Isizathu Sokuba Nethemba Namhlanje

UMBHALI-MBALI nokwayingcali yezentlalo uH. G. Wells, owazalwa ngowe-1866, waba negalelo elikhulu kwindlela ekucingwa ngayo kule nkulungwane yama-20. Ngeencwadi zakhe, wachaza imbono yakhe yokuba ixesha lolonwabo laliya kubakho ngenxa yenkqubela yenzululwazi. Ngaloo ndlela, iCollier’s Encyclopedia ithetha “ngokuba nethemba okungenamida” kukaWells njengokuba wayesebenza engayeki ukuze ahambisele phambili oko wayekwenza. Kodwa ikwabonisa ukuba ukuba nethemba kwakhe kwaphela xa kwaqhambuka IMfazwe Yehlabathi II.

Njengokuba lo kaWells waye waqonda ukuba “inzululwazi inokusebenzela ubungendawo kwanokuhle, waphelelwa lukholo yaye waphelelwa lithemba,” itsho iChambers’s Biographical Dictionary. Kwakutheni ukuze kwenzeke oku?

Ukholo lukaWells nokuba nethemba kwakhe kwakusekelwe kuphela kwimpumelelo yomntu. Xa waqonda ukuba uluntu lwalungakwazi ukwenza Ilizwe Eligqibeleleyo awayenethemba lalo, yayingekho enye indawo awayenokuphethukela kuyo. Ngokukhawuleza ukudandatheka kwaphumela ekuphelelweni lithemba.

Namhlanje, abantu abaninzi banamava afanayo ngenxa yesizathu esifanayo. Baba nethemba gqitha xa beselula kodwa bathi khunubembe baphelelwe lithemba xa sele bekhulile. Kukho nabaselula abayeka ubomi obuqhelekileyo baze bazifice ngokusebenzisa kakubi iziyobisi, ngokuziphatha okubi, nangezinye iindlela ezimbi zokuziphatha. Sisiphi isicombululo esikhoyo? Qwalasela le mizekelo ilandelayo yexesha lokubhalwa kweBhayibhile uze ubone isizathu sokuba nethemba—kwixa elidluleyo, kwelangoku nakwelizayo.

Ukuba Nethemba Kuka-Abraham Kuyavuzwa

Ngonyaka we-1943 B.C.E., uAbraham wesuka eHaran, wawela uMlambo umEfrati, waza waya kwilizwe lamaKanan. UAbraham uye wabizwa ngokuba “nguyise wabo bonke abo banokholo,” yaye onjani wona ukuba mhle umzekelo awawumiselayo!—Roma 4:11.

UAbraham wayehamba noLote, unyana oyinkedama womntakwabo Abraham, nentsapho kaLote. Kamva, xa lathwaxwa yindlala elo lizwe, ezi ntsapho zimbini zabuyela eYiputa, yaye ekuhambeni kwethuba zabuya kunye. Ngeli xesha uAbraham noLote babenobutyebi obuninzi gqitha, kuquka imihlambi yeegusha neyeenkomo. Xa kwabakho imbambano phakathi kwabalusi babo, uAbraham wathi: “Makungabikho mbambano kaloku phakathi kwam nawe, naphakathi kwabalusi bam nabalusi bakho; ngokuba singamadoda azalanayo. Aliphambi kwakho na ilizwe lonke? Khawahluke kum; ukuba uya ekhohlo ndoya ekunene ukuba uya ekunene, ndoya ekhohlo.”—Genesis 13:8, 9.

UAbraham, ngenxa yokuba wayengoyena mdala, ngewayenze izinto ngendlela athanda ngayo ukuze kulungelwe yena, noLote, ngenxa yokuhlonela uninalume, ngewayeluyekele kuAbraham ukhetho. Kunoko, “ULote waphakamisa amehlo akhe, wawukhangela wonke ummandla waseYordan, ngokuba ubunamanzi wonke engekayonakalisi uYehova iSodom neGomora, unjengomyezo kaYehova, unjengelizwe laseYiputa, usingise eTsohare. ULote wawunyula wonke ummandla waseYordan.” Kukhetho olunjalo awalenzayo, uLote wayenezizathu zokuba nethemba. Kodwa kuthekani ngoAbraham?—Genesis 13:10, 11.

Ngaba uAbraham wayesisiyatha, ebeka intlalo-ntle yentsapho yakhe esichengeni? Akunjalo. Isimo sengqondo esihle nomoya wokupha ka-Abraham kwamzisela iingenelo eziliqela. UYehova wathi kuAbraham: “Khawuwaphakamise amehlo akho ukuloo ndawo ukuyo, ubhekise entla, nasezantsi, nasempumalanga, nasentshonalanga; ngokuba lonke ilizwe olibonayo ndiya kulinika wena, nembewu yakho, kude kuse ephakadeni.”—Genesis 13:14, 15.

