46—Iintsikelelo Neziqalekiso

[Esi sahluko sisekwe kuYoshuwa 8.]

Emva kokuba siphunyeziwe isigwebo kuAkan, uYoshuwa wayalelwa ukuba ahlanganise onke amadoda emfazwe aphinde aye ekulweni neAyi. Amandla kaThixo ayenabantu baKhe, baza ngokukhawuleza basithabathela kubo isixeko.ANa 499.1

Umsebenzi womkhosi wakha wathiwa xha, ukuze wonke uIsrayeli akhe enze umsebenzi wokukhonza ozukileyo. Abantu babengxamele ukuyima iKanan; kuba kaloku babengekabi nawo amakhaya okanye umhlaba weentsapho zabo, kanti ukuze zibekho ezo zinto kufuneka kuqala bagxothe amaKanan; kodwa kwakufuneka ukuba lo msebenzi, nangona ubalulekile, ukhe umiselwe elinye ixesha, kuba umsebenzi wangasentla kwakufuneka kujongwe wona kuqala.ANa 499.2

Phambi kokuba balihluthe ilifa labo, kwakufuneka behlaziye umnqophiso wabo wokunyaniseka kuThixo. Kwimiyalelo yokugqibela kuMoses, yayinikwe kabini indlela yomhlangano wezizwe phezu kweentaba iEbhali neGerizim, kwaShekem, ukuze kuzokwamkelwa ngesidima umthetho kaThixo. Ekuthobeleni le miyalelo inyanzelekileyo, bonke abantu, ingekuphela amadoda, kodwa “nabafazi, nabantwana, nomphambukeli wakho osemasangweni akho” bayishiya inkampu eGiligali, bahamba bacanda kwilizwe leentshaba zabo, basinga kwintili yakwaShekem, kufuphi nombindi welizwe. Nangona baberhangqwe ziintshaba ezingekoyiswa, babekhuselekile phantsi kokhuselo lukaThixo lo gama besathembekile kuYe. Ngoku, njengakwimihla kaYakobi, “uqhiphuko-mbilini ngoThixo lwaba phezu kwemizi ngeenxa zonke kubo” (Genesis 35:5), ngenxa yoko amaHebhere awazange akhathazwa.ANa 499.3

Indawo eyayalathiwe apho kwakuza kwenziwa le nkonzo izukileyo yayiyindawo eyayisele ingcwalisiwe ngokuhlangana kwayo nembali yooyise. Kulapha apho uAbraham wenza khona isibingelelo kuYehova kwilizwe laseKanan. Apha, bobabini uAbraham noYakobi bamisa iintente zabo. Apha, uYakobi wathenga intsimi apho izizwezaziza kungcwaba khona umzimba kaYosefu. Apha, kwakulapho uYakobi womba iqula khona, nalapho kwangcwatywa khona phantsi komoki imifanekiso yonqulo lwezithixo zendlu yakhe.ANa 499.4

Indawo eyakhethwayo yayiyeyona intle kuyo yonke iPalestina, ikufanele ukuba liqonga apho lo mboniso umhle kakhulu nonomtsalane wawuza kudlalwa khona. Intili entle, enamabala amahle agqabazwe zizigcume zeminquma, efumana amanzi kwimithombo ebalekayo, ihonjiswe ziintyatyambo zasendle, inabe ngendlela enomkhoka phakathi kweenduli ezizinkqantosi. IEbhali neGerizim zikumacala akhangeleneyo entili, ziphantse ukujongana, iindawo ezivelileyo kumazantsi ezi ntaba, [ezifana neziphongo], zifaneleke ukuba zingaliqonga lendalo, apho lonke ilizwi elinokuthethwa kumiwe kwenye linokuvakala ngokucacileyo kwenye, lo gama amacala eentaba enike indawo ebanzi apho kunokuhlanganelwa khona.ANa 500.1

