Umbono WeBhayibheli

Ingabe UJehova UnguNkulunkulu Wempi?

SEKUYISIKHATHI eside abanye abafundi beBhayibheli bemangalela uJehova ngokuthi ungunkulunkulu wempi, onxanela ukuchitha igazi. Ngokwesibonelo, uGeorge A. Dorsey, encwadini yakhe ethi The Story of Civilization—Man’s Own Show, uthi uNkulunkulu weBhayibheli, uJehova, “unguNkulunkulu wabaphangi, wabahlukumezi, wamaqhawe empi, wokunqoba, othanda zonke izinhlobo zobudlova.” Umcusumbuli weBhayibheli uRoland H. Bainton ngokuqondile uthi: “Impi inozwela kakhulu lapho uNkulunkulu engahilelekile kuyo.”

Ingabe uJehova ungunkulunkulu wempi ngempela? Ingabe uyakujabulela ukubulala abantu abangenacala, njengoba abanye besikisela?

Izahlulelo Zangesikhathi Esidlule

Yiqiniso, iBhayibheli lizilandisa ngokungagudl’ iguma izahlulelo zikaJehova uNkulunkulu ezibhubhisayo zangesikhathi esidlule. Nokho, ngaso sonke isikhathi zazilethwa kubantu abangamesabi uNkulunkulu. Ngokwesibonelo, kwakungesikhathi lapho umhlaba wosuku lukaNowa ‘ugcwala khona ubudlwangudlwangu’ lapho uJehova athi: “Mina ngizakuzisa uzamcolo wamanzi emhlabeni ukuba achithe yonke inyama okukuyo umoya wokuphila.” (Genesise 6:11, 17) Ngokuphathelene nesinye isahlulelo, kwakungenxa nje yokuthi imizi yaseSodoma naseGomora “yayizinikele ekuziphatheni okubi ngokobulili futhi ithambekele enkanukweni ephendukezelwe” okwenza ukuthi uNkulunkulu abangele ukuba ‘line isibabule nomlilo.’—Juda 7, The New Berkeley Version; Genesise 19:24.

Ingabe uNkulunkulu wakujabulela ukubhubhisa inyama yonke osukwini lukaNowa? Noma ingabe wayethola injabulo ethile yonya ngokubhubhisa izakhamuzi zaseSodoma naseGomora? Ukuze sithole impendulo, ake sihlole izenzakalo ezihambisana noZamcolo wosuku lukaNowa. Ngemva kokubonisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayezoqothula isintu esibi ebusweni bomhlaba ukuze asuse ubudlova emhlabeni, iBhayibheli lithi: “UJehova . . . wadabuka enhliziyweni yakhe.” Yebo, kwamdabukisa uNkulunkulu ukuthi “zonke izizindlo zemicabango yenhliziyo [yomuntu] zimbi njalo.” Ngakho, ukuze asindise abaningi ngangokunokwenzeka kuZamcolo owawusondela, uNkulunkulu wathuma uNowa, “umshumayeli wokulunga,” ukuba akhiphe isigijimi esixwayisayo futhi akhe umkhumbi wokusinda.—Genesise 6:3-18; 2 Petru 2:5.

Ngendlela efanayo, ngaphambi kokuba athumele izingelosi ukuba ziyobhubhisa iSodoma neGomora, uNkulunkulu wathi: “Ngiceba ukwehla futhi ngiyobona ukuthi bakwenzile yini noma cha ukukhalaza abamangalelwa ngakho . . . Ngizimisele ukwazi ngakho.” (Genesise 18:20-32, The Jerusalem Bible) UJehova waqinisekisa u-Abrahama (ondodana kamfowabo uLoti yayihlala eSodoma) ukuthi uma ukufuna kwaKhe kwakuveza abantu abayishumi nje abalungile, lemizi yayiyolondolozwa. Ingabe uNkulunkulu ojatshuliswa ukuchitha igazi wayengakhathalela ngesihe kanjalo? Ngokuphambene, asinakusho yini ukuthi esinye sezici ezivelele zobuntu bukaJehova isihe? (Eksodusi 34:6) Yena ngokwakhe uthi: “Angithokozi ngokufa komubi, kuphela ngokubuya komubi endleleni yakhe aze aphile.”—Hezekeli 33:11.

Izahlulelo ezibhubhisayo ezivela kuNkulunkulu ngaso sonke isikhathi ziye zavela ngoba abantu ababi benqaba ngenkani ukushiya inkambo embi, hhayi ngoba uJehova ekujabulela ukubulala abantu. Kodwa ungase uzibuze, ‘Ingabe uJehova akazange akhuthaze ama-Israyeli ukuba alwe namaKhanani futhi awabhubhise?’

Izimpi ZikaNkulunkulu Zazidingeka Ukuze Kube Nokuthula

Umlando uveza umfanekiso ongathandeki wokuphila kwabantu baseKhanani—babebabi ngokwedlulele. Kwakudlange ukusebenzisa imimoya, ukwenza imihlatshelo ngezingane, ubudlova obunonya, nezinhlobo ezihlukahlukene zokukhulekelwa kobulili obuphendukezelwe. NjengoNkulunkulu wobulungisa ofuna ukuzinikela okuphelele, uJehova wayengenakuyivumela lemikhuba enengekayo ukuba iphazamise ukuthula nokulondeka kwabantu abangenacala, ikakhulukazi u-Israyeli. (Duteronomi 5:9) Ngokwesibonelo, ake ucabange ukube umphakathi ohlala kuwo ubungenalo ibutho lamaphoyisa noma amabutho esivikelo athembekayo ukuze aqinise imithetho yezwe—ingabe lokho bekungeke yini kuholele esiyaluyalwini nobudlova obubi ngokwedlulele? Ngokufanayo, kwakudingekile ukuba uJehova athathe isinyathelo ngokumelene namaKhanani ngenxa yokungalaleli kwawo nengozi yangempela ayeyiletha ekukhulekeleni kweqiniso. Ngakho-ke, wamemezela: “Izwe lingcolile; ngalokho [ngiyakuhambela] ububi balo.”—Levitikusi 18:25.

Ubulungisa baphezulu bafezwa lapho amabutho kaNkulunkulu esahlulelo—amabutho akwa-Israyeli—ebhubhisa amaKhanani. Iqiniso lokuthi uNkulunkulu wakhetha ukusebenzisa abantu ukuze akhiphe lesisahlulelo, kunokuba asebenzise umlilo noma isikhukhula, alizange lisinciphise lesisahlulelo. Ngakho, lapho elwa nezizwe eziyisikhombisa zaseKhanani, amabutho akwa-Israyeli ayalwa: “Awuyikusindisa-lutho oluphefumulayo.”—Duteronomi 20:16.

Nokho, njengomhloniphi wokuphila, uNkulunkulu akazange akhiphe isijeziso sokuba kubulawe ngokungakhethi. Ngokwesibonelo, lapho izakhamuzi zomunye umuzi waseKhanani, iGibeyoni, zicela isihe, uJehova wasinikeza. (Joshuwa 9:3-27) Ingabe unkulunkulu wempi onolaka wayengakwenza lokhu? Cha, kodwa uNkulunkulu othanda ukuthula nobulungisa wayengakwenza.—IHubo 33:5; 37:28.

Izindinganiso ZikaJehova Zithuthukisa Ukuthula

Ngokuphindaphindiwe, iBhayibheli lihlobanisa isibusiso sikaNkulunkulu nokuthula. Lokho kungenxa yokuthi uJehova ungumthandi wokuthula, hhayi impi. (Numeri 6:24-26; IHubo 29:11; 147:12-14) Ngenxa yalokho, lapho iNkosi uDavide ifisa ukwakhela uJehova ithempeli lokukhulekela, uNkulunkulu wayitshela: “Awuyikwakhela igama lami indlu, ngokuba uchithé igazi eliningi emhlabathini emehlweni ami.”—1 IziKronike 22:8; IzEnzo 13:22.

Lapho esemhlabeni, uDavide Omkhulu, uJesu Kristu, wakhuluma ngesikhathi lapho ukuthanda kukaNkulunkulu ubulungisa kwakungasayikumvumela ukuba abekezelele ububi banamuhla esibubonayo. (Mathewu 24:3, 36-39) Njengoba enza kuZamcolo wosuku lukaNowa nasekubhujisweni kweSodoma neGomora, ngokushesha uNkulunkulu uyothatha isinyathelo sesahlulelo ukuze aqede abantu abanobugovu nababi emhlabeni, kanjalo evula indlela yezimo ezinokuthula eziyoba khona ngaphansi kokubusa koMbuso wakhe wasezulwini.—IHubo 37:10, 11, 29; Daniyeli 2:44.

Ngokusobala, uJehova akayena unkulunkulu wempi onxanela igazi. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, akazigodli ekukhipheni isijeziso sesahlulelo lapho kufanele. Ukuthanda kukaNkulunkulu ubuhle kudinga ukuba athathe isinyathelo ngenxa yabamthandayo ngokubhubhisa isimiso esibi esibacindezelayo. Lapho enza kanjalo, ukuthula kweqiniso kuyochuma emhlabeni wonke njengoba ngobunye abamnene ngempela bekhulekela uJehova, “uNkulunkulu wokuthula.”—Filipi 4:9.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 20]

David and Goliath/The Doré Bible Illustrations/Dover Publications, Inc.