Imbono YeBhayibhile

Ngaba UThixo Wayelwamkele Urhwebo Lwamakhoboka?

ABANTU abamnyama thsu babile bathe xhopho bathwele imibhumbutho emikhulu yamabhali omqhaphu. Iingqwayingqwayi ezingenalusini ziqhuba abo bantu ngokubatywatyusha ngezabhokhwe. Iintsana zihluthwa ezandleni zoonina abaziingxididi ziinyembezi zize zithengiswe koyena mntu uza kuhlawula ixabiso eliphezulu efandesini. Lo ngumbono wenkohlakalo ohlasimlis’ umzimba othi qatha engqondweni xa ucinga ngobukhoboka.

Into exakayo yile, kuthiwa uninzi lwabo babethengisa nababethenga amakhoboka yayingabantu ababezinikele gqitha elunqulweni. Umbhali-mbali uJames Walvin wabhala wenjenje: “Kwakukho amakhulu amadoda alolo hlobo, amaNgesi namaMerika, adumisa iNkosi ngeentsikelelo zayo, ebulela ngoshishino olunengeniso nolukhuselekileyo eAfrika njengoko ejika iinqanawa zawo zamabanjwa ejongis’ imibombo kwiLizwe Elitsha.”

Bambi abantu bade baqiqa ngelithi uThixo wayekwamkela ukuthengiswa kwamakhoboka. Ngokomzekelo, kwintetho awayinikela kwiNkomfa Kazwelonke YeCawa YamaWesile namaRhabe ngowe-1842, uAlexander McCaine wathi iziko lobukhoboka “lamiselwa nguThixo Ngokwakhe.” Ngaba lo kaMcCaine wayechanile? Ngaba uThixo wayekholiswa kukuqweqwediswa nokudlwengulwa kwamantombazana, ukwahlukaniswa kweentsapho okungenamfesane, nokubethwa ngokungenalusini okwakuhambisana norhwebo lwamakhoboka ngomhla kaMcCaine? Yaye kuthekani ngezigidi ezinyanzelwa ukuba ziphile zize zisebenze okwamakhoboka phantsi kwenkohlakalo namhlanje? Ngaba uThixo uyakwamkela ukuphathwa kwabantu ngolunya ngolo hlobo?

Ubukhoboka NamaSirayeli

IBhayibhile ithi ‘umntu ulawula umntu ibe kukwenzakala kwakhe.’ (INtshumayeli 8:9) Mhlawumbi oku kubonakala ngakumbi kwiindlela zobukhoboka eziye zaveliswa ngabantu. UYehova uThixo akakubethi ngoyaba ukubandezeleka okubangelwe bubukhoboka.

Ngokomzekelo, khawucinge ngemeko eyaqalisa kumaSirayeli. IBhayibhile isixelela ukuba amaYiputa ‘abenza bakrakra ubomi bawo ngokuwatsalisa nzima ebukhobokeni, esenza udaka lodongwe nezitena nawo wonke umsebenzi wobukhoboka wasendle, ewe, wonke umsebenzi wobukhoboka awabanyanzela ngobuzwilakhe ukuba awenze.’ AmaSirayeli ‘aqhubeka encwina, ekhalaza ngenxa yokukhotyokiswa kwawo, yaye ukukhalela kwawo uncedo esebukhobokeni, kwanyuka kwaya kufikelela kuThixo oyinyaniso.’ Ngaba uYehova wayengaluboni olu sizi ayekulo? Ngokwahlukileyo koko, ‘uThixo wakuva ukugcuma kwawo waza wawukhumbula uThixo umnqophiso wakhe noAbraham, uIsake noYakobi.’ Ngaphezu koko, uYehova wabaxelela oku abantu bakhe: “Ngokuqinisekileyo ndiya kunikhupha phantsi koxanduva lwamaYiputa ndize ndinihlangule ebukhobokeni bawo.”—Eksodus 1:14; 2:23, 24; 6:6-8.

Ngokucacileyo uYehova wayengakwamkeli ‘ukulawula komntu omnye’ ngokungenalusini njengekhoboka. Kodwa ngaba uThixo akazange kamva abuvumele ubukhoboka phakathi kwabantu bakhe? Ewe, wabuvumela. Noko ke, ubukhoboka bakwaSirayeli babahluke ngokupheleleyo kwiindlela zobukhoboka ezikhohlakeleyo eziye zakho ukutyhubela imbali.

