UEhudi Waphula Idyokhwe Yomtshutshisi

ELI libali lokwenyaniso lenkalipho nelibangel’ umdla. Lenzeka malunga neminyaka engama-3 000 eyadlulayo. Ingxelo yeZibhalo iqalisa ngala mazwi: “Kwakhona oonyana bakaSirayeli babesenza okubi emehlweni kaYehova. UYehova wamyeka uEglon ukumkani wakwaMowabhi womelela nxamnye noSirayeli, ngenxa yokuba wenza okubi emehlweni kaYehova. Ngapha koko, wahlanganisa oonyana baka-Amoni nabaka-Amaleki nxamnye nabo. Baza baya kumxabela uSirayeli yaye basithabatha isixeko semithi yesundu saba lilifa labo. Yaye oonyana bakaSirayeli baqhubeka bekhonza uEglon ukumkani wakwaMowabhi iminyaka elishumi elinesibhozo.”—ABagwebi 3:12-14.

Ummandla wakwaMowabhi usempuma yoMlambo iYordan noLwandle Olubomvu. Kodwa amaMowabhi awuwela umlambo aza ahlala kwindawo ekufuphi neYeriko, “isixeko semithi yesundu,” elawula amaSirayeli. (Duteronomi 34:3) Ukumkani wamaMowabhi, uEglon, “indoda etyebe kakhulu,” wayefuna unikelo olwalungumthwalo nolwalusingela phantsi amaSirayeli phantse kangangamashumi ababini eminyaka. (ABagwebi 3:17) Noko ke, ukufuna kwakhe unikelo kwavula ithuba lokuphelisa ulawulo lwakhe.

Le ngxelo ithi: “Oonyana bakaSirayeli bamemeza becela uncedo kuYehova. Ngoko uYehova wabavelisela umsindisi, uEhudi unyana kaGera, umBhenjamin, indoda elinxele. Ekuhambeni kwexesha oonyana bakaSirayeli bathumela unikelo ngesandla sakhe kuEglon ukumkani wakwaMowabhi.” (ABagwebi 3:15) Kumele ukuba uYehova waqiniseka ukuba kukhethwa uEhudi ukuze azise olu nikelo. Akuchazwanga enoba wakhe wakwenza oku ngaphambili. Noko ke, indlela uEhudi awasilungiselela ngocoselelo ngayo eso sihlandlo nendlela awazenza ngayo izinto kubonisa ukuba wayeqhelene nebhotwe likaEglon noko wayekulindele apho. Kuko konke oku, ukuba linxele kwakhe kwaba nendima ebalulekileyo.

Ngaba Ungumlwelwe Okanye Ungumphathi-mkhosi?

Ngokoqobo, ibinzana elithi “inxele” lithetha ‘ukuvaleka, ubulwelwe okanye ukubotshwa isandla sasekunene.’ Ngaba oku kuthetha ukuba uEhudi wayengumlwelwe, mhlawumbi enesiphene kwisandla sakhe sasekunene? Qwalasela oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile ‘ngamadoda angamakhulu asixhenxe angamanxele’ esizwe sakwaBhenjamin. KuBagwebi 20:16 kuthiwa: “Ngamnye kuwo la wayeyinkcani ekusawuleni ngamatye, engaphosi.” Kuyabonakala ukuba ayekhethelwe ubuchule bawo edabini. Ngokutsho kwabanye abaphengululi beBhayibhile, “inxele” lithetha “lowo usebenzisa isandla sasekhohlo kwakunye nesasekunene,” oko kukuthi, umntu oliphatha.—ABagwebi 3:15, The Douay Version.

