Umbono WeBhayibheli
Ingabe UNkulunkulu Uyashintsha?
USOSAYENSI wemvelaphi nenhlalo yabantu uGeorge Dorsey wachaza uNkulunkulu “weTestamente Elidala” ngokuthi “uNkulunkulu ononya.” Wanezela: “UYahweh . . . akanalo nhlobo uthando. UnguNkulunkulu wezigcwelegcwele, wabahluphi, wamabutho anqobayo.” Abanye baye bafinyelela iziphetho ezifanayo ngoNkulunkulu “weTestamente Elidala”—uYahweh noma uJehova. Ngakho-ke, abanye namuhla bayazibuza ukuthi kungenzeka yini ukuthi uJehova ngempela wayenguNkulunkulu ononya okwathi ekugcineni washintsha ubuntu bakhe waba nguNkulunkulu onothando nesihe “weTestamente Elisha.”
Umqondo onjalo ngoNkulunkulu weBhayibheli awumusha. Waqala ukuvezwa uMarcion ongumGnostic wekhulu lesibili C.E. UMarcion wamenqaba uNkulunkulu “weTestamente Elidala.” Wayebheka lowo Nkulunkulu njengonolaka nophindiselayo, umashiqela owayenika umvuzo wezinto ezibonakalayo kulabo abamkhulekelayo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uMarcion wachaza uNkulunkulu “weTestamente Elisha”—njengoba embulwa ngoJesu Kristu—njengoNkulunkulu ophelele, uNkulunkulu wothando oluphelele nesihe, nomusa nokuthethelela.
UJehova Uvumelana Nezimo Ezishintshayo
Lona kanye igama likaNkulunkulu, elithi Jehova, lisho ukuthi “Ubangela Ukuba Kube Khona.” Lokhu kubonisa ukuthi uJehova uzenza ukuba abe uMfezi wazo zonke izithembiso zakhe. Lapho uMose ebuza uNkulunkulu igama lakhe, uJehova walichaza kabanzi ngale ndlela: “Ngiyoba yilokho engiyoba yikho.” (Eksodusi 3:14) Inguqulo kaRotherham ikubeka ngale ndlela: “Ngiyoba yinoma yini engithanda ukuba yiyo.”
Ngakho-ke uJehova ukhetha ukuba abe yinoma yini edingekayo ukuze afeze izinjongo nezithembiso zakhe ezilungile. Ubufakazi balokhu yiqiniso lokuthi uneziqu eziningi namagama amchazayo: UJehova wamabutho, uMahluleli, uMbusi, uMhawu, iNkosi enguMbusi, uMdali, uBaba, uMfundisi Omkhulu, uMalusi, uMuzwi Wemikhuleko, uMhlengi, uNkulunkulu ojabulayo nezinye eziningi. Uye wakhetha ukuba abe yikho konke lokhu—nokunye okuningi—ukuze afeze izinjongo zakhe zothando.—Eksodusi 34:14; AbAhluleli 11:27; IHubo 23:1; 65:2; 73:28; 89:26; Isaya 8:13; 30:20; 40:28; 41:14; 1 Thimothewu 1:11.
Pho, ingabe lokhu kusho ukuthi ubuntu noma izindinganiso zikaNkulunkulu ziyashintsha? Cha. Ekhuluma ngoNkulunkulu, uJakobe 1:17 uthi: “Kuye akukho ukuhlukahluka kokuphenduka kwethunzi.” UNkulunkulu angenza kanjani ngokuvumelana nezimo ezihlukahlukayo uma yena ngokwakhe engashintshi?
