Kwakutheni Ukuze UThixo Alwe NamaKanan?

“Vuthulula utshabalalise wonke umntu: AmaHiti, ama-Amori, amaKanan, amaPerizi, amaHivi namaYebhusi ngokomlomo kaThixo wakho.”—DUTERONOMI 20:17, iBhayibhile yesiXhosa Yowe-1996.

‘Yibani noxolo nabantu bonke.’—ROMA 12:18.

NGABA EZI vesi zivakala ngathi ziyaphikisana? Abantu abaninzi abasiqondi isizathu sokuba uThixo athi makatshayelwe amaKanan kodwa ibe isithi iBhayibhile masenze uxolo.a (Isaya 2:4; 2 Korinte 13:11) Kubo zibonakala ziphikisana ezi ndinyana.

Ukuba ubunokuthetha noThixo ngalo mbandela, ubuza kumbuza ntoni? Khawuqwalasele imibuzo emihlanu eqhele ukubuzwa kunye neempendulo zeBhayibhile.

1. Kwakutheni ukuze amaKanan agxothwe kwilizwe lawo? Singathi amaKanan ayexhwarhe kwilizwe elingelolawo. Njani? Kwiminyaka engama-400 ngaphambi koko, uThixo wathembisa indoda ethembekileyo uAbraham ukuba inzala yayo yayiza kuhlala kwilizwe lamaKanan. (Genesis 15:18) UThixo wasigcina eso sithembiso xa wahlalisa amaSirayeli, awayeyinzala ka-Abraham kwelo lizwe. Abanye basenokuthi ekubeni amaKanan ayesele ehlala kulo ayenelungelo lokuhlala apho. Kodwa ke, uThixo onguMongami wendalo iphela unegunya lokugqiba ukuba ngubani oya kuhlala phi.—IZenzo 17:26; 1 Korinte 10:26.

2. Kwakutheni ukuze uThixo angawayeki amaKanan ahlale ndawonye namaSirayeli? UThixo walumkisa ngamaKanan esithi: “Mabangahlali ezweni lakho, kuba hleze bakwenze undone. Ukuba uthe wabakhonza oothixo babo, oko koba ngumgibe kuwe.” (Eksodus 23:33) Kamva umprofeti uMoses wathi kumaSirayeli: “Kungenxa yobungendawo bezi ntlanga le nto uYehova uThixo wakho azigxothayo.” (Duteronomi 9:5) Zazingendawo kangakanani ezo ntlanga?

Ukuziphatha okubi, unqulo lobuhedeni nokubingelela ngabantwana kwakugqugqisile eKanan. Isazi ngembali yeBhayibhile uHenry H. Halley uthi abembi bezinto zakudala kwelo lizwe “bafumana iingqayi ezininzi ezazinamathambo abantwana ekwakubingelelwe ngabo kuBhahali [uthixo odumileyo wamaKanan].” Uhlabela mgama esithi: “Kwathi kanti wonke loo mmandla wawungamangcwaba eemveku. . . . AmaKanan ayenqula ngokuziphatha kakubi phambi koothixo bawo aze emva koko anikele ngamazibulo awo kubo. Kubonakala ngathi lonke ilizwe lakwaKanan lalifana neSodom neGomora. . . . Abembi bezinto zakudala abemba amabhodlo ezixeko zakwaKanan bathi kwakufanele ukuba uThixo uye wawatshabalalisa kwangoko.”

3. Ngaba babengekho abanye abantu abangendawo emhlabeni ngelo xesha? Kwakutheni ukuze akhethe amaKanan? Kudala uThixo emane ebatshabalalisa aboni abathile. Xa “umhlaba wawuzaliswe lugonyamelo” ngemihla kaNowa, uThixo wehlisa unogumbe owabatshabalalisa bonke abantu—ngaphandle kwentsapho kaNowa. (Genesis 6:11; 2 Petros 2:5) UThixo watshabalalisa izixeko zaseSodom naseGomora xa izono zabantu balapho zaba “nzima kakhulu.” (Genesis 18:20; 2 Petros 2:6) Wabhengeza umgwebo nxamnye nekomkhulu laseAsiriya iNineve, ‘isixeko sophalazo-gazi,’ nangona wasisindisayo eso sixeko ngenxa yokuguquka kwabantu baso. (Nahum 3:1; Yona 1:1, 2; 3:2, 5-10) UThixo wawatshabalalisa amaKanan ukuze akhusele amaSirayeli, uhlanga awayeza kuvela kulo uMesiya.—INdumiso 132:11, 12.

4. Ngaba ukutshatyalaliswa kwamaKanan kwakungangqubani nothando lukaThixo? Xa uyigwengula, into yokutshabalalisa kukaThixo amaKanan isenokubonakala iphikisana nothando lwakhe. (1 Yohane 4:8) Noko ke, olo thando luyabonakala xa siyihlalutya le meko.

UThixo wayazi kwakudala into yokuba abantu baseKanan babengaziphathanga kakuhle. Nakuba kunjalo akazange abatshabalalise ngoko nangoko, kodwa waba nomonde evumela ukuba kudlule iminyaka engama-400 ukuze isono sawo ‘siphelele.’—Genesis 15:16.

UYehova wawatshabalalisa amaKanan xa kwabonakala ukuba akanakutshintsha. Nangoko, akazange atshabalalise kwanto ingumKanan. Kwakutheni? Kungenxa yokuba ayekho aguqukayo. AmaKanan anjengoRahabhi namaGibheyon enzelwa inceba.—Yoshuwa 9:3-11, 16-27; Hebhere 11:31.