Eneneni, isizwe sakwaBhenjamin sasisaziwa ngamadoda aso angamanxele. Incwadi yoku-1 yeziKronike 12:1, 2 ithi isizwe sakwaBhenjamin ‘sasinamadoda anamandla, abancedisi emfazweni, bexhobe ngesaphetha, besebenzisa amatye okanye isaphetha neentolo ngesandla sasekunene nesandla sasekhohlo.’ Enye incwadi ithi, umntu usenokuba nobu buchule, “ngokubopha izandla zasekunene zabantwana—ngaloo ndlela ‘bangasisebenzisi isandla sasekunene’—aze abenze bahlakulele ubugcisa bokusebenzisa isandla sasekhohlo.” Iintshaba zakwaSirayeli zazidla ngokuqeqeshelwa ukulwa nomkhosi osebenzisa izandla zawo zasekunene. Ngoko ke, iintshaba zazinokuba sengxakini xa zazinokudibana nejoni elilinxele zingalindelanga.

‘Ilizwi Lasemfihlekweni’ Lokumkani

Inyathelo lokuqala likaEhudi yayikukulungiselela “ikrele”—ikrele elintlangothi-mbini elalilifutshane ngokwaneleyo ukuze lifihlwe phantsi kwempahla ayinxibileyo. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayelindele ukuba akhangelwe ukuba akanazixhobo kusini na. Ngokuqhelekileyo amakrele ayefakwa ekhohlo emzimbeni, ukuze abantu abasebenzisa isandla sasekunene bawakhuphe ngokulula. Kuba elinxele, uEhudi wayefihle isixhobo sakhe “phantsi kwesambatho sakhe ethangeni lakhe lasekunene,” apho abalindi bakakumkani bebengayi kufane bakhangele khona. Ngoko ke, ngaphandle kwesiphazamiso “wasondeza unikelo kuEglon ukumkani wakwaMowabhi.”—ABagwebi 3:16, 17.

Azichazwanga iinkcukacha zeziganeko zokuqala ezenzeka kwibhotwe likaEglon. IBhayibhile ithi nje: “Kwathi akugqiba [uEhudi] ukusondeza unikelo, kwaoko wabandulula abantu, abathwali bonikelo.” (ABagwebi 3:18) UEhudi wasondeza unikelo, wahamba mgama nabathwali bonikelo ukusuka kwindlu kaEglon, waza wabuya emva kokuba ebandulule. Kwakutheni ukuze enze oku? Ngaba wayehamba nala madoda ukuze amkhusele, ukuzalisa nje isiko, okanye mhlawumbi kuba engabathwali bonikelo? Ngaba wayefuna ukuba akhuseleke ngaphambi kokuba yena enze oko wayekucebile? Enoba wayecinga ntoni, ngenkalipho uEhudi wabuya yedwa.

“[UEhudi] wajika kumatye aqingqiweyo awayeseGiligali, waza wathi: ‘Ndinelizwi lasemfihlekweni nawe, Owu kumkani.’” IZibhalo azichazi ukuba wangena njani kwakhona ukuze aye kuEglon. Ngaba abalindi bebengayi kukrokra? Ngaba bacinga ukuba umSirayeli omnye nje kuphela ebengayi kuba yingozi kwinkosi yabo? Ngaba ukubuyela kukaEhudi yedwa kwakungabonisi ukuba kwakusenokwenzeka ukuba ungcatsha abantu bakowabo? Enoba kwenzeka ntoni, uEhudi wafuna ukuthetha nokumkani eyedwa, yaye oko kwenzeka.—ABagwebi 3:19.

Ingxelo ephefumlelweyo iqhubeka isithi: “UEhudi weza [kuEglon] njengoko wayehleli kwigumbi lakhe elipholileyo eliseluphahleni. Yaye uEhudi wahlabela mgama wathi: ‘Ndinelizwi lakho elivela kuThixo.’” UEhudi wayengabhekiseli kwisigidimi somlomo esivela kuThixo. UEhudi wayecinga ukusebenzisa ikrele lakhe. Mhlawumbi elindele ukuva isigidimi esithile esivela kuthixo wakhe uKemoshe, ukumkani “waphakama etroneni yakhe.” Ngokukhawuleza, uEhudi wathi rhuthu isixhobo sakhe waza wasifaka esiswini sikaEglon. Kuyabonakala ukuba elo krele lalingenaso isixhanti. Ngenxa yoko, “isiphatho saqhubeka singena naso emva kwencakuba kangangokuba amanqatha ayivingcela incakuba, . . . yaye kwaqalisa ukuphuma ilindle,” ekusenokwenzeka ukuba laliphuma kwinxeba okanye kumathumbu kaEglon.—ABagwebi 3:20-22.

