe. Hasemi kamwe, "Ayubu, nataka ujue kwamba kulikuwa na mjadala mbinguni na wewe umeushinda kwa ajili yangu." Badala yake anamwuliza Ayubu maswali sabini. "Ulikuwa wapi nilipoiweka misingi ya dunia?" (Ayubu 38:4). Je! Umeiamuru asubuhi? Je! Unajua nuru inakoishi? Je! Wewe ndiwe uliyempa farasi nguvu zake? Hotuba ya kisulisuli si jibu la kwa nini ya Ayubu. Ni ufunuo wa Nani. Ayubu alitaka hukumu. Mungu alimpa maono. Na maono hayo yalitosha. Ayubu anaweka mkono wake juu ya kinywa chake na kusema, "Nilikuwa nimesikia habari zako kwa kusikia kwa masikio; bali sasa jicho langu linakuona" (Ayubu 42:5). Hapa ndipo kitabu kinapotua, nacho kinatua juu yako na juu yangu. Unapopitia mateso usiyoweza kuyaelewa, hutapata maelezo. Utampata Mtu. Naye atatosha.And then the whirlwind. Out of the storm God speaks — and here's what is so striking: God never explains. He never says, "Job, I want you to know there was a wager in heaven and you won it for Me." Instead He asks Job seventy questions. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" (Job 38:4). Have you commanded the morning? Do you know where light dwells? Did you give the horse his strength? The whirlwind speech is not an answer to Job's why. It is the revelation of a Who. Job wanted a verdict. God gave him a vision. And the vision was enough. Job lays his hand over his mouth and says, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You" (Job 42:5). This is where the book lands, and it lands on you and me. When you walk through suffering you cannot understand, you will not get an explanation. You will get a Person. And He will be enough.

Mstari mmoja zaidi kabla hatujamwacha Ayubu. Katika sura ya 19, akijikuna majipu yake kwa kigae cha chungu kilichovunjika, akiwa ameachwa na mkewe, na kuvunjwa moyo na rafiki zake, Ayubu ghafla anasema jambo ambalo huenda yeye mwenyewe hakulielewa kikamilifu: "Mimi najua ya kuwa Mkombozi wangu yu hai, na mwisho atasimama juu ya nchi" (Ayubu 19:25). Neno la Kiebrania lililotafsiriwa Mkombozi ni go'el — mkombozi wa ukoo, ndugu wa familia mwenye haki ya kisheria na upendo wa moyoni wa kukomboa kile kilichopotea. Boazi alikuwa go'el kwa Ruthu. Ayubu anapapasa gizani akimtafuta go'el kwa ajili yake mwenyewe. Bado hajui jina lake. Sisi tunalijua. Mkombozi aliye hai ni Yesu. Msalaba ndio kikombe kichungu ambacho Ayubu alikibusu gizani — na Yesu alikinywa hadi tone la mwisho, akijua kikamilifu kilichokuwa ndani yake.One more verse before we leave Job. In chapter 19, scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery, abandoned by his wife, beaten down by his friends, Job suddenly says something he himself probably didn't fully understand: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth" (Job 19:25). The Hebrew word translated Redeemer is go'el — the kinsman-redeemer, the family member with the legal right and the personal love to buy back what's been lost. Boaz was a go'el for Ruth. Job is groping for a go'el for himself. He doesn't know His name yet. We do. The Redeemer who lives is Jesus. The cross is the bitter cup Job kissed in the dark — and Jesus drained it to the dregs, knowing exactly what was in it.

Na mwisho wake? Mungu anamrejesha Ayubu — na hapa kuna jambo ambalo vitabu vingi vya ufafanuzi hulikosa. Mali za Ayubu zinaongezwa maradufu. Kondoo maradufu. Ngamia maradufu. Ng'ombe maradufu. Lakini watoto — watoto hawaongezwi maradufu. Alikuwa na kumi hapo awali; anapata kumi tena. Kwa nini? Kwa sababu katika mpango wa mbinguni, wale kumi wa kwanza hawajapotea. Wako hai katika utukufu, wakisubiri. Ayubu anamaliza kitabu akiwa na watoto ishirini, si kumi. Hilo si tanbihi ya hisia tu. Hiyo ndiyo injili. Hakuna kitu kilichokabidhiwa kwa Mungu ambacho hupotea kwa kweli.And the ending? God restores Job — and here is something most commentaries miss. Job's wealth is doubled. Sheep doubled. Camels doubled. Oxen doubled. But the children — the children are not doubled. He had ten before; he has ten again. Why? Because in the economy of heaven, the first ten are not lost. They are alive in glory, waiting. Job ends the book with twenty children, not ten. That is not a sentimental footnote. That is the gospel. Nothing entrusted to God is ever truly lost.