Ukuba nethemba kuka-Abraham kwakunesizathu. Kwakusekelwe kwisithembiso sikaThixo sokuba kuya kuphuma uhlanga olukhulu kuAbraham ukuze “zisikelelwe [ngoAbraham] zonke izizwe zehlabathi.” (Genesis 12:2-4, 7) Nathi sinesizathu sokuqiniseka, sisazi ukuba “uThixo uyenza isebenzisane yonke imisebenzi yakhe ukwenzela ukulungelwa kwabo bamthandayo uThixo.”—Roma 8:28.

Iintlola Ezimbini Ezaba Nethemba

Xa kwakusele kudlule iminyaka engama-400, uhlanga lwakwaSirayeli lwalusele lukulungele ukungena eKanan, “ezweni elibaleka amasi nobusi.” (Eksodus 3:8; Duteronomi 6:3) UMoses wayalela iinkosana ezili-12 ukuba ‘ziye kuhlola ilizwe zize zizise ilizwi lendlela ababeya kunyuka ngayo.’ (Duteronomi 1:22; Numeri 13:2) Zonke ezo ntlola zili-12 zathetha into efanayo xa zazichaza ubutyebi belizwe, kodwa ezili-10 kuzo zanikela ingxelo enganiki themba eyabangela uloyiko ezintliziyweni zabantu.—Numeri 13:31-33.

Kwelinye icala, uYoshuwa noKalebhi, badlulisa isigidimi esinika ithemba ebantwini yaye benza konke ababenako ukuze badambise uloyiko lwabo. Isimo sabo sengqondo nengxelo yabo yabonisa intembelo enkulu emandleni kaYehova okuzalisekisa ilizwi lakhe lokuba ababuyisele kwiLizwe Ledinga—kodwa oko akuzange kuncede nto. Kunoko, “lathi lonke ibandla mabaxulutywe ngamatye.”—Numeri 13:30; 14:6-10.

UMoses wababongoza abantu ukuba bathembele kuYehova, kodwa abazange bavume ukuphulaphula. Ngenxa yokuba bazingisa ekubeni nesimo sengqondo sokungabi nathemba, lonke uhlanga kwafuneka lubhadule entlango iminyaka engama-40. Kwiintlola ezili-12, nguYoshuwa noKalebhi kuphela abafumana umvuzo ngenxa yokuba nethemba. Sasiyintoni isizekabani sale ngxaki? Sasikukungabi nalukholo, njengokuba abantu baye bathembela kobabo ubulumko.—Numeri 14:26-30; Hebhere 3:7-12.

Ukuthandabuza KukaYona

UYona wayephila kwinkulungwane yesithoba ngaphambi kweXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo. IBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba wayengumprofeti othembekileyo kaYehova wezizwe ezilishumi zobukumkani bakwaSirayeli, ngexesha ekwakulawula uYarobheham II. Sekunjalo akazange alwamkele uthumo lokuya eNineve ukuze alumkise abantu. Umbhali-mbali uJosephus uthi uYona “wacinga ukuba kubhetele ukuba atshintshe indlela” aze kunoko aye eYopa. Apho wakhwela inqanawa eya eTarshishe, ekunokwenzeka ukuba yiSpeyin yanamhlanje. (Yona 1:1-3) Isizathu sokuba uYona angabi nalo ithemba ngokuphathelele esi sabelo sicacisiwe kuYona 4:2.

Ekugqibeleni uYona wavuma ukuluphumeza uthumo lwakhe, kodwa waba nomsindo xa abantu baseNineve baguqukayo. Ngoko uYehova wamfundisa isifundo esihle uYona ngokubangela ukuba umthi womhlavuthwa awayehleli phantsi kwawo ubune uze ufe. (Yona 4:1-8) Usizi awayenalo uYona ngokufa kwesityalo wayefanele alubonakalise ngokufanelekileyo ngabantu baseNineve abali-120 000 ‘ababengakwazi ukunene kwabo kwikhohlo labo.’—Yona 4:11.

Yintoni esinokuyifunda kumava kaYona? Akufuneki ukungabi nathemba kwinkonzo engcwele. Ukuba siyaluphulaphula ulwalathiso lukaYehova size silulandele sinentembelo epheleleyo siya kuphumelela.—IMizekeliso 3:5, 6.

Ukuba Nethemba Phezu Kwawo Nje Amanzithinzithi

UKumkani uDavide wathi: “Musa ukuzivuthisa ngomsindo ngabenzi bobubi. Musa ukubamonela abenzi bobugqwetha.” (INdumiso 37:1) Enyanisweni, esi sisiluleko sobulumko, kuba namhlanje singqongwe kokungekho sikweni nobugwenxa.—INtshumayeli 8:11.