5. UThixo onothando ubatshabalalisa njani abantu? Isizathu sokuba kubuzwe lo mbuzo siyaqondakala kuba kaloku akunto imnandi ukucinga ngokutshatyalaliswa kwabantu. Kodwa ke yayiluthando lukaThixo olwamnyanzela ukuba atshabalalise abantu abangendawo. Ngokomzekelo: Xa ilungu lomzimba elithile libola, kuye kunyanzeleke ukuba oogqirha balinqumle. Bambalwa gqitha oogqirha abanokukuvuyela ukuwenza lo msebenzi, kodwa ugqirha uyazi ukuba kubhetele linqunyulwe kunokuba libolise wonke umzimba. Ekubeni enenkathalo, uyawenza lo msebenzi ungathandekiyo kuba efuna kulungelwe isigulane.

Ngendlela efanayo, uYehova wayengayoliswa kukutshabalalisa amaKanan. Kaloku uthi: “Andiyoliswa kukufa kongendawo.” (Hezekile 33:11) Kwangaxeshanye wayefuna uhlanga lwakwaSirayeli luvelise uMesiya owayeza kuvula indlela yokusindisa bonke abantu abanokholo kuye. (Yohane 3:16) Ngenxa yoko, uYehova wayenganakuvuma ukuba amaSirayeli onakaliswe yimikhwa eyonyanyekayo yamaKanan. Ngoko wayalela ukuba amaKanan atshatyalaliswe okanye agxothwe kwelo lizwe. Ngokwenza loo nto, uThixo wabonisa uthando—olwamenza wenza umsebenzi ongathandekiyo ukuze kulungelwe abakhonzi bakhe.

Esi Sisifundo Esibalulekileyo Kuthi

Ngaba ikho namhlanje into esinokuyifunda kwibali lokutshatyalaliswa kwamaKanan? Ewe, kaloku amaRoma 15:4 athi: “Kuba zonke izinto ezabhalwa kwixesha langaphambili zabhalelwa ukuyalela thina, ukuze ngonyamezelo lwethu nangentuthuzelo yeZibhalo sibe nethemba.” Sifunda ntoni kwinto eyenzeka eKanan yaye isenza njani sibe nethemba?

Sifunda lukhulu kweli bali. Ngokomzekelo, uThixo wamenzela inceba uRahabhi namaGibheyon xa baguquka baza baba nokholo kuye. Le nto isibonisa ukuba nabani na ofuna ukuvuyisa intliziyo kaThixo unako, kungakhathaliseki ukuba uvela phi nokuba wakha wenza izono ezinjani ngaphambili.—IZenzo 17:30.

Ingxelo yokutshatyalaliswa kwamaKanan isinika ithemba ngokusikrobisa koko uThixo aza kukwenza kungekudala. Iyasiqinisekisa ukuba akanakuze avumele ubungendawo boyise okulungileyo. Kunoko iBhayibhile iyasiqinisekisa ukuba kungekudala uza kubatshabalalisa bonke abangendawo, ngoxa ehlangula bonke abo bamthandayo, abase kwihlabathi elitsha lobulungisa. (2 Petros 2:9; ISityhilelo 21:3, 4) Ngelo xesha, la mazwi athuthuzelayo aya kuzaliseka:“Thembela ngoYehova ugcine indlela yakhe, Uya kukuphakamisa uwudle ilifa umhlaba. Xa abangendawo benqunyulwa, uya kubona.”—INdumiso 37:34.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 14]

Ngaba IBhayibhile Iyazikhuthaza Iimfazwe Eziliwa Ngabantu?

Ngaba ukuthuma kukaThixo amaSirayeli ukuba atshabalalise amaKanan kuya zithethelela iimfazwe eziliwa ngabantu namhlanje? Akunjalo, ubuncinane ngenxa yezi zizathu zithathu:

▪ Namhlanje alukho uhlanga olukhethekileyo kuThixo. Xa amaSirayeli engazange ayamkele into yokuba uYesu wayenguMesiya, ayeka ukuba ngabameli abasemthethweni bakaThixo—kuquka nokulwa iimfazwe kuba ethunywe nguye. (Mateyu 21:42, 43) Ngoko uYehova waqalisa ukuphatha uSirayeli ngendlela efanayo nezinye iintlanga. (Levitikus 18:24-28) Ukususela ngelo xesha ukusa phambili alikho ilizwe elalinokuthi lixhaswa nguThixo xa lisilwa imfazwe.

▪ UThixo akasabaniki umhlaba okanye ilizwe elithile abakhonzi bakhe. Kunoko abakhonzi bakhe bafumaneka kuzo “zonke iintlanga nezizwe nezizwana” zasemhlabeni.—ISityhilelo 7:9; IZenzo 10:34, 35.

▪ UYesu wabonisa ngokucacileyo ukuba abalandeli bakhe babengayi kulwa iimfazwe. Xa wayebalumkisa ngokuhlaselwa kweYerusalem, wayalela abafundi bakhe ukuba bangahlali kweso sixeko ukuze balwe kodwa wathi babefanele basabe, yaye bayenza loo nto. (Mateyu 24:15, 16) Kunokuba alwe, amaKristu enyaniso athembela kuBukumkani bukaThixo obuza kubuphelisa bonke ubungendawo emhlabeni kungekudala.—Daniyeli 2:44; Yohane 18:36.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]

Umzekelo kaRahabhi usifundisa ukuba nabani unako ukukholisa uThixo