1. Wa u omba, / He who knocks ,
2. Naa ndi
nnyi? /who is it ?
3. A lindela /And waits
4. Zwa u naka, /for what is beautiful
(for good/beautiful results)
5. Ndi wa
lwendo /He's of a
journey
6. A sa dihwi, /And he's been
unknown
7. We kale a si
vhonwe, /through ages he was
never seen.
8. Muya wanga zwa u
ralo /So my spirit
9. Tenda uri a
dzhene. /Let him in
[1-2]
1. Wa u omba, / He who knocks
2. Naa ndi
nnyi? /who is it ?
The singer notices
someone knocking and wonders who it might be.
Rev 3:20 Here
I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I
will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.
As Revelations
indicates, it is Jesus who's knocking.
[3-4]
3. A lindela /And waits
4. Zwa u naka, /for a what is beautiful
(for good/beautiful results)
This indicates that
Jesus is waiting for a "beautiful response" from the heart. This
indicates the patience that Christ has for us. Judgement could have been
"rushed" but God gives us an opportunity to change and come to him.
So according to the singer, Christ is patiently waiting for the heart to
change.
2Pe 3:9 The
Lord is not being slow in doing what he promised--the way some people
understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He doesn't want anyone
to be lost. He wants everyone to change their ways and stop sinning.
2Th3:5 We pray
that the Lord will cause you to feel God's love and remember Christ's patient
endurance.
[5-6]
5. Ndi wa
lwendo /He's of a
journey
6. A sa dihwi, /And he's been
unknown
Christ is from a
long journey in time , and he was unknown through time. Many bible versions
refer to the secret plan of salvation as "Secret truth",. The plan of
salvation started long ago most likely in the Garden of Eden, Christ has been
the one chosen to crush the serpent's head. (Gen 3:15). He has been prophesized
in many forms such as the Passover lamb [Exodus 12:21, 1 Cor 5:7], possibly [Gen 22:12], The bronze
snake [ Num 21:9, Joh 3:14], The
prophecy of Jesus was long journey to the crucifixion and he's been unknown,
rejected or neglected.
1Co 2:8 None
of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it,
they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross.
Act 2:36
"So, all the people of Israel should know this for certain: God has
made Jesus to be Lord and Messiah. He is the man you nailed to the cross!"
Act 2:37 When
the people heard this, they felt very, very sorry. They asked Peter and the
other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
Luk 4:24 Then
he said, "The truth is, a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown.
Mat 21:42
Jesus said to them, "Surely you have read this in the Scriptures:
'The stone that the builders refused to accept became the cornerstone. The Lord
did this, and it is wonderful to us.'
Mat 16:20
Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
[8-9]
So the
singer says - My Spirit, let Jesus in yout heart.
Eph
3:17 I pray that Christ will live in
your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love
and be built on love.
Verse II
10. Wa u omba, /He who knocks
11. U hanefha /He's here
12. A lindela, zwa
mangadza /He waits ,and it's
surprising
13. Vothi lone li a
konda, /The door
(heart), is difficult.
14. Nga u ha mela
zwinwe, /Because it grows
other things.
15. Nga zwothe zwe
zwa melela /By everything that
grows
16. Zwa tanda kha
munango. /it covers the door
[10-11]
10. Wa u omba, /He who knocks
11. U hanefha /He's here
The
singer says the one (Christ) who knocks is here [ See 1-2]
[12-16]
12. A lindela, zwa
mangadza /He waits ,and it's
surprising
Jesus is
still waiting and it surprises the singer.
13. Vothi lone li a
konda, /The door
(heart), is difficult.
14. Nga u ha mela
zwinwe, /Because it grows
other things.
15. Nga zwothe zwe
zwa melela /By everything that
grows
16. Zwa tanda kha
munango. /it covers the door
The door
to the heart is difficult. Because it's filled with things of the world , or
bad things that grow that cover like a creeping plant on the heart. Making it
difficult to open the heart to the Lord.
Jer 17:9 The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand
it?
Mat 15:19 Out of your heart come
evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing,
telling lies, and insulting others.
Mat 13:22
"And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is
like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love
for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.
