IBheteli Isixeko Sokulungileyo Nokubi

ZIMBI izixeko zidume kakuhle—okanye kakubi—ngenxa yeziganeko ezenzeka kuzo. Noko ke, akuqhelekanga ukuba iBheteli yaziwe ngokulungileyo nokubi. Usolusapho uYakobi wasibiza esi sixeko ngokuthi yiBheteli, nto leyo ethetha “Indlu kaThixo.” Kodwa kwiminyaka eliwaka kamva, umprofeti uHoseya wasibiza esi sixeko ngokuthi “Yindlu Yeentlungu.” Kwenzeka njani ukuba esi sixeko siguquke ekubeni sesilungileyo sibe sesibi? Yaye sinokufunda ntoni kwimbali yaso?

Ukunxulumana kweBheteli nabantu bakaThixo kwaqala ngowe-1943 B.C.E. esaphila uAbraham. Ngelo xesha, eso sixeko sasisaziwa ngokuba yiLuzi, igama laso lokwenene lesiKanan. Sasimi kummandla oyinduli kwiikhilomitha ezinokuba li-17 kumantla eYerusalem. Yiba nomfanekiso ngqondweni ka-Abraham nomtshana wakhe uLote bejonge loo mimandla ichumileyo kumazantsi eNtlambo yaseYordan ukususela kwindawo entle ephezulu kwiintaba ezirhangqe iBheteli. Ngobuchule, uAbraham ubonisa uLote ngendlela ekunzima ngayo ukuba badlise umhlambi wabo khona: “Makungabikho mbambano kaloku phakathi kwam nawe, naphakathi kwabalusi bam nabalusi bakho; ngokuba singamadoda azalanayo. Aliphambi kwakho na ilizwe lonke? Khawahluke kum; ukuba uya ekhohlo, ndoya ekunene, ukuba uya ekunene, ndoya ekhohlo.”—Genesis 13:3-11.

UAbraham akazange afune ukusebenzisa ilungelo lakhe lokukhetha kuqala. Kunoko, wavumela le ndoda iselula ukuba ikhethe owona mmandla mhle. Sinokuxelisa isimo sengqondo esihle sika-Abraham. Sinokuyiphelisa imbambano ngokuthabatha inyathelo lokuqala lokuthetha ngokuzolileyo nokwenza izinto ngokungazingci.—Roma 12:18.

Kwiminyaka kamva xa umzukulwana ka-Abraham uYakobi wamisa intente eLuzi, waphupha iphupha elingaqhelekanga. Wabona “ileli, imisiwe emhlabeni, intloko yayo ifika emazulwini; nanzo izithunywa zikaThixo zinyuka, zisihla ngayo; nanko uYehova emi phezu kwayo.” (Genesis 28: 11-19; thelekisa uYohane 1:51.) Eli phupha lalinentsingiselo ebalulekileyo. Iingelosi awazibonayo uYakobi zaziya kumnceda ukuba azalisekise idinga elenziwa nguThixo kuye ngokuphathelele imbewu yakhe. Indawo kaYehova ephakame ngaphezu kweleli yabonisa ukuba wayeya kwalathisa iingelosi kulo msebenzi.

Esi siqinisekiso sokuxhaswa nguThixo samkhuthaza ngokunzulu uYakobi. Ekuvukeni kwakhe ephupheni, wayibiza le ndawo ngokuthi yiBheteli, okuthetha ukuthi “iNdlu kaThixo,” waza wafunga kuYehova esithi: “Neli litye ndilimisileyo lasisimiso loba yindlu kaThixo; neento zonke othe wandinika, ndokunika isishumi sazo.”a (Genesis 28:20-22) Eqonda ukuba yonke into awayenayo yayivela kuThixo, waba nomnqweno wokumbuyisela ngokubonakalisa umbulelo wakhe.

Namhlanje nawo amaKristu ancedwa ziingelosi kubulungiseleli. (INdumiso 91:11; Hebhere 1:14) Nawo anokubonisa uxabiso lwawo ngazo zonke iintsikelelo ngokuba ‘atyebe ngeembonakaliso ezininzi zombulelo kuThixo.’—2 Korinte 9:11, 12.

Ekuhambeni kwexesha, inzala kaYakobi yaba luhlanga. Inkokeli yalo uYoshuwa yoyisa ukumkani ongumhedeni waseBheteli kwasekuqaleni kokuthimba kwakhe iKanan. (Yoshuwa 12:16) Ebudeni bexesha laBagwebi, umprofetikazi uDebhora wayehlala kufuphi neBheteli yaye wabaxelela abantu ilizwi likaYehova. Naye uSamuweli wayeyityelela rhoqo iBheteli njengokuba wayegweba izizwe zakwaSirayeli.—ABagwebi 4:4, 5; 1 Samuweli 7:15, 16.

