UAbraham—Indoda Ekhaliphileyo
UAbraham ukhangele intsapho nezicaka zakhe njengoko belungiselela ukuphuma baye kwilizwe lakwaKanan. (Genesis 12:1-5) Ondele eli qela likhulu labantu elixhomekeke kuye, uAbraham uyiqonda kakuhle imbopheleleko anayo. Uza kubanyamekela njani xa ekwelo lizwe lasemzini? Ngaba kwakunokuba lula eUre ukubanyamekela, ekubeni yayihambele phambili inamadlelo amakhulu, umhlaba otyebileyo namanzi amaninzi? Kuthekani ukuba uyagula okanye abhubhe kwelo lizwe? Ngubani oza kubanyamekela? Ukuba uAbraham wayekhathazwa zezinye zezi zinto, akazivumeli ukuba zimtyhafise. Uzimisele ukuthobel’ uThixo nokuba sele kumnyama entla—loo nto ibonisa inkalipho yokwenene.
YINTONI INKALIPHO? Luphawu lokomelela, ukutyhalela phambili, ubugorha—kungekhona ukuba lityutyusi okanye igwala. Ukuba nenkalipho akuthethi kuthi asikhe soyike. Kunoko, umntu onenkalipho evela kuThixo uyayenza into nangona esoyika.
WABONISA NJANI UABRAHAM UKUBA UNENKALIPHO? UAbraham wayengoyiki ukwahluka kwabanye abantu. Wakhulela kwindawo ekunqulwa oothixo abaninzi kuyo nezithixo. Nakuba kunjalo, akazange avumele ukoyika abantu kumthintele ekwenzeni oko akwaziyo ukuba kulungile. Kunoko, ngenkalipho uAbraham wakhetha ukwenza ngendlela eyahlukileyo ebomini, ekhetha ukukhonza uThixo omnye kuphela—“Oyena Thixo Uphakamileyo,” uYehova.—Genesis 14:21, 22.
UAbraham wakubeka phambili ukunqula uThixo kunezinto awayenazo. Wayekulungele ukuncama ubomi bakhe obutofotofo baseUre aye kwilizwe angalaziyo, ekholose ngokupheleleyo ngoYehova ukuba uya kumxhasa. Kakade ke, njengoko yayiqengqeleka iminyaka, uAbraham usenokuba wayekhumbula izinto awayezixhamla eUre. Kodwa uAbraham wayeqinisekile ukuba uYehova uya kusoloko emnyamekela yena nentsapho yakhe. Ebambelele nkqi kuYehova njengoyena mntu ubalulekileyo ebomini bakhe, uAbraham waba nenkalipho yokuthobela imiyalelo kaThixo.
SIFUNDA NTONI THINA? Sinokumxelisa uAbraham ngokuhlakulela inkalipho ukuze sithobele uYehova, nokuba abanye abantu abamthobeli. Ngokomzekelo, iBhayibhile ifundisa ukuba abo banokholo kuYehova uThixo banokuchaswa, mhlawumbi ngabahlobo abanyanisekileyo okanye zizalamane. (Yohane 15:20) Noko ke, xa siyikholelwa into esiyifunde ngoYehova, siyazimela iinkolelo zethu ngendlela enentlonelo.—1 Petros 3:15.
Sinokukholosa ngesithembiso sikaThixo sokuba uya kuba nyamekela abo banokholo kuye. Ukukholosa ngaye kuyasinceda sisukele izinto zokomoya kungekhona izinto zehlabathi. (Mateyu 6:33) Khawubone indlela eye yenza ngayo enye intsapho.
Nangona babe noonyana ababini uDoug noBecky babefuna ukuya kwilizwe elifuna abashumayeli abangakumbi beendaba ezilungileyo zeBhayibhile. Emva, kokuphanda ngokucokisekileyo nokuthandaza, yagqiba ekubeni iqhubeke. UDoug uthi: “Kufuneka inkalipho ukuthabatha abantwana uhambe nabo, singazi ukuba izinto ziza kusihambela njani, kodwa sisayiqala le nyewe, saxubusha ngomzekelo ka-Abraham noSara. Sicinga ngendlela abakholosa ngayo ngoYehova—nokuba akazange abashiye—wasinceda kakhulu.”