There are
things that are in our hearts that stop the message of Christ ( gospel) from
entering into our hearts. And so the singer has to stop these things from
covering their heart as Jesus knocks on the door,
17. Wa u omba, /He
who knocks
18. U tshe hone
/He's still there.
19. A lindela, zwa
vhulenda, /And he
waits, for gentleness ( A gentle response)
20. Tshanda tshone
tsha muvhambwa / And this hand , of
the crucified
21. A na khare ya
mipfa,
/With the crown of thorns
22. Mato awe a sa
neti
/His eyes never tire
23. A penya o
lindela.
/His eyes shine while he waits
[17-18]
17. Wa u omba, /He
who knocks
18. U tshe hone
/He's still there.
The
singer notices that Jesus who knocks is still there. [ See 1-2]
[19]
19. A lindela, zwa
vhulenda, /And he waits, for
gentleness ( A gentle response)
Jesus
doesn't want us to harden our hearts , and so he's waiting for us to give a
gentle responds when he "knocks".
Heb 3:15 While
it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the
provocation. [KJV]
Heb 3:15
That's why the Spirit said, "If you hear God's voice today, don't
be stubborn as in the past when you turned against God."
[Heb 3:8]
Psa 95:8
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of
temptation in the wilderness:
[20-21]
20. Tshanda tshone
tsha muvhambwa / And this hand , of
the crucified
21. A na khare ya
mipfa,
/With the crown of thorns
The hand
that is knocking has been crucified and the one knocking wears a crown of
thorns. This indicates that Jesus has already suffered and was ridiculed for
our sake but he's still knocking to save us from death.
Joh 19:18
There they nailed Jesus to the cross. They also nailed two other men to
crosses. They put them on each side of Jesus with him in the middle.
Joh 20:27 Then
he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand
here in my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Joh 20:28
Thomas said to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!"
Mat 27:29 Then
they made a crown from thorny branches and put it on his head, and they put a
stick in his right hand. Then they bowed before him, making fun of him. They
said, "We salute you, king of the Jews!"
Mat 27:30 They
spit on him. Then they took his stick and kept hitting him on the head with it.
This indicates that Christ has already suffered and
was humiliated. As a matter of fact , we are the ones who should be knocking
for his forgiveness, but still he comes to us and knocks. He doesn't have to be
the one knocking , he's already done so much for us , but still he knocks.
[22-23]
22. Mato awe a sa
neti
/His eyes never tire
23. A penya o
lindela.
/His eyes shine while he waits
The singer realizes that Christ is never getting
tired of knocking and he's bright and shining eyes are waiting.
Rev
1:14 His head and hair were white like
wool--wool that is white as snow. His eyes were like flames of fire.
Overall Message
My
understanding of the song is God's timely patience when it comes to saving the
lost or wavering and doubting saved souls. The knock can be compared to gospel
or the saving news of Jesus as they make an appeal to the person's heart.
The song is a beautiful description of God's
long planned salvation , it shows God has been always on the giving and
knocking side , but we in turn have been stubborn to the call because of our
hardened hearts. But God has been very patient with us. This song also
justifies the existence of hell (not mentioned in the song), because God
sacrificed so much - he suffered on the cross and yet he still knocks for us to
open. The time we have should not be taken for granted or "played"
with, it's our only shot and if we miss it we will face eternal damnation in
the fiery lake (hell). The song appeals to the one who sits among the church
but never opens their heart to the call of salvation (often called altar call)
, or the call to salvation. When Jesus calls us to repent , we shouldn't harden
our heart with worldly things and listen to him.
The
second application of the song comes to the Christian who is double minded in
their heart about the path they should take. And it's saying , God is patient
let Christ come in. Let Christ rule in your heart, don't let doubts cloud in
your mind. Don't harden your heart with worldly worries - trust Jesus' way to
work best.
So sing
this song when in doubt , and be reminded of God's patience, Christ's suffering
, and Christ's everyday appeal for salvation. Sing this song and encourage lost
souls to be saved.
[Disclaimer
: This is a personal translation so it might be wrong, I'm not an expert of the
language - if you spot mistakes,
misunderstandings or mistranslated phrases,
please email thimuhangwi@gmail.com with the correct interpretation.]
