UJehova—“Uyindoda Yempi”

AMABUTHO afaneleka kakhulu empi yabaseGibithe ayesebhujisiwe. NgasoLwandle Olubomvu, izidumbu zabagibeli bezinqola zempi nabamahashi zazishoniswa amadlambi olwandle ngapha nangapha, futhi izikhali zempi zazisabalele ogwini. Eholwa nguMose, amadoda akwaIsrayeli ahuba ingoma yokunqoba ngenjabulo: “Ngizakuhlabelela kuJehova, ngokuba uphakeme kakhulu; ihashi nenkweli yalo ukuphonsé elwandle. UJehova uyindoda yempi; nguJehova igama lakhe.”—Eksodusi 15:1, 3.

Ukunqoba kukaJehova oLwandle Olubomvu ngempela kwakuwukubonakaliswa kobukhulu bakhe empini. UIsrayeli waphuma eGibithe ehleleke ngokwamabutho kodwa wayenekhono elincane lokulwa. Ngensika yefu eyayiba yinsika yomlilo ebusuku, uJehova wabahola kusuka eRamsesi kuya “eceleni kwehlane” e-Etamu. (Eksodusi 12:37; 13:18, 20-22) Khona-ke uJehova wathi kuMose: “Yisho kwabakwaIsrayeli ukuba babuyele emuva, bamise ngaphambi kwePhi-Hahiroti, ngaphakathi kweMigidoli nolwandle, phambi kweBali-Sefoni; . . . UFaro uyakuthi ngabantwana bakwaIsrayeli: Badidekile ezweni . . . Abalandele.” (Eksodusi 14:1-4) Ngokulalela, uIsrayeli waphenduka wayesehamba eya ePhi-Hahiroti. Izinhloli zikaFaro zabika ngalokhu okwakubonakala kuwukudideka, futhi njengoba kwakubikezelwe, uFaro wavivisa impi yakhe ukuba ixoshe uIsrayeli.—Eksodusi 14:5-9.

Ugibe—Lokubamba UIsrayeli Noma UFaro?

Evinjwe izintaba nhlangothi zombili, kunolwandle ngaphambi kwawo, nabaseGibithe bengemva kwawo, amaIsrayeli ethukile abonakala ebambeke ogibeni, ngakho acela usizo kuNkulunkulu. Ehlanganisa abantu, uMose wathi: “Ningesabi; qinani, nibone ukusindisa kukaJehova azakunenzela khona namuhla, ngokuba abaseGibithe enibabonile namuhla anisayikubuye nibabone naphakade. UJehova uzakunilwela, nothula nina.” (Eksodusi 14:10-14) Ngokuvumelana nalesosithembiso, ‘insika yefu yasuka phambi kwabo, yema emva kwabo. Yafika phakathi kwempi yaseGibithe nempi yakwaIsrayeli; izimpi azikwazanga ukusondelana ubusuku bonke.’—Eksodusi 14:15-20.

Njengoba uJehova ayeqondisile, uMose waphakamisela induku yakhe phezu kolwandle futhi ‘waluhlukanisa’ ukuze amaIsrayeli aphunyuke. Kwabe sekwenzeka isimanga sezimanga! (Eksodusi 14:16, 21) Umoya onamandla ovela empumalanga waqala ukuhlukanisa amanzi oLwandle Olubomvu, akha umhubhe obanzi ngokwanele ukuba isizwe sonke—abantu abangaba yizigidi ezintathu—sidlule sihleleke ngokwamabutho. Ngakwesobunxele nangakwesokudla seviyo lamaIsrayeli, amanzi ‘ajiyile’ ema njengezindonga ezinkulu ezimbili.—Eksodusi 15:8, qhathanisa neNW.

