IBethele—Umuzi Wokuhle Nokubi

EMINYE imizi iduma kahle—noma idume kabi—ngezenzakalo ezenzeka kuyo. Nokho, iBethele ihlukile ngoba yaziwa ngakho kokubili okubi nokuhle. Inzalamizi uJakobe yaqamba lo muzi ngokuthi iBethele, okusho “iNdlu KaNkulunkulu.” Kodwa eminyakeni eyinkulungwane kamuva, umprofethi uHoseya wabiza lo muzi ngokuthi “iNdlu Yobuhlungu.” Washintsha kanjani lo muzi ekubeni omuhle waba omubi? Futhi yini esingayifunda emlandweni wawo?

Ukuhlanganiswa kweBethele nabantu bakaNkulunkulu kwaqala ngo-1943 B.C.E. lapho u-Abrahama esaphila. Ngaleso sikhathi, lo muzi wawaziwa ngokuthi iLuze, okuyigama lawo lokuqala labaseKhanani. Wawusendaweni eyigquma, esebangeni elingamakhilomitha angaba ngu-17 enyakatho yeJerusalema. Cabanga ngo-Abrahama nendodana yomfowabo uLoti bemi endaweni ephakeme esezintabeni ezizungeze iBethele bebuka phansi emathafeni avundile asengxenyeni esezansi yeSigodi SaseJordani. Ngokuhlakanipha, u-Abrahama uqaphelisa uLoti ngobunzima bokwaba amadlelo emihlambi yabo emikhulu: “Akungabikho ukuxabana phakathi kwami nawe naphakathi kwabelusi bami nabelusi bakho, ngokuba singabazalwane. Izwe lonke alisobala ebusweni bakho na? Mawahlukane nami; uma uya ngakwesokhohlo, ngiyakuya ngakwesokunene; uma uya ngakwesokunene, ngiyakuya ngakwesokhohlo.”—Genesise 13:3-11.

U-Abrahama akazange agcizelele igunya lakhe lokukhetha kuqala. Kunalokho, wavumela le nsizwa ukuba ithathe indawo engcono. Singasilingisa isimo sakhe sengqondo esihle. Singadambisa izindaba eziwumbango ngokuthatha isinyathelo kuqala sokukhuluma ngomoya ophansi futhi senze ngokungenabugovu.—Roma 12:18.

Eminyakeni ethile kamuva lapho umzukulu ka-Abrahama uJakobe ekanise eLuze, waba nephupho elingavamile. Wabona “umkhwelo umiswé emhlabathini, isihloko sawo sifinyelela ezulwini; nezingelosi zikaNkulunkulu zenyuka, zehla kuwo. Bheka, uJehova wayemi ngaphezu kwawo.” (Genesise 28:11-19; qhathanisa noJohane 1:51.) Lelo phupho lalibaluleke kakhulu. Izingelosi uJakobe azibona zaziyomkhonza ekugcwaliseni isithembiso uNkulunkulu asenza kuye ngokuphathelene nenzalo yakhe. Isikhundla sikaJehova esiphakeme esingaphezu komkhwelo sasibonisa ukuthi wayeyoqondisa izingelosi kulo msebenzi.

Lokhu kuqinisekiswa kokusekela kwaphezulu kwamshukumisa ngokujulile uJakobe. Lapho ephaphama ephusheni, wabiza leyo ndawo ngokuthi iBethele, okusho “iNdlu KaNkulunkulu,” futhi wafunga kuJehova wathi: “Kukho konke oyakungipha khona ngiyakukunika okweshumi.”a (Genesise 28:20-22) Njengoba ayeqaphela ukuthi konke ayenakho kwakuvela kuNkulunkulu, wayefisa ukubuyisela ingxenye enkulu njengophawu olubonakalisa ukwazisa kwakhe.

AmaKristu namuhla nawo anezingelosi eziwakhonzayo. (IHubo 91:11; Heberu 1:14) Nawo angabonisa ukwazisa kwawo ngazo zonke izibusiso anazo ngokuba ‘acebe ngezenzo eziningi zokubonisa ukubonga kuNkulunkulu.’—2 Korinte 9:11, 12.

Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, inzalo kaJakobe yaba isizwe. Umholi wayo uJoshuwa wanqoba inkosi yamaqaba yaseBethele ekuqaleni nje kokuthathwa kweKhanani. (Joshuwa 12:16) Phakathi nesikhathi saBahluleli, umprofethikazi uDebora wayehlala eduze neBethele futhi etshela abantu amazwi kaJehova. USamuweli naye wayevakashela njalo eBethele njengoba ayehlulela isizwe sakwa-Israyeli.—AbAhluleli 4:4, 5; 1 Samuweli 7:15, 16.

