Umbono WeBhayibheli
Ingabe Ukugembula Kuwafanele AmaKristu?
UKUGEMBULA KUWUMKHUBA OMBA EQOLO. NGOKUVAMILE KUDLA INGXENYE YEHOLO LOMUNTU FUTHI KUNGAHOLELA EZIKWELETINI EZINKULU. LOMKHUBA UNGACHITHA IMISHADO NEMISEBENZI, FUTHI UNGASE UBANGELE NGISHO NABANYE UKUBA BAHILELEKE EBUGEBENGWINI. IZISULU ZAWO ZIYALUTHEKA FUTHI ZINGABA NEZIMPAWU ZOKUQALEKA EZINJENGALEZO EZIBONAKALA KWEMINYE IMILUTHA.
UKUGEMBULA kuthé chithi saka emhlabeni wonke kangangokuba amanye amazwe akubiza ngokuthi “indlela yokuzilibazisa yezwe lonke.” Nokho, kuyini ngempela ukugembula? I-World Book Encyclopedia ithi ukugembula kusho “ukubhejela umphumela wesikhathi esizayo. Ngokuvamile abagembuli babheja ngemali noma okuthile okuyigugu njengesiteki ngomphumela abawubikezelayo. Lapho umphumela uphuma, owinile uthola iziteki zabangawinanga.”
Ukugembula akusona isenzakalo esisha. AmaMaya asendulo aseMelika Ephakathi ake adlala umdlalo webhola othandwayo obizwa ngokuthi i-poktatok—ama-Aztec awazi ngokuthi i-tlachtli—“okuthi abanye kuwo, ngemva kokulahlekelwa ingcebo yabo [ngokugembula kulomdlalo], babeke engozini ukuphila kwabo siqu,” kusho umagazini i-Américas. Lababantu basendulo baluthwa ukubheja, ngezinye izikhathi “bezifaka engozini yokuba izigqila ngokudlala umdlalo ongenakwethenjelwa webhola lenjoloba.”
Kungani abaningi beye baluthwa ukugembula? NgokukaDuane Burke, umongameli we-Public Gaming Research Institute yase-United States, “abantu abaningi babheka ukugembula njengendlela yokuzijabulisa eyamukelekayo.” Ngisho nezinye izinhlangano zenkolo ziyakuvumela ukugembula njengendlela yokuqoqa imali.
Nakuba ukugembula kuthandwa futhi kunomlando omude, kungaba yini indlela nje engenacala amaKristu azijabulisa ngayo? Noma kunokwengeziwe okuhilelekile?
Kungani Abantu Begembula?
Ngamafuphi, ukuze bawine. Kubagembuli, ukugembula kubonakala kuyindlela esheshayo, ejabulisayo yokwenza imali ngaphandle komzamo nokuzikhandla okuhilelekile ekusebenzeni emsebenzini wokuziphilisa. Isikhathi esiningi sichithwa kuphushwa ‘ngomklomelo omkhulu’ nangodumo nezimpahla lowomxhaka ongabalethela khona.
Kodwa makhulu amathuba okuhluleka komgembuli. Ngokwesibonelo, isazi sezibalo uRalf Lisch sithi eJalimane “usethubeni lokushaywa umbani izikhathi ezine phakathi nonyaka kunokuba [uwine] ezindaweni zokubhejela [i-lottery zaseJalimane].” Uma lokho kuzwakala kunganelisi, sinezela ukuqhathanisa okulandelayo: “Uma uyindoda, amathuba okuba uphile uze ufinyelele [eminyakeni] engu-100 makhulu ngokuphindwe izikhathi ezingu-7 000 [kunawokuwina i-lottery].” Ngokuhlekisayo, umgembuli angase akuqaphele lokhu. Ngakho, yini emenza aqhubeke egembula?
NgokukaDkt. Robert Custer, encwadini yakhe ethi When Luck Runs Out, kwabanye abagembulayo, “ukuzuza imali kungesinye nje isici sokuwina. . . . Into ebaluleke kakhulu kubo umhawu, inhlonipho, ukunconywa, ukuthoshwa okungase kulethwe imali.” Unezela ukuthi okubalulekile kulaba “usikisiki lokugabisa ngemali engamaphepha, noma nje ukuthi, ‘Ngiwine izizumbulu’ nokuthola udumo.”
