Ithini IBhayibhile Ngokukhupha Izishumi?

Impendulo yeBhayibhile

Xa ekhonza, amaSirayeli ayalelwa ukuba akhuphe isishumia somvuzo wawo wonyaka. UThixo wathi: “Nimele niqiniseke ukuba ninikela ngesishumi sayo yonke into eniyivelisayo emasimini enu, unyaka nonyaka.”—Duteronomi 14:22.

Umyalelo wesishumi wawukuMthetho kaMoses uThixo awayewunike amaSirayeli akudala. AmaKristu awaphili phantsi koMthetho kaMoses ibe akunyanzelekanga ukuba akhuphe isishumi. (Kolose 2:13, 14) Endaweni yaloo nto, umKristu ngamnye uye anikele “ngaloo nto agqibe ngayo entliziyweni yakhe.”—2 Korinte 9:7.

• Isishumi EBhayibhileni—KwiTestamente Endala

• Isishumi EBhayibhileni—KwiTestamente Entsha

Isishumi EBhayibhileni—KwiTestamente Endala

EBhayibhileni, izishumi kuthethwa kakhulu ngazo kwiTestamente Endala, ingakumbi emva koMthetho kaMoses owanikwa amaSirayeli. Kodwa kwakukhe kwathethwa ngazo ngaphambi kokuba amaSirayeli anikwe lo Mthetho.

Ngaphambi koMthetho kaMoses

Umntu wokuqala owanikela isishumi ekuthethwa ngaye eBhayibhileni nguAbram (uAbraham). (Genesis 14:18-20; Hebhere 7:4) Isishumi sika-Abram kubonakala ukuba yayisisipho awayesinika ukumkani waseSalem nowayengumbingeleli. Akukho nto ibonisa ukuba uAbraham okanye abantwana bakhe baphinda bakhupha isishumi.

Umntu wesibini ekuthiwa wanikela ngesishumi eBhayibhileni ngumzukulwana ka-Abraham, uYakobi. Wathembisa uThixo ukuba xa enokumsikelela, wayeza kunikela kuThixo “isishumi sayo yonke into” awayemnike yona. (Genesis 28:20-22) Ngokutsho kwabanye abaphandi beBhayibhile, kusenokwenzeka ukuba uYakobi wasikhupha esi sifungo ngokunikela ngezilwanyana. Nangona uYakobi wayezimisele ukusenza esi sifungo, zange anyanzele intsapho yakhe ukuba inikele isishumi.

Phantsi koMthetho kaMoses

Kudala, amaSirayeli ayeyalelwe ukuba akhuphe isishumi ukuze axhase amalungiselelo okukhonza.

• Isishumi sasixhasa abasebenzi basetempileni, abaLevi nababingeleli, kuba bona babengenawo umhlaba abanokuwulima. (Numeri 18:20, 21) AbaLevi babeza kufumana izishumi ebantwini, baze banikele “izishumi” kubabingeleli.—Numeri 18:26-29.

• Kubonakala ukuba abantu kwakuye kufuneke bakhuphe isishumi sesibini ngonyaka, esasiza kunceda abaLevi nabantu abangengobaLevi. (Duteronomi 14:22, 23) Iintsapho zamaSirayeli zaziyenza loo nto ngamatheko akhethekileyo, ibe ngeminye iminyaka ezo zishumi zaziye zincede abantu abasokolayo.—Duteronomi 14:28, 29; 26:12.

Sasibalwa njani isishumi? AmaSirayeli ayebeka isishumi sento ayivunileyo ngonyaka kumhlaba wawo. (Levitikus 27:30) Ukuba akhetha ukusibhatala isishumi ngemali kunemveliso yawo, kwakuye kufuneke asinyuse nge-20 pesenti. (Levitikus 27:31) Kwakufuneka anikele isishumi ngasinye “kumhlambi weenkomo, oweegusha noweebhokhwe.”—Levitikus 27:32.

Ukuze akhethe isishumi kwizilwanyana zawo, amaSirayeli ayekhetha isilwanyana seshumi esiye saphuma kwidlelo lezilwanyana zawo. UMthetho wawusithi ayengamelanga asitshintshe okanye asihlole isilwanyana esikhethiweyo. Ibe xa kunikelwe isishumi ngesilwanyana, ayengavumelekanga ukuba asitshintshe sibe yimali. (Levitikus 27:32, 33) Kodwa isishumi sesibini esasinikelwa kumatheko onyaka sasinokutshintshwa sibe yimali. Lento yayiwanceda amaSirayeli ekwakufuneka ahambe iindlela ezinde ukuze aye kula matheko.—Duteronomi 14:25, 26.

Ayesikhupha nini isishumi amaSirayeli? Ayesikhupha qho ngonyaka. (Duteronomi 14:22) Kodwa, qho ngonyaka we-7 kwakubakho utshintsho. Lowo yayiba ngunyaka wesabatha okanye unyaka wokuphumla, ibe ngelo xesha amaSirayeli ayengatyali. (Levitikus 25:4, 5) Ngenxa yaloo nto, kwakungekho sishumi siqokelelwayo ngexesha lokuvuna. Qho ngonyaka wesithathu nowe-6, amaSirayeli ayefanele akhuphe isishumi sesibini ukuze ancede abantu abasokolayo nabaLevi.—Duteronomi 14:28, 29.

Kwakusenziwa ntoni kumntu ongasikhuphanga isishumi? KuMthetho kaMoses, kwakungekho nto ibonisa into emele yenziwe kumntu ongasikhuphanga isishumi. Kwakufuneka basikhuphe kuba beqonda ukuba yeyona nto ifanelekileyo leyo. AmaSirayeli ayemele ayokutsho phambi kukaThixo ukuba asikhuphile isishumi, aze acele iintsikelelo kuThixo kuba eyenzile loo nto. (Duteronomi 26:12-15) Xa amaSirayeli ayengasikhuphi isishumi, kwakuba ngathi ayambela uThixo.—Malaki 3:8, 9.

Ngaba ukukhupha isishumi yayiyinto enzima kakhulu? Hayi. UThixo wathembisa amaSirayeli ukuba xa ekhupha isishumi, wayeza kuthulula iintsikelelo zakhe kuwo, ibe ayengazukudinga nto. (Malaki 3:10) Kwelinye icala, amaSirayeli ayesiba neengxaki xa engasikhuphi isishumi. Ayengazukusikelelwa nguThixo ibe ababingeleli nabaLevi kwakuzofuneka basebenze ukuze baziphilise, ngoko babengazukuwanceda ekukhonzeni uThixo.—Nehemiya 13:10; Malaki 3:7.

Isishumi EBhayibhileni—KwiTestamente Entsha

Xa uYesu wayelapha emhlabeni, abakhonzi bakaThixo babesazikhupha izishumi. Kodwa emva kokufa kwakhe yaphela loo nto.

Ngexesha likaYesu

KwiTestamente Entsha, iBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba xa uYesu wayelapha emhlabeni amaSirayeli ayeqhubeka ezikhupha izishumi. Wayeyazi ukuba kwakunyanzelekile ukuba azikhuphe, kodwa wabalungisa ababingeleli xa wayebabona bekhupha izishumi kodwa bezibekela “ecaleni ezona zinto zibalulekileyo zoMthetho, ezinjengobulungisa, inceba nokuthembeka.”—Mateyu 23:23.

Emva kokufa kukaYesu

Emva kokufa kukaYesu wapheliswa uMthetho kaMoses, kuquka nomyalelo wokuba “baqokelele izishumi.”—Hebhere 7:5, 18; Efese 2:13-15; Kolose 2:13, 14.