Umbono WeBhayibheli
Isikhukhula—Iqiniso Noma Inganekwane?
‘Zonke izilwane zangena ngambili emkhunjini kuNowa.’—Genesise 7:8, 9.
UBANI ongakaze ezwe ngeSikhukhula sosuku lukaNowa? Mhlawumbe lendaba uyazi kusukela ebuntwaneni. Ngempela, uma uya emtatsheni wezincwadi wendawo ukuze uyohlola ngeSikhukhula, ungase uthole izincwadi eziningi zalendaba ezibhalelwe abantwana kunezibhalelwe abantu abadala. Ngakho, ungase unqume ukubheka ukulandisa okuphathelene neSikhukhula njengendaba yokuxoxelwa abantwana ngesikhathi sokulala. Abaningi banomuzwa wokuthi ukulandisa okuphathelene neSikhukhula sikaNowa, kanye nengxenye enkulu yeBhayibheli, kumane kuyinganekwane, noma okungenani uma kuzuzisa, kuyisifundo esihle sokuziphatha esiqanjwe umuntu.
Ngokumangalisayo, ngisho nabanye abathi basekela izinkolelo zabo ezingokwenkolo eBhayibhelini bayangabaza ukuthi saba khona ngempela iSikhukhula. Umpristi ongumKatolika u-Edward J. McLean wake wathi indaba kaNowa kwakumelwe ingachazwa njengomlando, kodwa ichazwe “njengomfanekiso noma njengendaba elotshiwe.”
Nokho, ingabe iSikhukhula okulandiswa ngaso eBhayibhelini simane siwumfanekiso, okungamelwe neze ubhekwe njengongokoqobo? Ingabe iBhayibheli ngokwalo liyawuvumela umbono onjalo?
Imininingwane Enokwethenjelwa
Okokuqala, cabangela umlando owalotshwa uMose encwadini kaGenesise. Lapho, sithola unyaka, inyanga nosuku olunembile lesi sikhukhula esaqala ngalo, isikhathi umkhumbi owama ngaso, nesikhathi umhlaba owoma ngaso. (Genesise 7:11; 8:4, 13, 14) Nakuba izikhathi ezinembile zingalotshiwe ngaso sonke isikhathi kwenye indawo kuGenesise, lezi zikhathi zigcizelela iphuzu lokuthi uMose wayebheka iSikhukhula njengesenzakalo esingokoqobo. Qhathanisa leli qiniso leBhayibheli nendlela evamile yokuqala kwezinganekwane eziningi, “Kwesukasukela . . .”
Njengesinye isibonelo, cabangela umkhumbi ngokwawo. IBhayibheli lichaza umkhumbi onobude obungamamitha angaba ngu-133, onesilinganiso sobude obuphinda ukuphakama kwawo izikhathi eziyishumi kanye nesilinganiso sobude obuphinda ububanzi bawo izikhathi eziyisithupha. (Genesise 6:15) UNowa wayengeyena umakhi wemikhumbi. Futhi khumbula, lokhu kwenzeka eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-4 000 edlule! Nokho, lomkhumbi wakhiwa ngezilinganiso ezifanelana nomsebenzi wawo njengomkhumbi ontantayo. Eqinisweni, abaklami bemikhumbi yezempi banamuhla baye bathola izilinganiso ezifanayo zenza imikhumbi ibe namandla futhi iqine ezilwandle ezingodedangendlale. Nakuba iBhayibheli lingabusho ngokunembile ubude besikhathi uNowa asichitha akha umkhumbi, lokhu kulandisa kuvumelana nesikhathi sokwakha esathatha iminyaka engu-50 noma engu-60. (Genesise 5:32; 7:6) Lezi zici ziphambene kakhulu nendaba edumile yaseBabiloni yeNkondlo Yobuqhawe kaGilgamesh. Lenkondlo yobuqhawe ichaza ibhokisi elikhulu, elinezinhlangothi ezilinganayo, elingenasizotha, elingamamitha angaba ngu-60 ohlangothini ngalunye elakhiwa ezinsukwini ezingu-7 kuphela. Ngokungafani naleyo nganekwane yaseBabiloni, ukunemba kweBhayibheli ngeSikhukhula kuqinisa ukuthembela kukho.