Ngokuphathelele ubomi babo kwilizwe lasemzini uDoug uthi: “Siye sasikelelwa ngendlela engathethekiyo, siphila ubomi obulula, siyakwazi ukuchitha phantse imini yonke sikunye njengentsapho—sishumayela, sincokola kunye yaye sidlala nabantwana bethu. Yinkululeko esingakwaziyo ukuyichaza ngamazwi omlomo.”
Kakade ke, asinguye wonke umntu okwaziyo ukwenza utshintsho olunjalo. Sekunjalo, sonke sinako ukuwuxelisa umzekelo ka-Abraham ngokubeka unqulo lwethu kuThixo kuqala, simthemba ukuba uya kusixhasa. Xa sisenjenjalo, sithobela isibongozo seBhayibhile esithi “masomelele kakhulu size sithi: ‘UYehova ungumncedi wam; andiyi koyika.’”—Hebhere 13:5, 6.
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 7]
Umntu onenkalipho evela kuThixo uyayenza into nangona esoyika
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 8]
Ibhinqa Eloyika UThixo Nomfazi Oxabisekileyo
USara wayetshate nendoda enokholo olubalaseleyo. Kodwa nalo eli bhinqa loyika uThixo lamisela umzekelo omhle. Eneneni, iBhayibhile imkhankanya izihlandlo ezithathu ngegama njengalowo umele axeliswe ngamanye amabhinqa awoyika uThixo. (Isaya 51:1, 2; Hebhere 11:11; 1 Petros 3:3-6) Nangona iZibhalo zingathethi kangako ngeli bhinqa libalaseleyo, sekunjalo siyakwazi ukuba nomfanekiso ngqondweni wohlobo lomntu awayelulo.
Ngokomzekelo, cinga ngendlela awasabela ngayo uSara xa uAbraham wamchazela ukuba uThixo ufuna bafuduke eUre. Ngaba wabuza ukuba babesiya phi yaye kwakutheni? Ngaba wazixhalabisa ngokufuna ukwazi ukuba babeza kuziphilisa njani? Ngaba wakhathazeka xa ecinga ngokuba kuza kufuneka bashiye izihlobo nentsapho, engazi enoba baya kuze baphinde bazibone? Ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo zimele ukuba zathi qatha engqondweni ezo ngcinga. Nakuba kunjalo, wavuma ukuhamba, eqinisekile ukuba uYehova uza kumsikelela ngokuthobela kwakhe.—IZenzo 7:2, 3.
Ukongezelela ekubeni ngumkhonzi kaThixo othobelayo, uSara wayengumfazi obalaseleyo. Kunokuba akhuphisane nendoda yakhe ngokulawula intsapho, uSara wayenentlonelo enzulu ngomyeni wakhe emxhasa, ngothando njengoko ekhokela intsapho. Ngokwenza ngalo ndlela, wazihombisa—ngenxa yeempawu zakhe ezintle.—1 Petros 3:1-6.
Ngaba iimpawu ezendele nzulu ngolo hlobo zinokubanceda abafazi namhlanje? UJill obetshate iminyaka engaphezu kwama-30 uthi: “Umzekelo kaSara undifundise ukuba ndizive ndikhululekile ukuthetha nokucacisa uluvo lwam emyenini.” Uphinde athi: “Kwangaxeshanye njengentloko-ntsapho, umyeni wam unegunya lokwenza isigqibo. Xa esenzile, yimbopheleleko yam ukwenza nantoni na ukuze eso sigqibo sisebenze.”
Mhlawumbi esona sifundo sichukumisayo sisifunda kuSara sesi: Nangona wayemhle gqitha ngembonakalo, akazange aziphakamise. (Genesis 12:10-13) Endaweni yoko, wamxhasa uAbraham kumahla ndinyuka obomi babo. Ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo, uAbraham noSara babesisibini esithandekayo, esasithembekile, bethobekile yaye omnye wamzisela iintsikelelo omnye.