Bonisa Ukubonga Ngemvula
IMVULA! Besingaba yini nje ngaphandle kwayo? Yiqiniso, imvula eningi kakhulu ingabangela izikhukhula eziyinhlekelele. Kanti abantu abahlala ezindaweni ezinesimo sezulu esibandayo nesinemvula bangase bangakujabuleli ukuba nemvula ngaso sonke isikhathi. (Ezra 10:9) Kodwa kuthiwani ngezigidi zabantu okumelwe zibekezelele isimo sezulu esishisayo nesomile isikhathi eside? Ekugcineni lapho imvula ifika, ibaqabula ngempela!
Kwakunjalo nasemazweni eBhayibheli, afana nengxenye ephakathi ye-Asia Minor, lapho umphostoli uPawulu enza khona umsebenzi wokuba yisithunywa sevangeli. Ngesikhathi elapho, uPawulu watshela abaseLikawoniya lasendulo: ‘UNkulunkulu akazishiyanga engenabufakazi ngoba wenza okuhle, eninika izimvula ezivela ezulwini nezinkathi ezinezithelo, egcwalisa izinhliziyo zenu ngokudla nangokwenama okukhulu.’ (IzEnzo 14:1-17) Phawula ukuthi uPawulu ubala imvula kuqala, ngoba ngaphandle kwayo ayikho into engahluma futhi ngeke kube “nezinkathi ezinezithelo.”
Kuningi iBhayibheli elikushoyo ngemvula. Amagama esiHebheru nesiGreki achaza imvula avela izikhathi ezingaphezu kwekhulu eBhayibhelini. Ingabe ungathanda ukwazi okwengeziwe ngesipho esimangalisayo semvula? Ngesikhathi esifanayo, ungathanda yini ukuqinisa ukholo lwakho ekunembeni kweBhayibheli ngokwesayensi?
Lokho Okushiwo YiBhayibheli Ngemvula
UJesu Kristu waphawula ilungiselelo elibaluleke kakhulu futhi okungeke kwaba nemvula ngaphandle kwalo. Wathi: ‘UYihlo wenza ilanga lakhe liphumele abantu ababi nabahle futhi enze imvula ine phezu kwabantu abalungile nabangalungile.’ (Mathewu 5:45) Ingabe uphawulile ukuthi uJesu wabhekisela elangeni kuqala ngaphambi kokukhuluma ngemvula? Lokhu kuyafaneleka ngoba ilanga alinikezi izitshalo amandla okukhula kuphela kodwa libangela nomjikelezo wamanzi omhlaba. Yebo, ukushisa kwelanga okubangela ukuba kuhwamuke amanzi asolwandle cishe angama-cubic kilometer angu-400 000 unyaka ngamunye abe amanzi emvula. Ngenxa yokuthi uJehova uNkulunkulu wadala ilanga, kushiwo ngokufanele ngokuthi nguye odonsa amanzi ukuze enze imvula.
IBhayibheli lichaza umjikelezo wamanzi, lithi: “UNkulunkulu . . . udonsa amathonsi amanzi awakhuphule; ayafinineka njengemvula yenkungu yakhe, kangangokuba amafu ayaconsa, aconsela phezu kwesintu ngokuchichimayo.” (Jobe 36:26-28) Eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane kusukela kwalotshwa lawo mazwi anembile ngokwesayensi, umuntu ube nesikhathi esiningi sokuzama ukuqonda umjikelezo wamanzi. Incwadi yango-2003 ethi Water Science and Engineering, ithi: “Njengamanje, inqubo yokwakheka kwamaconsi emvula ayaziwa ngokuphelele.”
Abakwaziyo ososayensi ukuthi amaconsi emvula akhiwa izinhlayiya ezincane ezingabonakali eziba iqoqo la maconsi amancane emafwini. Ngalinye lala maconsana kumelwe likhule ngokuphindwe izikhathi eziyisigidi noma ngaphezulu ukuze libe iconsi elilodwa lemvula. Lena inqubo eyinkimbinkimbi engathatha amahora amaningi. Incwadi yesayensi ethi Hydrology in Practice, ithi: “Kunemibono eminingana ngokuphathelene nokuthi amaconsana amafu akhula kanjani aze abe amaconsi emvula, futhi izisebenzi zezocwaningo zisaqhubeka nophenyo lwemininingwane yezinqubo ezicatshangelwayo.”
UMdali wezinqubo ezibangela imvula wayengabuza inceku yakhe uJobe le mibuzo ethobisayo: “Imvula inaye yini uyise, ngubani owazala amaconsi amazolo? Ubani owabeka ukuhlakanipha ezingqimbeni zamafu? . . . Ubani ngokuhlakanipha ongabala amafu ngokunembile, noma izimbiza zamanzi zezulu—ubani ongazigenula?” (Jobe 38:28, 36, 37) Eminyakeni engaba ngu-3 500 kamuva, ososayensi basashikashikana nale mibuzo enzima.
Umjikelezo Wamanzi Uhamba Kanjani?
Izazi zefilosofi ezingamaGreki zazifundisa ukuthi amanzi asemifuleni ayengaveli emvuleni kodwa ngandlela-thile ayevela emanzini asolwandle ageleza ngaphansi komhlaba anyukele phezulu ezintabeni, abe imithombo yamanzi ahlanzekile. Omunye umhlaziyi weBhayibheli uthi uSolomoni wawamukela lowo mbono. Cabangela amazwi kaSolomoni aphefumulelwe: “Zonke izifufula zasebusika ziphuma ziye olwandle, kodwa nokho ulwandle alugcwele. Endaweni lapho izifufula zasebusika ziya khona, zibuyela khona futhi ukuze ziphinde ziphume khona.” (UmShumayeli 1:7) Ingabe ngempela uSolomoni wayesho ukuthi amanzi asolwandle ayegeleza ngaphakathi ezintabeni ukuze abe umthombo wemifula? Ukuze siphendule lowo mbuzo, ake sibone ukuthi yini abanye abantu bakubo kaSolomoni ababeyikholelwa ngomjikelezo wamanzi. Ingabe babenemibono eyiphutha?