Ngaphandle kokulandisa kukaGenesise, imiBhalo ibhekisela kuNowa noma kuZamcolo wembulunga yonke izikhathi eziyishumi. Ingabe lezi zikhombo zibonisa ukuthi abalobi abaphefumulelwe babebheka iSikhukhula njengomlando oyiqiniso noma njengenganekwane?
Ukuqinisekiswa KobuFakazi
EmiBhalweni, uNowa uvela ezinhlwini ezimbili zozalo lwesizwe sakwa-Israyeli, olwesibili lufinyelela emvuthwandaba ngoJesu Kristu. (1 IziKronike 1:4; Luka 3:36) U-Ezra noLuka, abaqongeleli balolu luhla lozalo, bobabili babeyizazi-mlando ezinekhono futhi kumelwe ukuba babekholelwa ukuthi uNowa wayengumuntu ongokoqobo.
Kwezinye izindawo eBhayibhelini, uNowa ubalwe nabalingiswa abangokomlando, kubhekiselwa kuye njengendoda yokulunga nokholo. (Hezekeli 14:14, 20; Heberu 11:7) Bekungaba nengqondo yini ukuba abalobi beBhayibheli bahlanganise nomlingiswa wasenganekwaneni njengesibonelo sokulandelwa? Cha, ngoba lokhu kalula kungaholela labo abafunda iBhayibheli ekubeni baphethe ngokuthi ukholo lungaphezu kwamandla omuntu futhi lungaboniswa kuphela abalingiswa bezincwadi zezindaba. UNowa namanye amadoda nabesifazane bokholo bafakwa ohlwini ngoba babengabantu abanobuthakathaka nemizwa enjengeyethu.—Heberu 12:1; qhathanisa noJakobe 5:17.
Kwezinye izikhombo zemiBhalo, kubhekiselwa kuNowa neSikhukhula lapho kukhulunywa ngembubhiso uNkulunkulu ayiletha esizukulwaneni esingenakholo esasizungeze uNowa. Phawula ukubhekisela kukaJesu kuZamcolo, okulotshwe kuLuka 17:26, 27: “Njengoba nje kwenzeka ezinsukwini zikaNowa, kuyoba njalo nasezinsukwini zeNdodana yomuntu: babedla, bephuza, amadoda eshada, abesifazane bendiswa, kwaze kwaba yilolosuku lapho uNowa engena emkhunjini, futhi kufika isikhukhula sibabhubhisa bonke.”
UJesu Kristu wayengufakazi wokuzibonela wezenzakalo azichaza, njengoba ayephilé ezulwini ngaphambi kokuphila emhlabeni. (Johane 8:58) Uma uZamcolo wawuyinganekwane nje, khona-ke uJesu wayebonisa ukuthi isikhathi sakhe esizayo singesokucatshangelwa noma wayeqamba amanga. Noma isiphi kulezi ziphetho ezimbili asihambisani nayo yonke imiBhalo. (1 Petru 2:22; 2 Petru 3:3-7) Ngakho-ke, uJesu Kristu, ngenxa yalokho akubona, wayekholelwa ukuthi ukulandisa kweBhayibheli ngeSikhukhula sembulunga yonke kwakuwumlando oyiqiniso. KumaKristu eqiniso, ngaphandle kokungabaza lokhu kuwubufakazi obuqand’ikhanda bokuthi iSikhukhula sosuku lukaNowa sasiyiqiniso, hhayi inganekwane.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]
L. Chapons/Illustrirte Familien-Bibel nach der deutschen Uebersetzung Dr. Martin Luthers