II. Zaburi: Kitabu Kinachokufundisha Jinsi ya KuombaII. Psalms: The Book That Teaches You How to Pray

Ikiwa Ayubu ni kitabu kinachouliza maswali magumu kuliko yote, Zaburi ni kitabu kinachokufundisha jinsi ya kuyaomba maswali hayo. Jina la Kiebrania la Zaburi ni Tehillim — Sifa. Jina hilo linashangaza kidogo, kwa sababu zaidi ya theluthi moja ya zaburi si za sifa bali ni za maombolezo. Biblia ya Kiebrania inakiita kitabu kizima kwa jina la mahali kinapoelekea, hata wakati nyimbo nyingi zimeandikwa njiani. Sifa ambayo haijapita katika unyoofu ni maigizo tu. Kitabu cha Zaburi kinakataa kukuruhusu uiruke njia hiyo.If Job is the book that asks the hardest questions, Psalms is the book that teaches you how to pray them. The Hebrew title of Psalms is Tehillim — Praises. That title is a little surprising, because more than a third of the psalms are not praise but lament. The Hebrew Bible names the whole book after the destination, even when most of the songs are written from the road. Praise that has not passed through honesty is performance. The Psalter refuses to let you skip the road.

Kitabu cha Zaburi kina nyimbo na maombi 150, vilivyokusanywa katika vitabu vitano (1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106, 107–150). Kila kitabu kinaishia kwa doksolojia (tamko la kumtukuza Mungu), na Kitabu cha Tano kinaishia kwa zaburi tano nzima zisizo na kitu kingine ila sifa. Muundo huu wa vitabu vitano unaakisi vitabu vitano vya Torati kwa makusudi. Marabi walikuwa wakisema, "Musa aliwapa Israeli vitabu vitano vya Sheria; Daudi aliwapa Israeli vitabu vitano vya sifa." Daudi aliandika takriban nusu yake. Asafu, wana wa Kora, Sulemani, Musa, Hemani, na Ethani waliandika zilizobaki.The psalter contains 150 songs and prayers, gathered into five books (1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106, 107–150). Each book ends with a doxology and Book Five ends with five whole psalms of nothing but praise. The five-book structure mirrors the five books of the Torah on purpose. The rabbis used to say, "Moses gave Israel the five books of the Law; David gave Israel the five books of praise." David wrote about half of them. Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses, Heman, and Ethan wrote the rest.

A. Zaburi Nne za MchungajiA. Four Shepherd-Psalms

Kitabu cha Zaburi kinafundisha mambo elfu, lakini ikiwa ungependa kujifunza kuomba jinsi Daudi alivyoomba, anza na nne. Zaburi 23 ni utunzaji wa Mchungaji — zaburi ambayo nimeisoma mara nyingi kando ya makaburi mengi kuliko nyingine yoyote. Zaburi 51 ni msamaha wa Mchungaji — maombi ambayo Daudi aliandika baada ya Nathani kusema, "Wewe ndiwe mtu huyo." Zaburi 103 ni baraka za Mchungaji — zihesabu moja moja, mtunga zaburi anasema, nawe hutamaliza. Zaburi 119 ni Neno la Mchungaji — zaburi ndefu kuliko zote katika Biblia, mistari 176, kila mmoja ukihusu Neno la Mungu. Zijue vizuri hizo nne nawe utakuwa na teolojia inayofanya kazi ya maisha ya Kikristo.The Psalter teaches a thousand things, but if you would learn to pray the way David prayed, start with four. Psalm 23 is the Shepherd's care — the psalm I have read more times beside more graves than any other. Psalm 51 is the Shepherd's forgiveness — the prayer David wrote after Nathan said, "You are the man." Psalm 103 is the Shepherd's blessings — count them one by one, the psalmist says, and you will not finish. Psalm 119 is the Shepherd's Word — the longest psalm in the Bible, 176 verses, every one of them about the Word of God. Master those four and you have a working theology of the Christian life.