Eminyakeni engaphansi kweyikhulu ngemva kosuku lukaSolomoni, umprofethi kaNkulunkulu u-Eliya wabonisa ukuthi wayazi ukuthi kufanele ayilindele ngakuluphi uhlangothi imvula. Ngosuku lwakhe, izwe laba nesomiso esibi iminyaka engaphezu kwemithathu. (Jakobe 5:17) UJehova uNkulunkulu waletha le nhlekelele kubantu bakhe ngenxa yokuthi babemlahlile bakhetha ukulandela unkulunkulu wemvula wamaKhanani, uBhali. Kodwa u-Eliya wasiza ama-Israyeli ukuba aphenduke, ngakho wayengazimisele ukuthandazela imvula. Lapho ethandaza, u-Eliya wacela inceku yakhe ukuba ibheke “ngasolwandle.” Lapho etshelwa ‘ngefu elincane elinjengentende yomuntu elikhuphuka liphuma olwandle,’ u-Eliya wazi ukuthi umthandazo wakhe wawuphenduliwe. Ngokushesha, “amazulu aba mnyama ngamafu nomoya, kwana imvula enkulu.” (1 AmaKhosi 18:43-45) Ngakho, u-Eliya wabonisa ukuthi wayewuqonda umjikelezo wamanzi. Wayazi ukuthi amafu ayeyokwakheka phezu kolwandle bese umoya uwaphephulela ngasempumalanga eZweni Lesithembiso. Kuze kube namuhla, izwe lithola imvula ngaleyo ndlela.
Ngemva kweminyaka engaba yikhulu u-Eliya ethandazele imvula, umlimi othobekile okuthiwa u-Amose wagcizelela umniningwane obalulekile ngomthombo womjikelezo wamanzi. U-Amose wasetshenziswa uNkulunkulu ukuba aprofethe ngokumelene no-Israyeli ngenxa yokucindezela abampofu nokukhulekela onkulunkulu bamanga. Uma babengafuni ukubhujiswa uNkulunkulu, u-Amose wabakhuthaza ukuba ‘bafune uJehova, baqhubeke bephila.’ Wabe esechaza ukuthi nguJehova kuphela okufanele akhulekelwe ngenxa yokuthi unguMdali, “Lowo obiza amanzi olwandle, ukuze awathulule phezu kobuso bomhlaba.” (Amose 5:6, 8) Kamuva u-Amose waphinda leli qiniso elimangalisayo ngomjikelezo wamanzi nokuhamba kwawo. (Amose 9:6) Ngakho, u-Amose wabonisa ukuthi ulwandle luwumthombo oyinhloko wemvula emhlabeni.
Leli qiniso lafakazelwa ngokwesayensi u-Edmond Halley ngo-1687. Kodwa, kwathatha isikhathi eside ngaphambi kokuba abanye bamukele ubufakazi bukaHalley. I-Encyclopædia Britannica Online ithi: “Umqondo wokuthi uMhlaba unesimiso esiwumjikelezo, amanzi asolwandle adluliselwa ngaso ezintabeni abese ededelwa, waqhubeka kwaze kwaba sekuqaleni kwekhulu le-18.” Namuhla, wonke umuntu uyalazi iqiniso ngokuhamba komjikelezo wamanzi. Le ncwadi efanayo iyachaza: “Amanzi asolwandle ayahwamuka, abese ephola emkhathini, amatise uMhlaba njengemvula, abese ekugcineni egeleza emifuleni abuyele olwandle.” Khona-ke, kusobala ukuthi amazwi kaSolomoni ngomjikelezo wemvula, alotshwe kumShumayeli 7:1, abhekisela enqubweni efanayo yokwakheka kwamafu nemvula.
Lokhu Kufanele Kukushukumisele Ukuba Wenzeni?
Iqiniso lokuthi abalobi abahlukahlukene beBhayibheli bawuchaza ngokunembe kangaka umjikelezo wamanzi lingobunye bobufakazi obuvelele bokuthi iBhayibheli liphefumulelwe uMdali wesintu, uJehova uNkulunkulu. (2 Thimothewu 3:16) Yiqiniso, ukungawuphathi kahle umhlaba komuntu kubonakala kuye kwaphazamisa isimo sezulu, kwabangela izikhukhula ezinkulu ezindaweni ezithile nesomiso kwezinye. Kodwa uMdali womjikelezo wamanzi, uJehova uNkulunkulu, wathembisa kudala ukuthi wayeyogcina engenele futhi ‘achithe abachitha umhlaba.’—IsAmbulo 11:18.
Okwamanje, ungabonisa kanjani ukuthi uyazazisa izipho zikaNkulunkulu, ezinjengemvula? Ungenza kanjalo ngokutadisha iZwi lakhe iBhayibheli, nokusebenzisa lokho okufundayo ekuphileni kwakho. Khona-ke, uyoba nethemba lokusindela ezweni elisha likaNkulunkulu, lapho uyokwazi khona ukujabulela izipho zikaNkulunkulu kuze kube phakade. Kuyiqiniso ngempela ukuthi “zonke izipho ezinhle nazo zonke izipho eziphelele” zivela eMthonjeni wemvula, uJehova uNkulunkulu.—Jakobe 1:17.
[Umdwebo/Isithombe ekhasini 16, 17]
(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)
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[Izithombe ekhasini 16]
Lapho u-Eliya ethandaza, inceku yakhe yabheka “ngasolwandle”