Ukusaba Ngokulula

Engalikhuphanga ikrele lakhe, “uEhudi waphuma ngomngxuma wokungenisa umoya, kodwa wazivala iingcango zegumbi eliseluphahleni waza wazitshixa. Yena waphuma. Abakhonzi [bakaEglon] bafika baza baqalisa ukukhangela, yaye iingcango zegumbi eliseluphahleni zazitshixiwe. Ngoko bathi: ‘Usazithuma nje kwigumbi langaphakathi elipholileyo.’”—ABagwebi 3:23, 24.

Wawuyintoni lo “mngxuma wokungenisa umoya” uEhudi awaphuma ngawo? Enye incwadi ithi: “Ayaziwa inkcazelo echanileyo [yeli gama lesiHebhere], kodwa abanye baye bathi lo mngxuma ‘yayiyindawo ephakathi kweentsika ezinkulu,’ okanye ‘ipaseji.’” Ngaba uEhudi wazitshixa iingcango ngaphakathi wandula ke waphuma ngenye indlela? Okanye ngaba watshixa iingcango ngaphandle ngesitshixo asithabathe kukumkani ofileyo? Ngaba wandula wazihambela nje ngokuzolileyo phambi kwabalindi ngokungathi akwenzekanga nto? IZibhalo azisixeleli nto. Noko ke, enoba uEhudi wenza ntoni na, abakhonzi bakaEglon abazange bakhawuleze bakrokre bakufika iingcango zitshixiwe. Bacinga nje ukuba ukumkani “usazithuma.”

Ngoxa abakhonzi benkosi besazilazila, uEhudi wabaleka. Ngoko ke wabiza abantu bakowabo waza wathi: “Ndilandeleni, ngenxa yokuba uYehova uzinikele esandleni senu iintshaba zenu, amaMowabhi.” Ngokuthimba amazibuko aseYordan, amadoda kaEhudi azivingca iindlela amaMowabhi angenankokeli awayenokusaba ngazo ukuphindela kwilizwe lakowawo. Ngenxa yoko, “ngelo xesha [abantu bakwaSirayeli] bamxabela uMowabhi, malunga namadoda angamawaka alishumi, bonke bomelele yaye bengamakroti; akukho namnye owabalekayo. Woyiswa ke ngaloo mini uMowabhi phantsi kwesandla sikaSirayeli; kwaye ilizwe alizange libe nasiphazamiso singakumbi iminyaka engamashumi asibhozo.”—ABagwebi 3:25-30.

Oko Sinokukufunda

Oko kwenzeka kwixesha likaEhudi kusifundisa ukuba kubakho intlekele xa sisenza oko kubi emehlweni kaYehova. Kwelinye icala, uYehova uyabanceda abo baguqukayo baze babuyele kuye.

Amacebo kaEhudi aphumelela, kungekhona ngenxa yokuba ekrelekrele, yaye kungekhona ngenxa yokungabi namandla kotshaba lwakhe. Ukuzaliseka kweenjongo zikaThixo akuxhomekekanga kubantu. Esona sizathu siyintloko sokuphumelela kukaEhudi kwakungenxa yokuba wayexhaswa nguThixo njengoko wayesenza ngokuvisisana nenjongo Yakhe engenakoyiswa ukuze akhulule abantu Bakhe. UThixo wavelisa uEhudi, “yaye xa uYehova wayebavelisela abagwebi [abantu bakhe], uYehova wayesiba nomgwebi lowo.”—ABagwebi 2:18; 3:15.