UMthetho kaThixo wawusithi isohlwayo sokuqweqwedisa nokuthengisa umntu kukufa. Ngaphezu koko, uYehova wanikela imiqathango yokukhusela amakhoboka. Ngokomzekelo, ikhoboka eliye lenzakaliswa yinkosi yalo lalimele likhululwe. Ukuba ikhoboka liye lafa ngenxa yokubethwa yinkosi yalo, inkosi yalo yayinokohlwaywa ngokufa. Abathinjwa abangabafazi babenokuba ngamakhoboka, okanye benziwe abafazi. Kodwa babengamele basetyenziswe nje ukwanelisa iinkanuko zesini. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba umongo woMthetho waqhubela amaSirayeli aneentliziyo ezilungileyo ukuba awaphathe ngentlonelo nangobubele amakhoboka, ngokungathi ngabasebenzi abaqeshiweyo.—Eksodus 20:10; 21:12, 16, 26, 27; Levitikus 22:10, 11; Duteronomi 21:10-14.

Wambi amaYuda ayekhetha ukuba ngamakhoboka amanye amaYuda ukuze ahlawule amatyala awo. Olu qheliselo lwaluyigxotha ikati eziko yaye enyanisweni lwalunceda abaninzi bahlukane nobuhlwempu. Ngokubhekele phaya, ngamaxesha athile abalulekileyo kwikhalenda yamaYuda, amakhoboka ayemele akhululwe xa efuna.a (Eksodus 21:2; Levitikus 25:10; Duteronomi 15:12) Ehlomla ngale mithetho iphathelele amakhoboka, umphengululi ongumYuda uMoses Mielziner wathi “ikhoboka lalihlala lingumntu, laligqalwa njengomntu onamalungelo athile emvelo, nenkosi yalo yayingamele iphazamisane nawo.” Onjani ukuba mkhulu umahluko kwindlela yokuphatha amakhoboka ngokuwaxhaphaza ekhoyo kumabali embali!

Ubukhoboka NamaKristu

Ubukhoboka babuyinxalenye yenkqubo yezoqoqosho yoBukhosi baseRoma, awayephila phantsi kwabo amaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala. Ngoko, wambi amaKristu ayengamakhoboka, yaye amanye ayenamakhoboka. (1 Korinte 7:21, 22) Kodwa ngaba oku kuthetha ukuba abafundi bakaYesu babeziinkosi zamakhoboka ezixhaphazayo? Nakanye! Kungakhathaliseki oko kwakuvunyelwa ngumthetho wamaRoma, sinokuqiniseka ukuba amaKristu ayengabaphathi ngqwabalala abo baphantsi kolawulo lwabo. Umpostile uPawulos wade wakhuthaza uFilemon ukuba aphathe ikhoboka lakhe elaba ngumKristu, uOnesimo “njengomzalwana.”b—Filemon 10-17.

IBhayibhile ayiniki sizathu sokukholelwa ukuba ukwenziwa kwabantu amakhoboka abanye abantu yayililungiselelo likaThixo lantlandlolo ngoluntu. Ngaphezu koko, akukho siprofeto seBhayibhile sithi abantu baza kuba namakhoboka kwihlabathi elitsha likaThixo. Kunoko, kwiParadesi ezayo, amalungisa ‘okunene aya kuhlala, ngamnye phantsi komdiliya wakhe naphantsi komkhiwane wakhe, yaye akuyi kubakho bani uwangcangcazelisayo.’—Mika 4:4.

Ngokucacileyo, iBhayibhile ayiyivumeli impatho-mbi yabanye abantu nangaluphi na uhlobo. Ngokwahlukileyo koko, ikhuthaza intlonelo nokulingana phakathi kwabantu. (IZenzo 10:34, 35) Ibongoza abantu ukuba babaphathe abanye ngendlela nabo abafuna ukuphathwa ngayo. (Luka 6:31) Ngaphezu koko, iBhayibhile ikhuthaza amaKristu ukuba ngokuzithoba abajonge abanye njengabongamileyo, kungakhathaliseki ukuba banasiphi na isikhundla ekuhlaleni. (Filipi 2:3) Le migaqo ayivumelani kwaphela neendlela zobukhoboka zokuxhaphaza eziqheliselwa ziintlanga ezininzi, ingakumbi kwiinkulungwane zakutshanje.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]