Indawo Ezinayo Ezemidlalo
UMDALI Ozukileyo uchazwe eBhayibhileni ‘njengoThixo owonwabileyo,’ ibe ufuna ukuba izidalwa zakhe zonwabe. (1 Timoti 1:11, NW) Ngoko ayifanele kusimangalisa into yokuba ebadale abantu banamandla awaneleyo okunandipha imidlalo. Ngenxa yoku iThe New Encyclopœdia Britannica inikela le ngxelo: “Imbali yezemidlalo iyinxalenye yembali yomntu.”
Kuthiwa oyena thunywashe uphawulekayo kwimbali yezemidlalo kukubakho kwebhola. Intyilalwazi ecatshulwe ngasentla ithi: “Ukubona ukuba izilwanyana ziyakunandipha ukudloba xa kukho izinto zokudlala kubonisa ukuba kusenokuba alizange libekho ithuba . . . apho okuthile okufana nebhola kwakungasukelwa okanye kuphoswe.”
Okubangel’ umdla kukuba, kudala kusetyenziswa isixhobo sokubetha ibhola. IBritannica ithi: “Ngokuqinisekileyo kwakukho imidlalo apho kwakusetyenziswa iphini ukubetha ibhola neyayidlalwa ngamaPersi, amaGrike namaNdiya aseMerika. Kucacile ukuba uhlobo oluthile lwepolo, gama elo elinemvelaphi yaseTibet, lwalusaziwa kakuhle ngamaPersi ngexesha likaDariyo I (owayelawula ngowama-522-486 BC). Zazikho iindlela zokudlala umdlalo wegalufa, nangona iSkotlani isithi yiyo eyasungula indlela yanamhla yokuwudlala, ezazithandwa ngaphambili kumaxesha okulawula kwamaRoma nakumazwe amaninzi aseYurophu.”
Ukugxininisa Ngamandla Emidlalweni Kumaxesha Akudala
Kumakhulu eminyaka ngaphambi kokuba kugqitywe ukubhalwa kweZibhalo zesiHebhere (“ITestamente Endala”), abantu babekuthanda ukudlala imidlalo elungelelanisiweyo. Ngokomzekelo, rhoqo emva kweminyaka emine kwakubakho imidlalo kwiOlympia yamandulo, eGrisi. IBritannica inikela le ngxelo: “EOlympia kukho iingxelo ezithetha ngeentshatsheli ezisusela kowama-776 BC ukusa kowama-AD 217,” okanye phantse ezeminyaka eliwaka! ImiDlalo yeOlimpiki yayibalulekile kubomi bamaGrike kangangokuba ixesha lalibalwa ngayo, isahlulo ngasinye sethuba leminyaka emine ephakathi kwemidlalo sasibizwa ngokuba yiOlympiad. Ngaloo ndlela, ngokuvisisana naloo ndlela yakudala yokubala ixesha, uYesu Kristu wazalwa ebudeni beOlympiad ye-194.
IZibhalo zesiHebhere azithethi nto ngemidlalo eyayilungelelanisiwe, nangona omnye wabaprofeti ethetha ‘ngamabala kawonke wonke [aseYerusalem] ezele ngamakhwenkwe namantombazana edlala.’ (Zekariya 8:5, NW) Kwiminyaka engaphezu kwelikhulu ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaYesu, imidlalo yokhuphiswano lweembaleki yaseGrisi yangeniswa kwaSirayeli. Kwamiswa iholo ekwakudlalelwa kuyo eYerusalem, yaye kwanababingeleli abathile bayityeshela imisebenzi yabo ukuze baye emidlalweni.—2 Maccabees 4:12-15.
UKesare Awugusto, owayengumlawuli waseRoma ngexesha lokuzalwa kukaYesu, wayeluthanda ugqatso lweembaleki, yaye imidlalo yaqalisa ukuthandwa eRoma. Phofu ke, eyona midlalo yayithandwa ngokwenene ngabemi baseRoma yayiyileyo yayibandakanya ukulwa, njengomdlalo wamanqindi nowewrestling. Le “midlalo” yayidla ngokuguqukela ekubeni lukhuphiswano olunogonyamelo nolophalazo-gazi ekwakusithi kulo indoda ithelekiswe nenye okanye abantu bathelekiswe nezilwanyana baze balwele ukufa.