B. Zaburi 23: Mchungaji Awapitisha Kondoo WakeB. Psalm 23: A Shepherd Walks His Sheep Through

Kondoo si kama watu wa mjini wanavyodhani. Wanahitaji utunzaji mwingi kuliko aina nyingine yoyote ya mifugo. Ni wakaidi, waoga, na wepesi kupotea. Mbwa au paka au farasi anaweza kuipata njia ya kurudi nyumbani. Kondoo aliyepotea hawezi. Isaya alituona waziwazi: "Sisi sote kama kondoo tumepotea; kila mmoja wetu amegeukia njia yake mwenyewe" (Isaya 53:6). Sasa isome Zaburi 23 kwa macho ya kondoo.Sheep are not what city people think. They require more care than any other class of livestock. They are stubborn, fearful, and quick to go astray. A dog or a cat or a horse can find its way home. A lost sheep cannot. Isaiah saw us clearly: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). Now read Psalm 23 with sheep eyes.

"Katika malisho ya majani mabichi hunilaza." Kufikia katikati ya asubuhi kondoo ana joto na kiu na anataka maji. Mchungaji anajua kwamba kondoo hawezi kunywa wakati tumbo lake limejaa majani ambayo hayajameng'enywa — yatamfanya augue. Kwa hiyo mchungaji anamlaza kondoo. Wakati mwingine Mungu huwalaza watumishi wake chali ili watazame juu, kwenye anga pekee ambamo watamwona. Kitanda ambacho hukukitaka kinaweza kuwa ndipo mahali penye ubaridi na ulaini ambapo Mchungaji Mwema amekuchagulia."He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." By mid-morning the sheep is hot and thirsty and wants water. The shepherd knows the sheep cannot drink when its stomach is full of undigested grass — it will make it sick. So the shepherd makes the sheep lie down. Sometimes God puts His servants on their backs to look up at the only sky they will see Him in. The bed you did not want may be the cool, soft spot the Good Shepherd has chosen for you.

"Kando ya maji ya utulivu huniongoza." Kondoo mwenye koti lake zito la sufu ni mwogeleaji mbaya sana. Hatakunywa kutoka katika kijito kinachotiririka — anaogopa sana kuvutwa ndani. Mchungaji analazimika kumtafutia maji yaliyotulia. Kristo alisema, "Mtu akiona kiu, na aje kwangu anywe" (Yohana 7:37). Wengi leo hujaribu kunywa kutoka katika vijito vya ulimwengu vinavyokimbia kwa kasi — pombe, anasa, mafanikio — na hawapati kitu ila kiu zaidi. Ni maji ya utulivu ya Kristo peke yake yanayotosheleza."He leadeth me beside the still waters." A sheep with its heavy wool coat is a terrible swimmer. It will not drink from a moving stream — it is too afraid of being pulled in. The shepherd has to find still water for it. Christ said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37). Many today try to drink from the rushing streams of the world — alcohol, indulgence, accomplishment — and find nothing but more thirst. Only the still water of Christ satisfies.

"Hunihuisha nafsi yangu." Mara kwa mara kondoo huteleza na kuingia katika shimo dogo na kulala huku uzito wake ukiwa juu ya mgongo wake. Hawezi kuinuka. Koti lake zito linamnasa akiwa amelala chali, miguu juu hewani, naye atakufa hapo ikiwa mchungaji hatamkuta. Wachungaji humwita kondoo huyo aliyeangushwa chali. Kutoka hapo ndipo neno la Kiingereza downcast (aliyeinama nafsi, aliyekata tamaa) linapotoka. "Nafsi yangu, kwa nini kuinama?" Daudi anauliza (Zaburi 42:5). Ikiwa umewahi kuhisi kwamba ulimwengu umepinduka na huwezi kuinuka — Yeye anakuja. Mchungaji hampotezi kondoo wake aliyeangushwa chali."He restoreth my soul." Occasionally a sheep will slip into a hollow and lie down with its center of gravity over its back. It cannot get up. Its heavy coat traps it on its spine, feet in the air, and it will die there if the shepherd does not find it. Sheepmen call this a cast-down sheep. That is where our word downcast comes from. "Why are you cast down, O my soul?" David asks (Psalm 42:5). If you have ever felt the world is upside down and you cannot rise — He is coming. The Shepherd does not lose His cast-down sheep.

