Ngaba Ibalulekile Indlela Esimnqula Ngayo UThixo?
KWINCWADI yakhe ethi The Spiritual Nature of Man uNjingalwazi uAlister Hardy uthi: “Unqulo lwendele emntwini.” Uhlolisiso olusandul’ ukwenziwa luye lwasixhasa esi sibakala. Luye lwafumanisa ukuba abantu abangama-86 ekhulwini ehlabathini bayanqula ngandlel’ ithile.
Kwakhona olu hlolisiso lwafumanisa ukuba la makholwa ahamba kwiicawa eziphambili ezili-19 yaye abo bazingomb’ izifuba besithi bangamaKristu bahamba kumahlelo angama-37 000. Ngaba oku akukwenzi uzibuze enoba zonke ezi ntlobo zahlukahlukeneyo zonqulo zamkelekile kuThixo? Phofu, ngaba ibalulekile indlela esimnqula ngayo uThixo?
Ekubeni lo ingumbandela obalulekileyo, izigqibo zethu azinakusekelwa kwindlela esivakalelwa ngayo okanye kuluvo lwethu. Kunoko, sifanele sifune ukwazi imbono kaThixo ngalo mba. Ukuze sifumane impendulo sifanele sifunde iLizwi likaThixo, iBhayibhile. Ngoba? Kaloku xa uYesu Kristu wayethandaza kuThixo wathi: “Ilizwi lakho liyinyaniso.” (Yohane 17:17) Umpostile uPawulos othembekileyo wangqina wathi: “Sonke iSibhalo siphefumlelwe nguThixo kwaye siyingenelo ekufundiseni, ekohlwayeni, ekulungelelaniseni izinto.”—2 Timoti 3:16.
IBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba asilulo lonke unqulo olwamkelekileyo uThixo. Kukho imizekelo yeentlobo zonqulo awayezamkela uThixo nezo wayengazamkeli. Xa sihlalutya le mizekelo sinokubona izinto esimele sizenze nesingamele sizenze ukuze unqulo lwethu lumkholise uThixo.
Umzekelo Wamandulo
Ngomprofeti uMoses, uYehova uThixo wanika amaSirayeli uludwe lwemithetho eyawafundisa indlela yokunqula uThixo eyamkelekileyo. Xa abantu babethobela loo mithetho eyayibizwa ngokuba nguMthetho kaMoses, uThixo wayekholiswa ngabo yaye wayebasikelela. (Eksodus 19:5, 6) Nakuba babenikwe uMthetho nguThixo uhlanga lakwaSirayeli aluzange lubambelele kolo nqulo lwalusamkelwa nguThixo. Izihlandlo ngezihlandlo, uhlanga lakwaSirayeli lwamnikela umva uYehova lwaza lwalandela iindlela zonqulo zabantu ababephila phakathi kwabo.
Ngemihla yomprofeti uHezekile noYeremiya ngenkulungwane yesixhenxe Ngaphambi Kwexesha Eliqhelekileyo, inkoliso yamaSirayeli yayingawukhathalelanga uMthetho kaThixo kunoko azakhela ubuhlobo nabantu beentlanga. Ngokulandela amasiko azo nokuba nenxaxheba kwimibhiyozo, amaSirayeli ayephila ubomi obumbaxa. Inkoliso yamaSirayeli yayisithi: “Masibe njengeentlanga ezi, njengeentsapho zamazwe la, silungiselele emthini naselityeni.” (Hezekile 20:32; Yeremiya 2:28) Ayesithi anqula uYehova uThixo kodwa kwangaxeshanye ayenqula ‘izithixo ezinezothe’ ayede enze amadini ngoonyana bawo.—Hezekile 23:37-39; Yeremiya 19:3-5.