Ngokwemiyalelo eyanikwa nguMoses, isikhumbuzo samatye amakhulu samiswa kwiNtaba iEbhali. Phezu kwala matye, awayegqunywe ngokutyatyekwa kuqala, kwabhalwa umthetho, kungekuphela imithetho elishumi yaseSinayi eyayikrolwe emacwecweni amatye, kodwa imithetho eyayithethwe kuMoses, yaza yabhalwa nguye encwadini. Ecaleni kwesi sikhumbuzo kwakhiwa isibingelelo selitye elingambiwanga, apho kwenzelwa khona imibingelelo eya kuYehova. Le nto yokuba isibingelelo samiswa kwiNtaba iEbhali, intaba ekwakubekwe kuyo isiqalekiso, yayifuzisela, ibonisa ukuba, ngenxa yokugqitha kwabo umthetho kaThixo, uIsrayeli wagagana nengqumbo kaThixo ngokufanelekileyo, nokuba oko kwakuya kuvelelwa kwakamsinyane, ukuba kwakungengalo ucamagushelo lukaKristu, olwalumelwe sisibingelelo somnikelo wombingelelo.ANa 500.2

Ezithandathu izizwe, zonke ziyinzala kaLeya noRakeli, zema kwiNtaba iGerizim; lo gama ezo zaziyinzala yamakhobokazana, kunye noRubhen noZebhulun, zabase-Ebhali, baza ababingeleli ababethwele ityeya bema kwintili ephakathi kwazo. Kwavakaliswa ukuba kubekho inzolo ngesandi sesigodlo; kwaza kwathi nzwanga, kwaza kwathi phambi kwale ntlanganiso inkulu, uYoshuwa, emi ecaleni kwetyeya engcwele, wafunda iintsikelelo ezaziya kulandelana nokuthotyelwa komthetho kaThixo. Zonke izizwe ezazikwiGerizim zaphendula ngoAmen. Wabuya wafunda iziqalekiso, zaza izizwe ezikwiEbhali ngokukwanjalo zavuma, amawaka ngamawaka amazwi ehlangene ngokwezwi lomntu omnye kwimpendulo enendii. Emva koku kwafundwa umthetho kaThixo, kunye nemiyalelo nezigwebo ezazinikelwe kuMoses.ANa 500.3

UIsrayeli wayewufumene umthetho uphuma ngqo emlonyeni kaThixoeSinayinemiyaleloyawoengcwele,ebhalwengesaKheisandla, isagcinwe etyeyeni. Ngoku yayiphindiwe ukubhalwa ukuze bonke bayifunde. Bonke babenelungelo lokuzibonela iimeko zomnqophiso ababeza kuthi phantsi kwazo bakwazi ukuyihlutha iKanan. Bonke kwakufuneka babonakalise ukwamkela imiqathango yomnqophiso baze bakubonise ukuzamkela kwabo iintsikelelo okanye iziqalekiso zokuwuthobela okanye zokuwala. Umthetho wawungabhalwanga kuphela ematyeni esikhumbuzo, kodwa wafundwa nguYoshuwa ngokwakhe esiva onke amaIsrayeli. Yayingezoveki zininzi emva kokuba uMoses wayeyinike yonke incwadi yeDuteronomi kwiingxoxo nabantu, kanti ngoku uYoshuwa uphinde wawufunda umthetho.ANa 503.1

Kwakungengawo amadoda akwaIsrayeli kuphela, kodwa “abafazi nabantwana” bonke abaphulaphula ukufundwa komthetho; kuba kwakubalulekile ukuba bazi ukuze benze umsebenzi wabo. UThixo wayeyalele uIsrayeli ngemithetho yaKhe: “La mazwi am nize niwabekele intlizyo yenu nomphefumlo wenu, niwabophe esandleni senu, abe ngumqondiso, abe zizikhumbuzo phakathi kwamehlo enu; niwafundise oonyana benu, . . . ukuze yande imihla yenu, nemihla yoonyana benu, emhlabeni lowo abewufungele ooyihlo uYehova, ukuba wobanika njengemihla yamazulu phezu kwehlabathi.” Duteronomi 11:18-21.ANa 503.2