Imidlalo Kwi-“Testamente Entsha”
Sekunjalo, ukusetyenziswa kakubi ngolo hlobo kwezemidlalo kwakungathethi ukuba ukuyidlala kwakuphosakele. EZibhalweni akukho nto ithi uYesu okanye abafundi bakhe babeyigxeka imidlalo okanye ukuyidlala. Kunoko, abapostile ngokufuthi babesebenzisa iinkalo ezithile zayo ukuse bazekelise iingongoma zokufundisa.
Ngokomzekelo, kubonakala ukuba umpostile uPawulos wayecinga ngogqatso lweembaleki olwaluyinxalenye yemiDlalo yeOlimpiki xa wakhuthaza amaKristu esithi: “Anazi na, ukuba abo babalekayo elugqatsweni, babaleka bonke okunene, kodwa ke mnye owamkelayo umvuzo? Balekani ngokunjalo ke, ukuze nizuze.” Wongezelela oku: “Bonke ke abantu abazamayo, baba ziingcathu ezintweni zonke. Bona abo okunene benzela ukuze bazuze isithsaba esinokonakala; kodwa thina, esingenakonakala.”—1 Korinte 9:24, 25.
Ngesinye isihlandlo, uPawulos wathi umKristu ufanele abaleke ezimisele ukufumana ibhaso lobomi. Wabhala wathi: “Ndixhinele entanjeni, ukuze ndilizuze ibhaso laphezulu asifunza kulo uThixo.” (Filipi 3:14, TE) Ngaphezu koko, xa wayebonisa imfuneko yokunamathela kwimithetho yokuphila ngokuziphatha okuhle, uPawulos wamkhumbuza oku uTimoti: “Nakuba ke ubani esithi azame emdlalweni, akathweswa sithsaba, ukuba akathanga azame ngokomthetho.” (2 Timoti 2:5) Yaye umpostile uPetros wabhala esithi abalusi abangamaKristu abaziphumezayo iimbopheleleko zabo ‘baya kufumana isithsaba esingabuniyo sozuko.’—1 Petros 5:4.
Alithandabuzeki elokuba uTimoti oselula kwakuya kufuneka abandakanyeke ekwaluseni amaKristu aselula awayeyithanda imidlalo. Ngoko ke, uPawulos wambhalela emxelela ukuba “eyeyomzimba ingqeqesho [njengokuba yintshatsheli kumthambo] inceda kancinane,” ngaloo ndlela evuma ukuba uqheliselo lomthambo olwalusenziwa ngokungqongqo ngamaGrike lwalunengenelo ethile. Ngokukhawuleza uPawulos wongezelela oku: “Ke kona ukuhlonela uThixo kunceda ngako konke, kunedinga lobomi bakalokunje, nobobo buza kubakho.”—1 Timoti 4:8; bona iThe Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures.
Indawo Efanelekileyo Yokuziqeqesha
Ngoko iZibhalo zibonisa ukuba ingqeqesho yomzimba inokuba nendawo efanelekileyo ebomini. Sekunjalo, kufuneka ulungelelwano, kusetyenziswe ingqiqo. UPawulos wabhala oku: “Ingqiqo yenu mayazeke kubo bonke abantu.” (Filipi 4:5, NW) Noko ke, hayi indlela ekunzima ngayo ukufumana olu lungelelwano!
AmaGrike amandulo agxininisa ngokugqithiseleyo emidlalweni, yaye amaRoma ayethanda iintlobo zemidlalo ezazibangela ukwenzakala kwabadlali kwanababukeli. Kwelinye icala, abanye baye egameni lonqulo bayisingela phantsi yaye bade bayalela imidlalo. IThe New Encyclopœdia Britannica yathi: “Isimo sengqondo sokuba ngqongqo kakhulu konqulo ngenkulungwane ye-17 sabunciphisa ubumnandi bemidlalo eYurophu naseMerika.”
Kutshanje imidlalo iphinde yavuka phantsi ngendlela esenokuba ayizange ibonwe ngaphambili embalini. IThe World Book Encyclopedia ithi: “Kusenokwenzeka ukuba eyona nto abantu bathetha kakhulu ngayo ngaphandle kwemozulu yimidlalo kunazo naziphi na ezinye izinto.” Ezemidlalo zide zabizwa ngokuthi “sisiyobisi esikhobokisayo.”
Ziziphi ezinye zeengxaki ezibangelwe ngulo moya wokuthanda imidlalo? Ngaba ngenxa yemidlalo wena nentsapho yakho nijamelene nemiphumo ebuhlungu? Unokuzigcina njani ezemidlalo zikwindawo efanelekileyo?