Abembi bezinto zakudala olu unqulo balubiza ngokuba yingxubevange, ukunqulwa koothixo abahlukahlukeneyo ngaxeshanye. Okanye balubiza ngokuba lunqulo lwala maxesha. Namhlanje abantu abaninzi bavakalelwa kukuba ekubeni siphila phakathi kwabantu abaneemvelaphi ezahlukahlukeneyo zonqulo kufuneka sibe nengqondo evulekileyo kuzo zonke izinto, kuquka nonqulo. Yilo nto ibenze bacinge ukuba akukho nto iphosakeleyo ngokunqula uThixo ngendlela bona abafuna ngayo. Ngaba kunjalo ngokwenene? Ngaba ngumbandela wokunyamezela abanye abantu okanye owokuba nengqondo evulekileyo? Khawuqwalasele ezinye zeenkalo zonqulo olwaluthandwa ngamaSirayeli uze ubone ukuba waba yintoni umphumo.
Unqulo LwamaSirayeli Oluyingxubevange
Iindawo ayedibana kuzo amaSirayeli ukuze aqhelisele unqulo lwawo olungumxube “kwiindawo eziphakamileyo” okanye iitempilana zasekuhlaleni ezazinezibingelelo, iziganga zeziqhumiso, iintsika ezingcwele zamatye nezibonda ezingcwele, kusenokwenzeka ukuba yayingumfanekiso oqingqiweyo ka-Ashera, uthixokazi wenzala waseKanana. Zazininzi iindawo ezinjalo kwaYuda. Eyesibini kooKumkani 23:5, 8 ikhankanya “iindawo eziphakamileyo kwizixeko zakwaYuda nakwimimandla engqonge iYerusalem, . . . ukusuka eGebha [umda osemantla] ukuya kufikelela eBher-shebha [umda osemazantsi].”
Kwezi ndawo ziphakamileyo amaSirayeli baqhumisa “umbingelelo kwiindawo eziphakamileyo kwizixeko zakwaYuda nakwimimandla engqonge iYerusalem, nabo babeqhumisa umbingelelo kuBhahali, elangeni nasenyangeni nakumakroza ezulu nakuwo wonke umkhosi wamazulu.” Babenezindlu “zamahenyu asetempileni ezazisendlwini kaYehova” yaye banikela ngabantwana babo “emlilweni kuMoleki.”—2 Kumkani 23:4-10.
Abembi bezinto zakudala baye bafumana amakhulu emifanekiso eqingqiweyo eyenziwe ngodongwe eYerusalem nakwaYuda kwimizi esele ingamabhodlo. Inkoliso yayo yayiyeyamabhinqa ahamba ze nanamabele amakhulu ngendlela engaqhelekanga. Abaphengululi bacingela ukuba nguAshtoreti noAshera oothixokazi benzala. Bakholelwa ekubeni imifanekiso eqingqiweyo “yayikhubalo lenzala okanye ukuyithintela.”
AmaSirayeli ayezijonga njani ezi ndawo zokunqulela izithixo? UNjingalwazi uEphraim Stern weHebrew University waphawula ukuba inkoliso yezi ndawo ziphakamileyo zazinikelwe kuYahweh [UYehova].” Imibhalo eyafunyanwa kumanxiwa ekwakusembiwa kuyo izinto zakudala iyayixhasa imbono yakhe. Ngokomzekelo, omnye umbhalo uthi: “Ndiya kukusikelela ngoYahweh waseSamariya nangoashera wakhe.” Omnye uthi: “Ndiya kukusikelela ngoYahweh waseTeman nangoashera wakhe!”
Le mizekelo ibonisa indlela amaSirayeli aluxuba ngayo unqulo olunyulu lukaYehova uThixo nonqulo lobuhedeni. Oko kwaphumela ekubeni ekuwohlokeni kwemilinganiselo yokuziphatha nakubumnyama bokomoya. Wayelujonga njani uThixo olu nqulo?
Unqulo Oluyingxubevange—Wathini UThixo Ngalo?
UThixo wacaphuka waza waluqalekisa unqulo oluwohlokileyo lwamaSirayeli ngomprofeti wakhe uHezekile esithi: “Kuzo zonke iindawo zenu zokuhlala izixeko ngokwazo ziya kuphanziswa neendawo eziphakamileyo zibe zezichithakeleyo, ukuze zibe zeziphanzileyo nezibingelelo zenu zibe zezichithakeleyo zize okunene zaphulwe nezithixo zenu ezinezothe okunene zipheliswe neziganga zenu zeziqhumiso zigawulwe icinywe nemisebenzi yenu.” (Hezekile 6:6) Ngokuqinisekileyo uYehova akazange alwamkele ngokupheleleyo walugatya.