Isibonelo sabazali abakhathalelayo abafeza izindima ezihlukahlukene ngenxa yezingane zabo sibonisa kahle ukuthi lokho kwenzeka kanjani. Ngosuku olulodwa, umzali angase abe umpheki, umnakekeli wendlu, umlungisi wezinto zikagesi, umzanyana, umngane, umeluleki, umfundisi, umyali nokunye okuningi. Umzali akabushintshi ubuntu bakhe uma efeza lezi zindima; umane nje avumelane nezimo lapho kuphakama isidingo. Kunjalo nangoJehova kodwa ngezinga eliphakeme kakhulu. Akunakulinganiswa lokho angazenza abe yikho ukuze afeze izinjongo zakhe futhi azuzise izidalwa zakhe.—Roma 11:33.
Ngokwesibonelo, uJehova wembulwa njengoNkulunkulu onothando nesihe kokubili emiBhalweni YamaKristu YesiHeberu neyesiGreki. Umprofethi uMika wekhulu lesi-8 B.C.E. wabuza ngoJehova: “Ngubani onguNkulunkulu onjengawe othethelela insali yefa lakho ububi bayo, uyiyekele isiphambeko sayo, na? Akabambeleli entukuthelweni yakhe kuze kube phakade, ngokuba wenamela umusa.” (Mika 7:18) Ngokufanayo, umphostoli uJohane wabhala la mazwi adumile: “UNkulunkulu uluthando.”—1 Johane 4:8.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, kuzo zombili izingxenye zeBhayibheli, uJehova uvezwa njengoMahluleli olungile walabo abephula imithetho yakhe futhi balimaze abanye ngokuphindaphindiwe, ngendlela embi futhi bangaphenduki. Umhubi uthi: “Ababi bonke [uJehova] uyakubabhubhisa.” (IHubo 145:20) Ngokufanayo, uJohane 3:36 uthi: “Lowo obonisa ukholo eNdodaneni unokuphila okumi phakade; lowo ongayilaleli iNdodana ngeke akubone ukuphila, kodwa ulaka lukaNkulunkulu luhlezi phezu kwakhe.”
Akazishintshi Izimfanelo
Ubuntu bukaJehova nezimfanelo zakhe eziphakeme—uthando, ukuhlakanipha, ubulungisa namandla—akukashintshi. Watshela abantu bakwa-Israyeli: “Mina Jehova angiguquki.” (Malaki 3:6) Lokhu kwakungemva kweminyaka engu-3 500 ngemva kokuba uNkulunkulu adala isintu. Ngokuvumelana naleyo nkulumo engokwaphezulu, ukuhlolisisa iBhayibheli kwembula uNkulunkulu ongashintshi ezindinganisweni zakhe nasezimfanelweni zakhe. Ubuntu bukaJehova uNkulunkulu abuzange buthanjiswe ukuhamba kwesikhathi phakathi namakhulu eminyaka ngoba ukuthanjiswa okunjalo bekungadingeki.
Ukuqina kukaNkulunkulu endabeni yokulunga, njengoba kwembulwa eBhayibhelini, akukanciphi futhi nothando lwakhe alungaphezu kwalokho olwaluyikho lapho eqala ukusebenzelana nabantu e-Edene. Okubonakala sengathi ukuhluka kobuntu ezingxenyeni ezihlukene zeBhayibheli empeleni yizici ezihlukene zobuntu obufanayo obungashintshi. Lokhu kubangelwa yizimo ezingafani nabantu okusetshenzelwana nabo, okwenza kube nezimo zengqondo nobuhlobo obungafani.
Ngakho-ke, imiBhalo ibonisa ngokucacile ukuthi ubuntu bukaNkulunkulu abuzange bushintshe phakathi neminyaka futhi ngeke bushintshe esikhathini esizayo. UJehova ungukwenziwa-samuntu okukhulu kokuhlala unjalo nokungaguquguquki. Ngazo zonke izikhathi uthembekile futhi unokwethenjelwa. Singathembela njalo kuye.
[Izithombe ekhasini 16, 17]
Yena lowo Nkulunkulu owabhubhisa iSodoma neGomora . . .
. . . uzoletha izwe elisha lokulunga