Post by Traveler on Jun 21, 2020 22:40:09 GMT
This is an old story that is well known back in Africa but probably not so well known over here. I feel led to shear it with you as a word of encouragement. Although this took place well over a hundred years ago, at the start of the missionary push in Africa, it shows the hand of God in control over the destiny of nations. No matter how hard things may get we need to know that God has his ultimate plan and that he will protect his word.
There was a tribal group in the mountainous areas of South Africa known as the Swazi. There old chief was dying and he received a vision from the makulu sikulu. That means the chief of all the chiefs, ie God.
In this vision he saw a strange looking man coming up out of the sea with a white skin like a pigs and long hair like the hair at the end of a cows tail. This strange looking man was carrying two things in his hands. In one hand he had a little black book and in the other a gold coin.
The makulu sikulu gave him very strict instructions to look for this man and that the tribe was to accept the little black book but was to reject the gold coin. Any way the old chief passed this information onto his son before he died.
After the death of the old chief and the normal grieving time the son who was now the new chief got things organize. He sent an entire Impi, that means regiment of troops, south to look for this strange man who walked out the sea with a white skin like a pigs and hair like the tail of a cow and who had in his hand the little black book.
This Impi eventually ended up some months later outside what is now known as Greyhamstown. Back in those days it was not much more than a glorified camp site and rest area for the old ox wagons plying the trade routes from the coast to the Transvaal.
Anyway the occupants of that town woke up one morning to find that the whole town had been surrounded by an army but for some reason they were not attacking. After the initial fear and fright had died down a delegation of the residents went out to meet with the commander of this impi to see what they wanted. Through translators it was found that they wanted the man with the Black Book.
As the Lords timing would have it there just happened to be a fresh missionary just out from the UK in the camp at that time and everyone knew what was meant by the little black book. It could only mean the Bible.
One missionary door was thrown wide open and the missionary then left with the impi that escorted him all the way back to the kingdom. Once there the King gave him the run of the place. He gave him a patch of land, some cattle which was the currency in the local economy at the time. And the missionary got to work.
Swaziland was one of the first African nations or bantustans to be recognized by Queen Victoria and remains as an established kingdom to this day. It is also a major center for the outreach of the Gospel to the rest of Africa. It is also here that many of the new missionaries in training get to cut their teeth before going out to the harder areas.
Up until very recently this story was recounted every year as a part of the independence day celebrations. Unfortunately with the passing of the story the people are now starting to show more and more interest in the gold coin. But the foundation that was laid by the Lord still remains as a beacon of light to the rest of the country around.
There was a tribal group in the mountainous areas of South Africa known as the Swazi. There old chief was dying and he received a vision from the makulu sikulu. That means the chief of all the chiefs, ie God.
In this vision he saw a strange looking man coming up out of the sea with a white skin like a pigs and long hair like the hair at the end of a cows tail. This strange looking man was carrying two things in his hands. In one hand he had a little black book and in the other a gold coin.
The makulu sikulu gave him very strict instructions to look for this man and that the tribe was to accept the little black book but was to reject the gold coin. Any way the old chief passed this information onto his son before he died.
After the death of the old chief and the normal grieving time the son who was now the new chief got things organize. He sent an entire Impi, that means regiment of troops, south to look for this strange man who walked out the sea with a white skin like a pigs and hair like the tail of a cow and who had in his hand the little black book.
This Impi eventually ended up some months later outside what is now known as Greyhamstown. Back in those days it was not much more than a glorified camp site and rest area for the old ox wagons plying the trade routes from the coast to the Transvaal.
Anyway the occupants of that town woke up one morning to find that the whole town had been surrounded by an army but for some reason they were not attacking. After the initial fear and fright had died down a delegation of the residents went out to meet with the commander of this impi to see what they wanted. Through translators it was found that they wanted the man with the Black Book.
As the Lords timing would have it there just happened to be a fresh missionary just out from the UK in the camp at that time and everyone knew what was meant by the little black book. It could only mean the Bible.
One missionary door was thrown wide open and the missionary then left with the impi that escorted him all the way back to the kingdom. Once there the King gave him the run of the place. He gave him a patch of land, some cattle which was the currency in the local economy at the time. And the missionary got to work.
Swaziland was one of the first African nations or bantustans to be recognized by Queen Victoria and remains as an established kingdom to this day. It is also a major center for the outreach of the Gospel to the rest of Africa. It is also here that many of the new missionaries in training get to cut their teeth before going out to the harder areas.
Up until very recently this story was recounted every year as a part of the independence day celebrations. Unfortunately with the passing of the story the people are now starting to show more and more interest in the gold coin. But the foundation that was laid by the Lord still remains as a beacon of light to the rest of the country around.