IBethele Iba Isikhungo Sokuhlubuka

Kodwa ukuhlanganiswa kweBethele nokukhulekela okuhlanzekile kwanqamuka ngemva kokuhlukana koMbuso ngo-997 B.C.E. INkosi uJerobowamu yamisa iBethele njengesikhungo sokukhulekelwa kwethole, ithole okwakuthiwa limelela uJehova. (1 AmaKhosi 12:25-29) Yingakho, lapho uHoseya eprofetha ngokubhujiswa kweBethele, abhekisela kuyo ngokuthi ‘iBeti-Aveni,’ okusho “iNdlu Yobuhlungu.”—Hoseya 10:5, 8.

Nakuba iBethele yayisiyisikhungo sobuhlungu obungokomoya, izenzakalo ezihlobene nayo zaqhubeka zinikeza izifundo ezibalulekile. (Roma 15:4) Esinye isifundo esinjalo siphathelene nomprofethi elingashiwongo igama lakhe owathunywa eBethele esuka kwaJuda ukuba ayobikezela ngokubhujiswa kwama-altare nabapristi bayo. UJehova wamtshela nokuthi abuyele kwaJuda—esebangeni elingamakhilomitha ambalwa nje ukuya eningizimu—engadlanga futhi engaphuzanga lutho. Lo mprofethi wasisho ngesibindi leso siprofetho phambi kukaJerobowamu, inkosi yakwa-Israyeli, eqalekisa i-altare laseBethele. Kodwa-ke akazange amlalele uNkulunkulu ngokudla emzini womprofethi osegugile waseBethele. Ngani? Lo mprofethi osegugile waqamba amanga wathi ingelosi kaJehova yayimyale ukuba abonise umoya wokungenisa izihambi kulo mprofethi okanye naye. Ukungalaleli kwalo mprofethi owayevela kwaJuda kwaholela ekufeni kwakhe ngaphambi kwesikhathi.—1 AmaKhosi 13:1-25.

Kufanele sisabele kanjani uma esikholwa naye esikisela ukuba senze into ebonakala ingabazisa? Khumbula ukuthi ngisho neseluleko esinikezwa ngesisusa esihle singalimaza uma singafanele. (Qhathanisa noMathewu 16:21-23.) Ngokufuna isiqondiso kuJehova ngomthandazo nokutadisha iZwi lakhe, siyogwema iphutha eliyinhlekelele lalo mprofethi elingashiwongo igama lakhe.—IzAga 19:21; 1 Johane 4:1.

Eminyakeni engaba ngu-150 kamuva, umprofethi u-Amose naye wathatha uhambo oluya enyakatho eyoprofetha ngokumelene neBethele. U-Amose wazilahla ngokuqinile izilaleli zakhe ezazinobutha, kuhlanganise nompristi u-Amasiya, owatshela u-Amose ngokuqhosha ukuba ‘ahambe, abalekele ezweni lakwaJuda.’ Kodwa u-Amose watshela u-Amasiya ngesibindi ngenhlekelele eyayizokwehlela indlu yakhe lo mpristi. (Amose 5:4-6; 7:10-17) Isibonelo sakhe sisikhumbuza ukuthi uJehova angaziqinisa izikhonzi zakhe ezithobekile.—1 Korinte 1:26, 27.

Ekugcineni, inkosi ethembekile yakwaJuda uJosiya yadiliza ‘ialtare elaliseBethele, yashisa indawo ephakemeyo, yayicolisisa yaba-yincushuncushu, yashisa noAshera.’ (2 AmaKhosi 23:15, 16) Abadala namuhla bangalingisa isibonelo sakhe esihle ngokuqikelela ukuthi imiyalo kaNkulunkulu iyagcinwa nangokuhola ekugcineni ibandla lihlanzekile.

Lezi zenzakalo zomlando waseBethele ziyibonisa ngokucacile imiphumela yokulunga neyobubi, yokumlalela neyokungamlaleli uJehova. Eminyakeni ethile ngaphambili, uMose wayenikeze isizwe sakwa-Israyeli ithuba lalokhu kukhetha: “Ngibeké namuhla phambi kwakho ukuphila nokuhle, ukufa nokubi.” (Duteronomi 30:15, 16) Ukuzindla ngomlando waseBethele kuyosikhuthaza ukuba sizihlanganise ‘neNdlu KaNkulunkulu,’ indawo yokukhulekela kweqiniso, ‘kuneNdlu Yobuhlungu.’

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Amanxiwa endaweni eyayiyiBethele, uJerobowamu amisa kuwo isikhungo sokukhulekelwa kwethole