"Gongo lako na fimbo yako vyanifariji." Gongo lilikuwa silaha ya kufukuza mbwa mwitu na simba; fimbo ilikuwa chombo chenye ncha iliyopinda ambacho mchungaji alitumia kuwainua wana-kondoo kutoka katika nyufa za miamba na kuwavuta wanaotangatanga warudi kundini. Wachungaji pia walimgusa kondoo waliyempenda kwa fimbo ili tu kudumisha mguso wa upole — uhakikisho wa kimya kimya kwamba alikuwa pale. Kuna siku ambazo inaonekana kwamba kitu pekee Bwana anachofanya ni kukugusa kwa upole kwa fimbo yake. Hilo si bure. Huyo ni Mchungaji akisema Sijaenda popote."Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." The rod was a weapon to drive off wolves and lions; the staff was the hooked instrument by which the shepherd lifted lambs out of crevices and pulled wanderers back to the flock. Shepherds also touched the staff against a favorite sheep just to keep gentle contact — a quiet reassurance that he was there. There are days when all the Lord seems to be doing is touching you lightly with His staff. That is not nothing. That is the Shepherd saying I have not gone anywhere.

"Waandaa meza mbele yangu, machoni pa watesi wangu." Katika nchi ya milimani wachungaji waliziita nyanda tambarare za malisho meza. Mchungaji angepanda huko siku kadhaa kabla kundi halijafika, akitafuta magugu yenye sumu, akichimbua nyoka wenye sumu, na kuwaua au kuwanasa wanyama wawindaji. Kondoo walifika kwenye uwanda wa malisho uliokwisha kusafishwa. Unapoketi leo kula chakula ambacho hukukistahili na ambacho usingeweza kukiandaa, Mchungaji wako amekuwa mezani kabla hujafika hapo. "Umenipaka mafuta kichwani pangu." Nzi waliwatesa kondoo, hasa kuzunguka pua; mchungaji alichanganya mafuta ya zeituni na kiberiti na viungo na kuvipaka juu ya kichwa cha kondoo. Viliwaua nzi, viliponya muwasho, na kumtuliza mnyama. Roho wa Mungu hufanya hivyo kwa mateso ya mwamini. "Na kikombe changu kinafurika." Si kikombe changu kimejaa. Kinafurika. Mshairi-mchungaji aliishiwa nafasi katika kikombe."Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." In the high country shepherds called the flat grazing plateaus tables. The shepherd would climb up there days before the flock arrived, scout for poisonous weeds, dig out vipers, and kill or trap predators. The sheep arrived to a meadow already cleared. When you sit down to a meal today that you did not earn and could not have arranged, your Shepherd has been on the table before you got here. "Thou anointest my head with oil." Flies tormented the sheep, especially around the nose; the shepherd mixed olive oil with sulfur and spices and smeared it over the sheep's head. It killed the flies, healed the irritation, soothed the animal. The Spirit of God does that for the believer's torment. "My cup runneth over." Not my cup is full. Overflowing. The shepherd-poet ran out of room in the cup.

Na mstari wa kumalizia: "Nami nitakaa nyumbani mwa BWANA milele." Neno la Kiebrania la "nyumba" lilimaanisha zaidi ya jengo — lilimaanisha kaya nzima, mazizi, malisho, kila kitu kilichokuwa mali ya mchungaji. Kukaa nyumbani mwa BWANA milele ni kuishi pamoja na Mchungaji, katika nchi yake, chini ya utunzaji wake, milele na milele.And the closing line: "And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." The Hebrew word for "house" meant more than the building — it meant the household, the corrals, the pastures, everything that belonged to the shepherd. To dwell in the LORD's house forever is to live in the company of the Shepherd, on His land, under His care, world without end.

C. Aina Sita za ZaburiC. Six Types of Psalms

Mbali na zaburi za mchungaji, wasomi hupanga kitabu cha Zaburi katika aina sita. Zijifunze hizi. Zitabadilisha jinsi unavyosoma.Beyond the shepherd psalms, scholars sort the psalter into six types. Learn these. They will change how you read.