UYehova uThixo wayixela kwangaphambili indlela olwaluza kutshatyalaliswa ngayo. “Yabona, ndiya kuthumela . . . uNebhukaderetsare ukumkani waseBhabhiloni, umkhonzi wam, ndibazise nxamye neli lizwe nabemi balo nazo zonke ezi ntlanga zijikelezileyo; ndiza kubatshabalalisa . . . Neli lizwe lonke limele libe yindawo ephanzileyo.” (Yeremiya 25:9-11) Ngokwenene azaliseka loo mazwi, ngowe-607 B.C.E., amaBhabhiloni atshabalalisa isixeko saseYerusalem netempile yaso.
Ngokuphathelele ukutshatyalaliswa kweYerusalem, uNjingalwazi uStern ocatshulwe ngasentla uthi amabhodlo “uvisisana kakuhle noko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile echaza ngokutshatyalaliswa, ngokutshiswa nokuwa kwezindlu neendonga.” (2 Kumkani 25:8; 2 Kronike 36:18, 19) Ukwahlabela mgama esithi: “Ubungqina bokwembiwa kwezinto zakudala bembali yaseYerusalem . . . bobona bubalaseleyo kuwo nawaphi na amabhodlo ekuthethwa ngawo eBhayibhileni.”
Yintoni Esiyifundayo Koku?
Eyona nto siyifundayo koku kukuba uThixo akalwamkeli unqulo oluxuba iimfundiso zeBhayibhile neenkolelo, izithethe okanye amasiko ezinye iinkonzo. Esi sisifundo esafundwa kumpostile uPawulos. Wakhuliswa njengomFarisi ongumYuda, wayefundiswe umthetho wabaFarisi. Yintoni awayenzayo akufumanisa ukuba uYesu wayenguMesiya othenjisiweyo? Wathi: “Izinto ebeziyinzuzo kum, ndazigqala ziyilahleko ngenxa kaKristu.”—Filipi 3:5-7.
Njengomvangeli wasemazweni, uPawulos wayeqhelene neemfundiso zeenkonzo neentandabulumko zabantu abahlukahlukeneyo. Kodwa xa wayebhalela amaKristu waseKorinte wathi: “Kunakwabelana kuni na ukukhanya nobumnyama? Ngokubhekele phaya, unakuvumelana kuni na uKristu noBheliyali? Okanye unakwahlulelana kuni na umntu okholwayo nongakholwayo? Yaye inakuvisisana kuni na itempile kaThixo nezithixo? . . . ‘Ngoko ke phumani phakathi kwabo, nizahlule,’ utsho uYehova, ‘nento engahlambulukanga ningayichukumisi’”; “‘yaye ndiya kunamkela.’”—2 Korinte 6:14-17.
Ekubeni siqonda ukuba ibalulekile indlela esimnqula ngayo uThixo, simele sizibuze oku: ‘Luhlobo olunjani lonqulo uThixo alwamkelayo? Ndinokusondela njani kuThixo? Yaye yintoni endimele ndiyenze ukuze ndinqule uThixo ngendlela afuna ngayo?’
AmaNgqina kaYehova ayakuvuyela ukukunceda ufumane iimpendulo zale mibuzo neminye emayelana neBhayibhile. Siyakukhuthaza ukuba uqhagamshelane namaNgqina asekuhlaleni okanye ubhalele abapapashi beli phephancwadi ukuze uzicelele isifundo seBhayibhile sesisa ngexesha nendawo ekulungeleyo.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]
Isibingelelo samandulo sesithixo, Etel Arad, kwaSirayeli
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Garo Nalbandian
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]
Imifanekiso ka-Ashtoreti ekumakhaya akwaYuda amandulo
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Photograph © Israel Museum, Jerusalem; courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority