Izithombe

Incazelo: Ngokuvamile, imifanekiso ebonakalayo yabantu noma izinto. Isithombe sokukhulekelwa kuthiwa isithixo. Labo abakhuleka phambi kwesithombe ngokuvamile bathi ukukhulekela kwabo eqinisweni kuqondiswe kumuntu ongumoya omelelwe ilesosithombe. Ukusetshenziswa okunjalo kwezithombe kujwayelekile ezinkolweni eziningi ezingebona ubuKristu. Ngokuqondene nomkhuba wamaRoma Katolika, iNew Catholic Encyclopedia (1967, Umq. VII, k. 372) ithi: “Njengoba ukukhulekela okwenziwa esithombeni kufinyelela futhi kugcine kulowomuntu esimmelele, uhlobo olufanayo lokukhulekela olufanele lowomuntu lungenziwa esithombeni njengesimelele lowomuntu.” Akuyona imfundiso yeBhayibheli.

IZwi likaNkulunkulu lithini ngokwenza izithombe ezisetshenziswa ekukhulekeleni?

Eks. 20:4, 5: “Ungazenzeli izithombe ezibaziweyo, namfanekiso wokusezulwini ngaphezulu, nowokusemhlabeni phansi, nowokusemanzini phansi komhlaba; ungazikhothameli, ungazikhonzi [“ungakhothami phambi kwazo noma uzikhulekele,” NAB], ngokuba mina-Jehova uNkulunkulu wakho nginguNkulunkulu onomhawu.” (Omalukeke banezelwe.) (Phawula ukuthi okwenqatshelwe kwakuwukwenza izithombe nokukhothama phambi kwazo.)

Lev. 26:1: “Ningenzi izithombe, ningamisi izithombe ezibaziweyo noma insika [“insika engcwele,” NW]; ningabeki itshe elinemifanekiso ezweni lakini ukukhothamela kulo; ngokuba nginguJehova uNkulunkulu wenu.” (Akukho sithombe okwakumelwe simiswe abantu ababeyokhothama phambi kwaso.)

2 Kor. 6:16: “Linakuvumelana kuni ithempeli likaNkulunkulu nezithombe na? Ngokuba thina siyithempeli likaNkulunkulu ophilayo.”

1 Joh. 5:21: “Bantwanyana, zilindeni ezithombeni [“izithixo,” Dy, CC; “onkulunkulu bamanga,” JB].”

Izithombe zingasetshenziswa yini njengezinto zokusiza nje ekukhulekeleni uNkulunkulu weqiniso?

Joh. 4:23, 24: “Abakhulekayo abaqinisileyo beyakukhuleka kuBaba ngomoya nangeqiniso; ngokuba uBaba ufuna abakhuleka kuye abanjalo. UNkulunkulu unguMoya; abakhuleka kuye bafanele ukukhuleka ngomoya nangeqiniso.” (Labo abathembele ezithombeni njengosizo oluthile ekuzinikeleni kwabo, abakhulekeli uNkulunkulu “ngomoya” kodwa bathembele kulokho abangase bakubone ngamehlo abo emvelo.)

2 Kor. 5:7: “Sihamba ngokukholwa, asihambi ngokubona.”

Isaya 40:18: “Niyakumfanisa uNkulunkulu nobani, nimlinganise namuphi umfanekiso, na?”

IzE. 17:29: “Lokhu siyinzalo kaNkulunkulu, akufanele ukuba sithi ubuNkulunkulu bufana negolide noma isiliva noma itshe, okuqoshwé ngekhono nangesu lomuntu.”

Isaya 42:8: “NginguJehova; yilo igama lami; angiyikunika omunye inkazimulo yami, nezithombe ezibaziweyo [“izinto ezibaziweyo,” Dy] udumo lwami.”

Ingabe kumelwe sidumise “osanta” njengabakhulumeli bethu kuNkulunkulu, mhlawumbe sisebenzise izithombe zabo njengosizo ekukhulekeleni kwethu?

IzE. 10:25, 26: “Kwathi ukuba angene uPetru, uKorneliyu wamhlangabeza, wawa phansi ngasezinyaweni zakhe, wakhuleka. Kepha uPetru wamvusa wathi: Sukuma, nami ngingumuntu nje.” (Njengoba uPetru engazange akuvumele ukukhulekelwa okunjalo lapho yena ngokwakhe esaphila, ingabe angasikhuthaza ukuba siguqe phambi kwesithombe sakhe? Bheka futhi isAmbulo 19:10.)

Joh. 14:6, 14: “UJesu wathi kuye: Mina ngiyindlela, neqiniso, nokuphila; akakho oza kuBaba ngaphandle kwami. Uma nicela utho kimi egameni lami, ngolwenza.” (UJesu lapha uphawula ngokusobala ukuthi ukuya kwethu kuYise kungaba ngaye kuphela nokuthi izicelo zethu kumelwe zenziwe ngegama likaJesu.)

1 Thim. 2:5: “Munye uNkulunkulu, munye nomlamuleli phakathi kukaNkulunkulu nabantu, umuntu uKristu Jesu.” (Alikho lapha ilungiselelo ngabanye ukuba bakhonze endaweni yomlamuleli wamalungu ebandla likaKristu.)

Bheka futhi amakhasi 217, 218, ngaphansi kwesihloko esithi “Osanta.”

Ingabe abakhulekeli bacabanga ngokuyinhloko ngomuntu omelelwe isithombe, noma ingabe ezinye izithombe zibhekwa njengeziphakeme kunezinye?

Isimo sengqondo sabakhulekeli siyisici esibalulekile sokucatshangelwa. Ngani? Ngoba umehluko omkhulu phakathi ‘kwesithombe’ ‘nesithixo’ uwukusetshenziswa kwalesosithombe.

Engqondweni yomkhulekeli, ingabe esinye isithombe somuntu sinokubaluleka okukhulu kunesinye isithombe somuntu ofanayo? Uma kunjalo, isithombe, hhayi umuntu, umkhulekeli acabanga ngaso ngokuyinhloko. Kungani abantu behamba uhambo olude beyokhulekela emathempelini athile? Akusona yini isithombe ngokwaso esibhekwa njengesinamandla ‘ayisimangaliso’? Ngokwesibonelo, encwadini ethi Les Trois Notre-Dame de la Cathédrale de Chartres, yompristi uYves Delaporte, siyatshelwa ngokuqondene nezithombe zikaMariya endlini yesonto eChartres, eFrance: “Lezithombe, ezibaziwe, ezidwetshiwe noma ezibonakala emawindini engilazi apendiwe, azidumile ngokufanayo. . . . Zintathu kuphela ezikhulekelwa ngempela: Ilezo ezibizwa ngokuthi Our Lady of the Crypt, Our Lady of the Pillar, nokuthi Our Lady of the ‘Belle Verriere.’” Kodwa ukuba abakhulekeli bebecabanga ngomuntu ngokuyinhloko, kungesona isithombe, esinye isithombe besingacatshangelwa njengesifanayo nje nesinye, akunjalo?

UNkulunkulu uzibheka kanjani izithombe ezikhulekelwayo?

Jer. 10:14, 15: “Bonke abakhandi bajabhiswa nezithombe zabo ezibaziweyo, ngokuba izithombe zabo ezibunjiweyo zingamanga, nomoya awukho kuzo. Ziyize, umsebenzi wenkohliso.”

Isaya 44:13-19: “Umbazi uyelula intambo, adwebe umuthi ngokubomvu, awenze ngezibazo, adwebe ngekompasi, awenze ngomfanekiso womuntu, ngobuhle bomuntu, ukuba uhlale endlini. Uyazigawulela imisedari, athathe imikhoba namaoki, awaqinise phakathi kwemithi yehlathi; uyatshala umfire, imvula iwukhulise. Besekuba-ngokomuntu ukuba abase ngakho; uthatha kuwo, othe; uyawuphemba; enze isinkwa; wenza unkulunkulu, akhuleke kuye, enze nesithombe esibaziweyo, akhothamele kuso. Ushisa inxenye yawo emlilweni; phezu kwalenxenye uyadla inyama, ose izoso, asuthe; yebo, uyotha athi: Halala! Sengifudumele, ngibonile umlilo. Ngokuseleyo kuwo uyakwenza unkulunkulu nesithombe; uyakhothamela kuso, akhuleke kuso, athandaze kuso, athi: Ngophule; ungunkulunkulu wami. Abazi, abaqondi, ngokuba unamekile amehlo abo ukuze bangaboni, nezinhliziyo zabo ukuze bangaqondi. Akakho okhumbulayo, nokwazi nokuqonda akukho kokuba kuthiwe: Ngishisile inxenye yawo ngomlilo, ngenzile isinkwa phezu kwamalahle awo, ngosile inyama, ngayidla; ngingenza okuseleyo kuwo kube-yisinengiso, ngikhothamele umbhuku womuthi, na?”

Hez. 14:6: “Isho kanje iNkosi uJehova, ithi: Phendukani, nibuye ezithombeni zenu [“izithixo zobumba,” NW], nifulathele zonke izinengiso zenu.”

Hez. 7:20: “Ukukhazimula kwezivunulo zakho bakubeka kwaba-ngukuziqhenya, benza ngakho izithombe ezinengekayo nezizondekayo; ngalokho ngikwenzile kwaba-yinto engcolileyo kubo.”

Kumelwe sizizwe kanjani nganoma iziphi izithombe okungenzeka sasizidumisa ngaphambili?

Dut. 7:25, 26: “Izithombe ezibaziweyo zawonkulunkulu bazo niyakuzishisa ngomlilo; awuyikufisa isiliva noma igolide elikuzo, ungazithatheli lona, funa ucushwe ngalo, ngokuba kuyisinengiso kuJehova uNkulunkulu wakho; awuyikungenisa isinengiso endlini yakho, ube-yinto eqalekisiweyo njengaso; uyakusenyanya nokusenyanya, unengwe nokunengwa yiso, ngokuba kuyinto eqalekisiweyo.” (Nakuba abantu bakaJehova namuhla benganikwanga igunya lokushisa izithombe zabanye abantu, lomyalo owawuya kumaIsrayeli unikeza isibonelo sokuthi kumelwe bazibheke kanjani noma iziphi izithombe abanazo okungenzeka baye bazidumisa. Qhathanisa nezEnzo 19:19.)

1 Joh. 5:21: “Bantwanyana, zilindeni ezithombeni [“konkulunkulu bamanga,” JB].”

Hez. 37:23: “Abasayikuzingcolisa ngezithombe zabo, . . . baze babe-ngabantu bami, mina ngibe-nguNkulunkulu wabo.”

Ukusebenzisa izithombe ekukhulekeleni kungaba namuphi umphumela ekusaseni lethu?

Dut. 4:25, 26: “[Nxa nona] nenze izithombe ezibaziweyo ngomfanekiso wento ethile [“isithixo esithile,” Kx; “noma yini efanayo,” Dy], nenze okubi emehlweni kaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho, nimthukuthelise, ngifakazisa namuhla izulu nomhlaba ngani ukuthi . . . niyakuqothulwa nokuqothulwa.” (Umbono kaNkulunkulu awukashintshi. Bheka uMalaki 3:5, 6.)

1 Kor. 10:14, 20: “Ngalokho-ke, bathandwa bami, kubalekeleni ukukhonza izithombe . . . Lokho okuhlatshwa ngabezizwe bakuhlabela amademoni, kabakuhlabeli uNkulunkulu. Kepha angithandi ukuba nibe-nenhlanganyelo namademoni.”

IsAm. 21:8: “Amagwala, nabangakholwayo, nabanengekayo, nababulali, nezifebe, nabathakathi, nabakhonza izithombe, nabo bonke abaqamba amanga, isabelo sabo siyakuba-sechibini elivutha umlilo nesibabule, okungukufa kwesibili [“ukufa kwaphakade,” JB, umbhalo waphansi].”

IHu. 115:4-8: “Izithombe zabo ziyisiliva negolide, umsebenzi wezandla zomuntu. Umlomo zinawo, kepha azikhulumi; amehlo zinawo, kepha aziboni. Izindlebe zinazo, kepha azizwa; zinamakhala, kepha azihogeli. Zinezandla, kepha aziphathi; zinezinyawo, kepha azihambi; azikhulumi ngomphimbo wazo. Abazenzayo bayafana nazo, bonke abazethembayo.”