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukuwina—nosikisiki oluhambisana nakho—akubanelisi abagembuli abaningi. Isifiso sokugembula singase sibe namandla kangangokuba babe imilutha yokugembula. Ekuhloleni okwenziwa uDkt. Custer emalungwini e-Gamblers Anonymous, amaphesenti angu-75 alabo abahlolwa athi ayezigabisa ngokuwina ngisho nalapho ayelahlekelwa! Yebo, ukugembula kungase kube ukulutheka okukhulu nokubhubhisa njengokuluthwa utshwala noma esinye isidakamizwa. Bangaki abagembuli abaye badlula ekugembuleni kokuzilibazisa baba imilutha yokugembula? Bangaki abenze kanjalo kodwa abangakwazi nokukwazi lokho?
Umbono KaNkulunkulu
IBhayibheli alikhulumi ngokuningiliziwe ngokugembula. Nokho, lisinikeza izimiso ezisisiza ukuba sinqume indlela uNkulunkulu akubheka ngayo ukugembula.
Okuhlangenwe nakho kuye kwabonisa ukuthi ukugembula kubonisa ukuhaha. IBhayibheli likulahla ngokuqinile ukuhaha, lixwayisa ngokuthi ‘akukho muntu ohahayo oyoba nefa embusweni kaNkulunkulu.’ (Efesu 5:5, qhathanisa ne-NW.) Ukuhaha kubonakala ngisho nalapho abagembuli belahlakelwa. Ngokwesinye isikhulu, umgembuli “uzama ukuwina abuyise lokho okumlahlekele—elangazelela ‘umklomelo omkhulu.’ Uma ewina umklomelo omkhulu, ubheja kakhulu, futhi ekugcineni ulahlekelwa ‘umklomelo wakhe omkhulu.’” Yebo, ngokuqinisekile ukuhaha kuyingxenye yokugembula.
Ngokuvamile ukugembula kusetshenziswa abanye ukuze bandise ukuqhosha kwabo. Okunye ukuhlolwa kwemilutha yokugembula kwabonisa ukuthi engamaphesenti angu-94 yayibheka ukugembula ‘njengomsebenzi owakha ukuzazisa,’ futhi engamaphesenti angu-92 yathi yayizizwa ‘njengabantu ababalulekile’ lapho igembula. Nokho, uNkulunkulu uthi: “Ukuzidla, nokuzikhukhumeza . . . ngiyakuzonda.” Ngakho, amaKristu akhuthazwa ukuba ahlakulele isizotha nokuzithoba.—IzAga 8:13; 22:4; Mika 6:8.
Ukugembula kungase kubangele nobuvila, njengoba kubonakala kuyindlela elula yokwenza imali ngaphandle komzamo ohilelekile ekusebenzeni. Kodwa iZwi likaNkulunkulu ngokusobala likhuthaza amaKristu ukuba akhuthale, azikhandle.—Efesu 4:28.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, lokho abakubiza ngokuthi inhlanhla kubaluleke kakhulu kwabanye abagembuli kangangokuba bayakuphishekela, bekwenza unkulunkulu wabo. Lokhu kufana nokulandisa kweBhayibheli ngamadoda ‘ayehlelela unkulunkulu weNhlanhla itafula.’ Ngenxa yesenzo sawo sokukhulekela izithombe, ayenqunyelwe “inkemba.”—Isaya 65:11, 12, qhathanisa ne-NW.
Kuthiwani uma umuntu ephiwa ithikithi lamahhala le-lottery noma imali ukuze agembule? Kukho kokubili, ukwamukela isipho esinjalo kusafana nokusekela isenzo sokugembula—isenzo esingavumelani nezimiso zokwesaba uNkulunkulu.
Cha, ukugembula akuwafanele amaKristu. Njengoba omunye umhleli kamagazini akubeka, ‘akukhona nje ukuthi ukugembula akulungile kodwa futhi kuyisenzo sobuwula.’
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 14]
Valentin/The Cheaters, Giraudon/Art Resource