IBheteli Iba Sisazulu Sowexuko

Kodwa unqulo olunyulu lwaphela eBheteli emva kokwahlukana koBukumkani ngowama-997 B.C.E. UKumkani uYarobheham wenza iBheteli yayindawo yokunqula ithole ekwakusithiwa limela uYehova. (1Kumkani 12:25-29) Ngenxa yoko, xa wayeprofeta ngokutshatyalaliswa kweBheteli, uHoseya wabhekisela kuyo ngokuthi “Bhetaven” igama elithetha “iNdlu Yentlungu.”—Hoseya 10:5, 8.

Nangona iBheteli yaba sisazulu sentlungu ngokomoya, iziganeko ezenzekayo zaqhubeka zinikela izifundo ezibalulekileyo. (Roma 15:4) Esinye isifundo esinjalo siquka umprofeti ongabizwa ngagama owathunyelwa esuka kwaYuda ukuya eBheteli ukuze axele kusengaphambili ngokutshatyalaliswa kwezibingelelo nababingeleli bayo. Kwakhona uYehova wamxelela ukuba abuyele kwaYuda—kwiikhilomitha nje ezimbalwa ngasezantsi—engakhange adle okanye asele. Lo mprofeti ngenkalipho waprofeta phambi kukaYarobheham, ukumkani wakwaSirayeli, eqalekisa isibingelelo saseBheteli. Kodwa wandula akamthobela uThixo ngokutya kwindlu yomprofeti omdala waseBheteli. Kwakutheni? Exoka lo mprofeti mdala wathi ingelosi kaYehova imyalele ukuba abonakalise umoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe kumprofeti olidlelane. Ukungathobeli kwalo mprofeti wakwaYuda kwakhokelela ekufeni kwakhe ngaphambi kwexesha.—1 Kumkani 13:1-25.

Ukuba umntu esikholwa naye ufuna senze into ethandabuzekayo, sifanele sisabele njani? Khumbula ukuba kwanecebiso elinikelwe ngenjongo entle lisenokuba yingozi ukuba alilunganga. (Thelekisa uMateyu 16:21-23.) Ngokufuna ulwalathiso lukaYehova ngomthandazo nangokufundisisa iLizwi lakhe, siya kuziphepha iimpazamo eziyingozi zomprofeti ongabizwanga ngagama.—IMizekeliso 19:21; 1 Yohane 4:1.

Kwiminyaka enokuba li-150 kamva, umprofeti uAmosi naye wahambela emantla esiya kuprofeta ngokuchasene neBheteli. UAmos wabakhalimela ngokungqongqo abantu ababengatyhilekanga ababemphulaphule, kuquka umbingeleli uAmatsiya, owathi ngekratshi waxelela uAmosi ukuba ‘abaleke aye kwilizwe lakwaYuda.’ Kodwa engoyiki uAmosi wamxelela uAmatsiya ngentlekele ezayo kwindlu yaloo mbingeleli. (Amosi 5:4-6; 7:10-17) Umzekelo wakhe usibonisa ukuba uYehova unokubenza bakhaliphe abalungiseleli bakhe abathobekileyo.—1 Korinte 1:26, 27.

Ekugqibeleni, uKumkani othembekileyo uYosiya wakwaYuda wasiwisa ‘isibingelelo esibe siseBheteli, wasitshisa isiganga, wasicola saluthuli; wamtshisa uAshera.’ (2 Kumkani 23:15, 16) Namhlanje abadala banokuxelisa umzekelo wakhe omhle ngokulandela ulwalathiso lukaThixo nangokukhokela ekugcineni ibandla licocekile.

Ezi ziganeko kwimbali yaseBheteli zibonisa imiphumo ecacileyo yobulungisa nobungendawo, eyokumthobela neyokungamthobeli uYehova. Kwiminyaka ngaphambilana, uMoses wabeka ukhetho phambi kohlanga lwakwaSirayeli esithi: “Ndibeke phambi kwakho namhla ubomi nokulunga, ukufa nobubi.” (Duteronomi 30:15, 16) Ukucamngca ngembali yaseBheteli kuya kusikhuthaza ukuba sizivisisanise ‘neNdlu kaThixo,’ indawo yonqulo lokwenyaniso, kungekhona ‘neNdlu Yeentlungu.’

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Amabhodlo kumanxuwa aseBheteli, apho uYarobheham wamisela isazulu sokunqulwa kwethole