Noko ke, nangona singabamoneli abangengomalungisa, kulula ukuziva sikhathazekile xa sibona abantu abamsulwa bebandezeleka ngenxa yabantu abangendawo okanye xa singaphathwa ngokusesikweni. Amava anjalo asenokusenza sithi khunubembe okanye singabi nathemba. Xa sivakalelwa ngaloo ndlela, yintoni esimele siyenze? Okokuqala, simele sazi ukuba abangendawo abanakucinga baze baqiniseke ukuba impindezelo ayiyi kufika. INdumiso 37 isiqinisekisa ngelithi kwindinyana 2: “Ngokuba baya kusikwa kamsinyane njengengca, babune njengohlaza oluphumayo.”

Ukongezelela, sisenokuqhubeka sisenza okulungileyo, sihlale sinethemba size silindele kuYehova. Umdumisi waqhubeka wathi: “Suka ebubini, wenze okulungileyo, uhlale ngonaphakade. Ngokuba uYehova uthanda okusesikweni, angabashiyi abenceba bakhe.”—INdumiso 37:27, 28.

Ukuba Nethemba Kwesamele!

Ngoko ke, kuthekani ngekamva lethu? Incwadi yeBhayibhile yeSityhilelo isixelela ‘ngezinto ezimele zenzeke kamsinya.’ Phakathi kwazo, kukho umkhweli wehashe elimbala womlilo, elibonisa imfazwe, lichazwa njengelize ‘kususa uxolo emhlabeni.’—ISityhilelo 1:1; 6:4.

Ingcamango eyayixhaphakile—neyayibonisa ukuba nethemba—eyayikho eBritani ebudeni beMfazwe Yehlabathi I yayiyeyokuba leyo yayiyimfazwe enkulu yokugqibela. Ngowe-1916, isithethi saseburhulumenteni eBritani uDavid Lloyd George asizange sifihle amakhuba kulinywa. Sathi: “Le mfazwe, njengemfazwe elandelayo, yimfazwe yokuphelisa imfazwe.” (Akekeliswe sithi.) Wayechan’ ucwethe. IMfazwe Yehlabathi II yabasela nje iindlela zolunya zokunqunqel’ egoqweni inkungu nelanga yabantu. Kwiminyaka engama-50, kamva akukabikho nto ibonisa ukuba imfazwe ingaze iphele.

Kule ncwadi inye yeSityhilelo, sifunda ngabanye abakhweli bamahashe—abafanekisela indlala, indyikitya yokufa. (ISityhilelo 6:5-8) Ezi zezinye iinkalo ezongezelelekileyo zomqondiso wamaxesha.—Mateyu 24:3-8.

Ngaba ezi zizinto zifanele zisenze silahle ithemba? Akunjalo, kuba kwakhona umbono uchaza usithi ‘ngehashe elimhlophe; kwaye lowo wayehleli phezu kwalo wayenesaphetha; yaye wanikwa isithsaba, ibe waphuma esoyisa nokuze akuphelelise ukoyisa kwakhe.’ (ISityhilelo 6:2) Apha sibona uYesu Kristu njengoKumkani wasezulwini osusa bonke ubungendawo, ephala ukuze amisele uxolo nemvisiswano emhlabeni wonke.a

NjengoKumkani Onyuliweyo, ngoxa wayesemhlabeni uYesu Kristu wafundisa abalandeli bakhe ukuba bathandazele obo Bukumkani. Mhlawumbi nawe uye wafundiswa ukwenza “UBawo Wethu Osezulwini,” okanye UMthandazo weNkosi. Kuwo sithandazela uBukumkani bukaThixo ukuba bufike, ukuze kwenziwe ukuthanda kwakhe apha emhlabeni njengasezulwini.—Mateyu 6:9-13.

Kunokuba azame ukulungisa le nkqubo yezinto ikhoyo, uYehova, esebenzisa uKumkani onguMesiya, uKristu Yesu, uya kuyisusa ngokupheleleyo. Endaweni yayo, uYehova uthi, “Ndidala amazulu amatsha nehlabathi elitsha; angakhunjulwa awokuqala, angenyuki athi qatha entliziyweni.” Ngaphantsi kwalo rhulumente woBukumkani basezulwini, umhlaba uya kuba yindawo enoxolo, ikhaya elinolonwabo loluntu, apho ubomi nomsebenzi buya kuvuyisa gqitha. “Yibani nemihlali; nigcobe nanini yiloo nto ndiyidalayo,” utsho uYehova. “Badle into esetyenzwe zizandla zabo abanyulwa bam.” (Isaya 65:17-22) Ukuba usekele ithemba lakho lekamva kwidinga elingayi kuze lisilele, uya kuba nesizathu esihle sokuba nethemba—ngoku nangonaphakade!

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]

UH. G. Wells

[Inkcazelo]

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