1. Zaburi za maombolezo. Kundi moja kubwa kuliko yote. Vilio vya mtu aliye katika taabu. Zaburi 13: "Ee Bwana, hata lini? Utanisahau milele?" Zaburi 22, Zaburi 88 — zaburi yenye giza kuliko zote katika Biblia, na ndiyo, iko katika Biblia. Maombolezo ya kweli ni tendo la imani. Humpigii kelele mtu ambaye huamini kwamba yupo. 2. Zaburi za shukrani. Zaburi 30, Zaburi 116 — nyimbo za mtu aliyeokolewa anayemtaja Mwokozi wake. 3. Nyimbo za sifa. Zaburi 8, Zaburi 19, Zaburi 104 — kumwabudu Mungu kwa moyo safi kwa jinsi alivyo na kwa yale aliyoyaumba. 4. Zaburi za kifalme. Zaburi 2, Zaburi 45, Zaburi 110 — zinamhusu mfalme aliye juu ya kiti cha enzi cha Israeli, lakini zinaelekeza mbele zaidi yake kwa Mfalme ambaye angekuja. 5. Zaburi za hekima. Zaburi 1, Zaburi 37, Zaburi 119 — ufafanuzi wa kitabu cha Zaburi juu ya Mithali, zikilinganisha njia ya wenye haki na njia ya waovu. 6. Zaburi za laana. Zaburi 69, Zaburi 109, sehemu za Zaburi 137 — nyimbo zinazomwomba Mungu awahukumu watenda maovu. Zinawafanya wasomaji wa kisasa wawe na wasiwasi, lakini ni Maandiko. Zinatufundisha kumpelekea Mungu hasira yetu badala ya kuitendea kazi sisi wenyewe.1. Lament psalms. The largest single category. Cries of someone in trouble. Psalm 13: "How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?" Psalm 22, Psalm 88 — the darkest psalm in the Bible, and yes, it is in the Bible. Honest lament is an act of faith. You don't yell at someone you don't believe is there. 2. Thanksgiving psalms. Psalm 30, Psalm 116 — songs of someone who has been delivered and is naming the Deliverer. 3. Hymns of praise. Psalm 8, Psalm 19, Psalm 104 — pure adoration of God for who He is and what He has made. 4. Royal psalms. Psalm 2, Psalm 45, Psalm 110 — about the king on Israel's throne, but pointing past him to the King who would come. 5. Wisdom psalms. Psalm 1, Psalm 37, Psalm 119 — the psalter's commentary on Proverbs, contrasting the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. 6. Imprecatory psalms. Psalm 69, Psalm 109, parts of Psalm 137 — songs that call for God's judgment on evildoers. They make modern readers nervous, but they are Scripture. They teach us to bring our rage to God instead of acting on it ourselves.

Vyovyote unavyojisikia leo — furaha, hofu kuu, huzuni, shauku, majuto, ghadhabu, uchovu — kuna zaburi kwa ajili ya hali hiyo. Kitabu cha Zaburi ni msamiati wa hisia wa mwamini. Ikiwa unaomba tu unapojisikia vizuri, bado hujajifunza kukitumia kitabu cha maombi cha Biblia.Whatever you are feeling today — joy, terror, grief, longing, regret, fury, exhaustion — there is a psalm for it. The Psalter is the believer's emotional vocabulary. If you only pray when you feel good, you have not yet learned to use the Bible's prayer book.

D. Kristo Katika ZaburiD. Christ in the Psalms

Zaburi nyingi ni za kimasihi — zinatazama mbele kupita mazingira yake ya asili na kumwelekea Yesu. Tatu kati yake ni za msingi.Many psalms are messianic — they look past their original setting and point to Jesus. Three are essential.

Zaburi 2. Mataifa yanaghadhibika, lakini Mungu anacheka kutoka mbinguni na kusema juu ya Masihi wake: "Wewe ndiwe mwanangu, mimi leo nimekuzaa" (Zaburi 2:7). Baba aliinukuu zaburi hii katika ubatizo wa Yesu na katika kugeuka sura. Zaburi 22. Iliandikwa na Daudi takriban 1000 K.K. Mstari wa kwanza: "Mungu wangu, Mungu wangu, mbona umeniacha?" — ulinukuliwa na Yesu akiwa msalabani. Katikati ya zaburi: "Wamenitoboa mikono na miguu… Wanagawanya nguo zangu, na vazi langu wanalipigia kura" (Zaburi 22:16, 18). Daudi aliandika hili miaka elfu moja kabla kusulubisha hakujawa uvumbuzi wa Kirumi. Hakuwa na kundi la mawazo la kuelewa alichokuwa akiandika. Alikuwa akiuchora msalaba gizani. Zaburi 110. Inanukuliwa katika Agano Jipya mara nyingi kuliko kifungu kingine chochote cha Agano la Kale. "BWANA amwambia Bwana wangu, Uketi mkono wangu wa kuume" (Zaburi 110:1). Na kisha, kwa kushangaza: "Wewe u kuhani milele, kwa mfano wa Melkizedeki" (Zaburi 110:4). Wafalme wa Israeli hawangeweza kuwa makuhani; huduma hizo mbili zilitenganishwa kwa uangalifu. Lakini Daudi anamwona Bwana ajaye atakayekuwa vyote viwili. Anamchora Yesu.Psalm 2. The nations rage, but God laughs from heaven and says of His Anointed: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You" (Psalm 2:7). The Father quoted this psalm at Jesus' baptism and at the transfiguration. Psalm 22. Written by David around 1000 BC. The first line: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" — quoted by Jesus from the cross. The middle of the psalm: "They pierced My hands and My feet… they divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22:16, 18). David wrote this a thousand years before crucifixion was a Roman invention. He had no category for what he was writing. He was sketching the cross in the dark. Psalm 110. Quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament passage. "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand'" (Psalm 110:1). And then, astonishingly: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4). Israel's kings could not be priests; the two offices were carefully separated. But David sees a coming Lord who will be both. He is sketching Jesus.