Njalo, ngomnyaka wesixhenxe, wonke umthetho kwakufuneka ufundelwe lonke ibandla likaIsrayeli, njengoko wayalelayo uMoses: “Ekupheleni kweminyaka esixhenxe, ngexesha elimisiweyo lomnyaka woyekelelo, emthendelekweni weminquba, ekuzeni kubonakala kwamaIsrayeli onke phambi koYehova uThixo wakho, kuloo ndawo aya kuyinyula, wowulesa lo myalelo phambi kwamaIsrayeli onke ezindlebeni zawo. Bobizelwa ndawonye abantu, amadoda, nabafazi, nabantwana, nomphambukeli wakho osemasangweni akho, ukuze beve, nokuze bafunde, bamoyike uYehova uThixo wenu, bagcine ukuwenza onke amazwi alo myalelo; beve noonyana babo abangaziyo, bafunde ukumoyika uYehova uThixo wenu, yonke imihla enidla ubomi ngayo, kuloo mhlaba eniwela iYordan nisiya kuwuma. Duteronomi 31:10-13.ANa 503.3

USathana uhleli esebenza ezama ukugqwetha oko kuthethwe nguThixo, nokumfamekisa ingqondo nokufiphalisa ingqiqo, aze ngaloo ndlela abakhokelele abantu esonweni. Yiyo le nto uYehova ekubeka kucace, esenza ukuba oko akufunayo kube selubala ukuze kungabikho bani uthi one. UThixo uthe rhoqo ezama ukutsalela abantu kufuphi phantsi kokhuselo lwaKhe, ukuze uSathana angasebenzisi amandla akhe akhohlakeleyo nakhohlisayo phezu kwabo. [UThixo]uzithobile wehla ukuba athethe nabo ngelaKhe ilizwi, ukuba ayibhale ngesaKhe isandla imiyalelo yaKhe ephilayo. La mazwi asikelelekileyo, azaliswe bubomi nokukhanya kwenyaniso, anikelwa ebantwini ukuba abe sisikhokelo esigqibeleleyo. Kuba uSathana esoloko elungele ukuyixhakamfula ingqondo, akususe ukuthanda izithembiso zikaYehova kwanoko akufunayo, kudingeka ukukhuthala okukhulu ukuwamilisela engqondweni nokuwazinzisa entliziyweni.ANa 503.4

Kufuneka kunikwe ingqwalasela enkulu ngabafundisi benkolo ukufundisa abantu iinyaniso nezifundo zembali yeBhayibhile nezilumkiso kunye noko kufunwa nguYehova. Ezi zinto kufuneka zibekwe ngolwimi olulula, zilungiselwe ukuba ziqondwe ngabantwana. Kufuneka kube yinxalenye yomsebenzi wabafundisi nabazali ukubona ukuba abantwana bayazifundiswa iziBhalo.ANa 504.1

Abazali banako, kwaye kufuneka bakwenze, ukuba abantwana babo babenomdla kulwazi olwahlukeneyo olufunyanwa kumaphepha angcwele. Ukuze bakwazi ukwenza oonyana neentombi zabo zibe nomdla elizwini likaThixo, kufuneka kuqale bona ukuba nomdla kulo. Kufuneka baqhelane neemfundiso zalo, ukuze kuthi, njengoko uThixo wayalela uIsrayeli, bathethe ngalo, “ekuhlaleni kwakho endlwini yakho, nasekuhambeni kwakho ngendlela, nasekulaleni kwakho, nasekuvukeni kwakho.” Duteronomi 11:19. Abo balangazelela ukuba abantwana babo bamthande bamhloniphe uThixo kufuneka bathethe ngokulunga kwaKhe, ngobungangamsha, nangamandla aKhe, njengoko etyhilwa elizwini laKhe nakwimisebenzi yokudala.ANa 504.2

Sonke isahluko nayo yonke indima yeBhayibhile ikukuthetha kukaThixo nomntu. Kufuneka sibophelele imiyalelo yayo njengemiqondiso ezandleni zethu nanjengesikhumbuzo phakathi kwamehlo ethu. Ukuba liyafundwa lithotyelwe, liya kubakhokela abantu bakaThixo, njengoko amaIsrayeli ayekhokelwa, yintsika yelifu emini nentsika yomlilo ebusuku.ANa 504.3