Abakwa-Amoni—Abantu Ababebuyisela Umusa Ngenzondo
IDOLOBHA lanamuhla elibizwa ngokuthi i-Amman, inhloko-dolobha yombuso wama-Arabhu waseJordan, lisikhumbuza ngabantu asebeye banyamalala emhlabeni. Babebizwa ngokuthi abakwa-Amoni. Babengobani, futhi iziphi izifundo esingazifunda ekuweni kwabo?
Abakwa-Amoni babengabozalo lwendoda elungile uLoti. (Genesise 19:35-38) Njengoba uLoti ayengumshana ka-Abrahama, ungase uthi abakwa-Amoni babengabazala bama-Israyeli. Nokho, inzalo kaLoti yaphendukela ekukhulekeleni onkulunkulu bamanga. Noma kunjalo, uJehova uNkulunkulu waqhubeka enesithakazelo kuyo. Njengoba isizwe sakwa-Israyeli sasisondela eZweni Lesithembiso, uNkulunkulu wasixwayisa: “Ungabakhathazi, ungalwi nabo, ngokuba angiyikukunika izwe labantwana bakwa-Amoni libe-yifa lenu, lokhu ngibanikile lona abantwana bakwaLoti libe-yifa labo.”—Duteronomi 2:19.
Ingabe abakwa-Amoni bawazisa lowo musa? Ngokuphambene, benqaba ukuvuma ukuthi uJehova wayebanike okuthile. Babuyisela isithakazelo sikaNkulunkulu somusa kubo ngenzondo engapheli ngabantu bakaNkulunkulu, ama-Israyeli. Nakuba ama-Israyeli alalela umyalo kaJehova futhi angabahlasela, abakwa-Amoni nabafowabo abangabakwaMowabi bazizwa besongelwe. Yiqiniso, abakwa-Amoni abazange bahlasele ngempi, kodwa baqasha umprofethi ogama lakhe linguBileyamu futhi bamcela ukuba aqalekise u-Israyeli!—Numeri 22:1-6; Duteronomi 23:3-6.
Khona-ke kwenzeka isimanga. IBhayibheli libika ukuthi uBileyamu akakwazanga ukusho isiqalekiso sakhe. Wayengasho izibusiso kuphela kuwo, ethi: “Mababusiswe bonke abakubusisayo, baqalekiswe bonke abakuqalekisayo.” (Numeri 24:9) Labo ababehilelekile, kuhlanganise nabakwa-Amoni, kufanele ngabe bafunda isifundo esinamandla kulokhu: Lapho kwakuhileleke abantu bakaNkulunkulu, wayekulungele ngempela ukungenela ngenxa yabo!
Nokho, abakwa-Amoni baqhubeka befuna izindlela zokumelana no-Israyeli. Phakathi nenkathi yaBahluleli, u-Amoni wahlangana noMowabi no-Amaleki futhi bahlasela iZwe Lesithembiso, baze bafika eJeriko. Nokho lokhu kunqoba kwaba okwesikhashana njengoba uMahluleli wakwa-Israyeli u-Ehudi wabadudula laba bahlaseli. (AbAhluleli 3:12-15, 27-30) Kwaba nesivumelwano esintengantengayo sokuyeka ukulwa isikhashana, kwaze kwaba izinsuku zikaMahluleli uJefta. Ngaleso sikhathi isizwe sakwa-Israyeli sase siwele ekukhonzeni izithombe, ngakho uJehova wasisusa isivikelo sakhe. Kanjalo iminyaka engaba ngu-18, uNkulunkulu ‘wayethengise ngaso esandleni sabantwana bakwa-Amoni.’ (AbAhluleli 10:6-9) Abakwa-Amoni baphinda bahlulwa kabuhlungu njengoba ama-Israyeli ayeka ukukhonza izithombe futhi ahlangana ngaphansi kokuhola kukaJefta.—AbAhluleli 10:16–11:33.
Inkathi yokubusa kwabahluleli kwa-Israyeli yaphela lapho kugcotshwa inkosi yakhona yokuqala, uSawule. Ngokushesha ngemva kokuba uSawule eqale ukubusa, inzondo yabakwa-Amoni yaphinda yaqubuka. INkosi uNahashi yahlasela umuzi wama-Israyeli waseJabeshi-Gileyadi ngokuzuma. Lapho abantu bakulowo muzi becela umaluju, uNahashi wakwa-Amoni wenza imfuno eyeqisayo: “Ngiyakusenza [isivumelwano] nani ngalokhu ukuba kukhishwe onke amehlo enu okunene.” Isazi-mlando uFlavius Josephus sithi ngokwengxenye lokhu kwenziwa njengendlela yokuzivikela, ukuze “lapho amehlo abo esobunxele embozwa yizihlangu zabo, abe angenamsebenzi ngokuphelele empini.” Nokho, injongo yangempela yalokhu kunqunyelwa ugwayi katiki okunonya yayiwukwenza isibonelo sokuthotshiswa ngalama-Israyeli.—1 Samuweli 11:1, 2.
Abakwa-Amoni base bephinde babuyisela umusa kaJehova ngenzondo. UJehova akazange akushaye indiva lokhu kusongela okubi. “UMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela phezu kukaSawule esezwile lawomazwi [kaNahashi]; intukuthelo yakhe yavutha kakhulu.” Ngaphansi kokuqondisa komoya kaNkulunkulu, uSawule waqoqa ibutho lamadoda empi angu-330 000 elabanqoba ngokuphelele abakwa-Amoni kangangokuthi “akusalanga kubo ababili bendawonye.”—1 Samuweli 11:6, 11.
Ukukhathalela kwabakwa-Amoni izithakazelo zabo siqu ngobugovu, unya lwabo, nokuhaha kwabo ekugcineni kwaholela ekushatshalalisweni kwabo ngokuphelele. Njengoba umprofethi kaJehova uZefaniya ayebikezele, baba ‘njengeGomora, incithakalo yaphakade, ngokuba babethukile, bazikhulisela abantu bakaJehova-Sebawoti.’—Zefaniya 2:9, 10.
Abaholi bezwe namuhla kufanele baqaphele lokho okwenzeka kwabakwa-Amoni. Ngendlela efanayo uNkulunkulu uye wabonisa izizwe isilinganiso esithile somusa ngokuzivumela ukuba ziphile esenabelweni sezinyawo zakhe, umhlaba. Kodwa esikhundleni sokuba ziwunakekele umhlaba, izizwe ezinobugovu ziyawonakalisa, ziye zasongela ngisho nokubhubhisa iplanethi ngenuzi. Kunokuba zibonise umusa kubakhulekeli bakaJehova emhlabeni, ngokuvamile izizwe zibonisa inzondo, zibashushisa ngonya. Ngakho-ke isifundo esitholakala kwabakwa-Amoni siwukuthi uJehova akakuthathi kalula ukubuyisela umusa wakhe ngenzondo. Futhi ngesikhathi sakhe esifanele, uyothatha isinyathelo, njengoba nje enza ezikhathini zasendulo.—Qhathanisa neHubo 2:6-12.
[Isithombe ekhasini 9]
Amanxiwa eRoma e-Amman, indawo eyayiyiRabbah, inhloko-dolobha yabakwa-Amoni
[Umthombo]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
[Isithombe ekhasini 10]
Abakwa-Amoni babehlala kulendawo
[Umthombo]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 8]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.