III. Kristo Ndiye Jibu Ambalo Ayubu na Zaburi WanalitafutaIII. Christ Is the Answer Job and Psalms Are Looking For

Mtu Mmoja anatoka katika kurasa unapoviweka vitabu hivi viwili pamoja. Ayubu alitamani Mkombozi aliye hai — na Yesu ndiye go'el, Ndugu wa ukoo aliyevaa mwili kwa kusudi hasa la kukukomboa. Zaburi 22 ilikuwa kilio cha msalabani kabla msalaba haujakuwepo — na Yesu aliiomba kama maombi yake mwenyewe. Zaburi 110 iliahidi Mfalme ambaye pia angekuwa Kuhani — na Yesu ameketi mkono wa kuume wa Baba akikuombea sasa hivi. Zaburi 23 iliahidi Mchungaji, na Yesu alisema, "Mimi ndimi mchungaji mwema" (Yohana 10:11). Hekima si methali; Hekima ni Mtu. "Kristo Yesu, aliyefanywa kwetu kuwa hekima itokayo kwa Mungu" (1 Wakorintho 1:30).One Person walks out of the pages when you put the two books together. Job longed for a Redeemer who lives — and Jesus is the go'el, the Kinsman who took flesh precisely to redeem you. Psalm 22 was cried from the cross before there was a cross — and Jesus prayed it as His own. Psalm 110 promised a King who would also be a Priest — and Jesus is seated at the Father's right hand interceding for you right now. Psalm 23 promised a Shepherd, and Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). Wisdom is not a maxim; Wisdom is a Man. "Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God" (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Baba mmoja aliwahi kuketi kando ya kitanda cha mwanawe aliyekuwa akifa. Alimwuliza kijana huyo ni mstari gani anaoupenda zaidi, na kijana akasema, "BWANA ndiye mchungaji wangu." Baba akasema, "Mwanangu, zaburi hii inaanza kwa maneno manne. Inua mkono wako. Kidole kimoja kwa kila neno." Akaushika mkono wa kijana na kuyahesabu — BWANA (1)… ndiye (2)… mchungaji (3)… wangu (4). "Shika kidole hicho cha nne," akasema. "Hilo ndilo neno lenye maana. Wangu." Kijana alikufa akiwa ameshika kidole cha nne. Mchungaji Mwema ambaye zaburi yake ya 23 inaanza kwa maneno manne ndiye Mchungaji Mwema ambaye mwili wake ulivunjwa ili neno wangu liweze kutoshea mkononi mwako pia. Shika kidole hicho.A father once sat beside the bed of his dying son. He asked the boy what verse he loved best, and the boy said, "The Lord is my Shepherd." The father said, "Son, the psalm begins with five words. Hold up your hand. One finger for each word." He took the boy's hand and counted them off — The (1)… Lord (2)… is (3)… my (4)… Shepherd (5). "Hold that fourth finger," he said. "That is the word that matters. My." The boy died holding the fourth finger. The Good Shepherd whose 23rd psalm begins with five words is the Good Shepherd whose body was broken so the word my could fit in your hand too. Hold that finger.

Unapopitia msimu wako wa Ayubu — nawe utapitia — kumbuka kwamba kikombe kichungu usichoweza kukielewa kikamilifu kimekwisha kunywewa chote na Mtu aliyekielewa kikamilifu. Libusu wimbi. Linakusukuma kuelekea Mwambani.When you walk through your Job season — and you will — remember the bitter cup you cannot quite understand has already been drained by Someone who understood it perfectly. Kiss the wave. It is pushing you against the Rock.

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