Imibuzo Evela Kubafundi
KwiGenesis 6:3, sifunda oku: “Umoya wam awusayi kusebenza ngokungenammiselo emntwini ngokuba eyinyama. Ngako oko imihla yakhe iya kuba likhulu elinamashumi amabini eminyaka.” Ngaba uYehova wayemisela ukuba abantu bamele baphile iminyaka eli-120 kuphela, yaye ngaba uNowa washumayela ngokuza koMkhukula yonke loo minyaka?
Impendulo yale mibuzo yomibini nguhayi.
Ngaphambi koMkhukula, abantu abaninzi baphila kangangeenkulungwane. UNowa wayeneminyaka engama-600 ubudala ekufikeni koMkhukula yaye waphila de waneminyaka engama-950 ubudala. (Gen. 7:6; 9:29) Bambi abazalwa emva koMkhukula nabo baphila ngaphezu kweminyaka eli-120. UArpakhishadi wafa eneminyaka engama-438 ubudala waza uShela wafa eneminyaka engama-433 ubudala. (Gen. 11:10-15) Noko ke, ngexesha lokuphila kukaMoses abantu babephila iminyaka engama-70 okanye engama-80. (INdu. 90:10) Ngoko kwiGenesis 6:3 kwakungamiselwa ukuba ubude beminyaka yomntu yiminyaka eli-120.
Ngoko, ngaba le ndinyana ibonisa ukuba uThixo wayexelela uNowa ukuba makalumkise abantu ngentshabalalo eyayiza kufika kwiminyaka eli-120? Akunjalo. UThixo wathetha noNowa izihlandlo ezininzi. Kwiindinyana ezilishumi kamva sifunda oku ngokuphathelele le ngxelo: “UThixo wathi kuNowa: ‘Isiphelo senyama yonke sifikile phambi kwam, kuba umhlaba uzele lugonyamelo.’” Kwiminyaka elandelayo, uNowa wawugqiba umsebenzi omkhulu wokwakha umkhombe, yaye ngelo xesha: “UYehova wathi kuNowa: ‘Ngena, wena nayo yonke indlu yakho, emkhombeni.’” (Gen. 6:13; 7:1) Kukho nezinye iimeko apho uYehova waxelela uNowa izinto ezithile.—Gen. 8:15; 9:1, 8, 17.
Noko ke, oko sikufunda kwiGenesis 6:3 kwahlukile; igama likaNowa aliveli apha yaye akutshiwo ukuba uThixo wayethetha naye. Kule ndinyana, kumele ukuba uThixo wayechaza nje injongo yakhe okanye into azimisele ukuyenza. (Thelekisa iGenesis 8:21.) Simele siphawule ukuba, kwingxelo ethetha ngezinto ezenzeka kude kudala ngaphambi kokudalwa kuka-Adam, kukho amabinzana athi: “Wahlabela mgama ke uThixo wathi.” (Gen. 1:6, 9, 14, 20, 24) Kucacile ukuba uYehova wayengathethi namntu kuba ngelo xesha abantu babengekadalwa.
Ngoko ke, kusengqiqweni ukugqiba kwelokuba iGenesis 6:3, ichaza ngesigqibo sikaThixo sokuphelisa inkqubo engendawo yezinto emhlabeni. UYehova wenza isigqibo sokuba uza kukwenza oko kwiminyaka eli-120, nangona uNowa wayengekakwazi oko. Kodwa kwakutheni ukuze amisele ixesha? Ngaba kwakukho imfuneko yokuba alinde?
Umpostile uPetros uchaza isizathu: “Umonde kaThixo wawulindile ngemihla kaNowa, ngoxa kwakusakhiwa umkhombe, ekwathi kuwo abantu abambalwa, oko kukuthi, imiphefumlo esibhozo, bathwalwa ngokukhuselekileyo emanzini.” (1 Pet. 3:20) Eneneni, xa uThixo wayesenza eso sigqibo ngokuphathelele iminyaka eli-120, kwakukho izinto ekwakusafuneka zenziwe. Kwiminyaka emalunga nama-20 emva koko, uNowa nomfazi wakhe bazala abantwana. (Gen. 5:32; 7:6) Oonyana babo abathathu bakhula baza batshata, bandisa intsapho yabo yaba ‘yimiphefumlo esibhozo.’ Emva koko bakha umkhombe, umsebenzi owawuza kuthabatha ixesha ngenxa yobukhulu bawo nangenxa yokuba ncinane kwentsapho kaNowa. Umonde owabonakaliswa nguThixo kangangeminyaka eli-120 wavula ithuba lokuba kugqitywe ezo zinto ukuze kusindiswe ubomi, ukuze abantu abathembekileyo abasibhozo ‘bathwalwe ngokukhuselekileyo emanzini.’
IBhayibhile ayiwuchazi unyaka uYehova awaxelela ngawo uNowa ngokuza koMkhukula. Ekubeni oonyana bakhe babesele bezelwe, bakhula, batshata, mhlawumbi wamxelela xa kwakusele iminyaka engama-40 okanye engama-50 ngaphambi kokuba uMkhukula ufike. Ngoko uYehova wathi kuNowa: “Isiphelo senyama yonke sifikile phambi kwam.” Wongezelela wathi uNowa ufanele akhe umkhombe omkhulu aze angene kuwo yena nentsapho yakhe. (Gen. 6:13-18) Ebudeni bamashumi eminyaka eseleyo, uNowa wenza okungaphezulu kunokuphila njengelungisa kuphela. Wakhonza ‘njengomshumayeli wobulungisa’ owayefanele avakalise isilumkiso esicacileyo—ukutshabalalisa kukaThixo abo babengaphili ngemilinganiselo yakhe ngelo xesha. UNowa wayengazi ukuba iza kufika ngawuphi unyaka intshabalalo, kodwa wayeqinisekile ukuba iza kufika. Nawe uyazi ukuba yafika.—2 Pet. 2:5.