AmaIsrayeli, esizwa ukukhanya okuvela ensikeni yomlilo, aphunyuka ehamba esiqwini solwandle esasomiswe umoya. Ekuseni, owokugcina wamaIsrayeli wayesephumele ogwini olungaphesheya. “AbaseGibithe baxosha, bangena emva kwabo ngaphakathi kolwandle, namahashi onke kaFaro, nezinqola zakhe, nabamahashi bakhe.” Abaxosha amaIsrayeli babegijimele ogibeni!—Eksodusi 14:23.

“[UJehova] wayidunga impi yabaseGibithe. Wawisa amasondo ezinqola ukuba bahambise kalukhuni.” UMose manje welulela isandla sakhe phezu kolwandle, futhi “ulwandle lwabuyela endaweni yalo.” Izindonga zamanzi zadilika futhi zaqala ukumboza abaseGibithe. Bazama ukubaleka, “[kodwa] uJehova wabathuntuthela . . . phakathi kolwandle.” Akekho owasinda! Ethokoza amaIsrayeli ahubela uJehova ingoma yawo yokunqoba.—Eksodusi 14:24–15:3; IHubo 106:11.

UJehova Ulwela UJoshuwa

UJehova wabonakala ‘eyindoda yempi’ nakwezinye izimpi. Enye kwakuyimpi yaseAyi. Ukuhlaselwa kokuqala kwalomuzi akuzange kuphumelele ngenxa yokona okungathi sína kuka-Akani. Lapho lendaba isilungisiwe, uJehova wanikeza uJoshuwa imiyalo yempi.—Joshuwa 7:1, 4, 5, 11-26; 8:1, 2.

Elalela iziyalezo zikaJehova, ebusuku uJoshuwa waqamekela ngemva komuzi, ngasohlangothini lwawo olungasentshonalanga. Ibutho lakhe elikhulu layiswa enyakatho esigodini esingaphandle nje kweAyi futhi labonakala lilungele ukuhlasela ngokuqondile. Amadoda aseAyi ayengelwa ogibeni. Esagcwele injabulo yokuphumelela kwawo esehlakalweni sangaphambili, aphulukundlela ephuma emzini exosha amaIsrayeli. Njengoba enza sengathi ayahlehla, amaIsrayeli abalekela ‘ngasendleleni eya ehlane,’ eholela isitha kude ngokwengeziwe neAyi.—Joshuwa 8:3-17.

Ngesikhathi esifanele, uJehova wathi kuJoshuwa: “Yelulela umkhonto osesandleni sakho ngaseAyi, ngokuba ngiyakulinikela esandleni sakho.” Lapho ebona loluphawu, amadoda ayeqamekele awuhlasela umuzi, awubhubhisa ngenkemba futhi awushisa ngomlilo. Ebona intuthu, amabutho esitha angaphandle aphelelwa amandla ngokuphelele. UJoshuwa, eyeka ukuhlehla eseqala ukuhlasela, wabamba isitha ogibeni phakathi kwamabutho akhe amabili. Ingabe kwakuwukunqoba komuntu? Cha. Njengoba uJoshuwa asho kamuva kuwo, amaIsrayeli anqoba ngoba: “UJehova uNkulunkulu wenu nguye onilweleyo.”—Joshuwa 8:18-27; 23:3.

Impi YaseKishoni

Ubukhulu bukaJehova empini baphinde babonakaliswa eMfuleni iKishoni, eduze neMegido. Inkosi yaseKhanani uJabini yayicindezele uIsrayeli iminyaka engu-20. Impi yakhe, iqondiswa uSisera, yayihlanganisa izinqola zempi ezingu-900 ezinamasikela ensimbi emasondweni azo—ibutho elalibonakala lingenakunqotshwa ngalezozinsuku.—AbAhluleli 4:1-3.

Nokho, ngomprofethikazi uDebora, uJehova wathuma uMahluleli uBaraki ukuba ahlanganise amaqhawe ayizinkulungwane eziyishumi esiqongweni seNtaba iThabori ukuze acele inselele emabuthweni kaJabini. USisera wasabela ngokushesha kulokhu kwandiswa kwabantu abalwayo, ephuthuma esuka eHarosheti eya emfuleni iKishoni, phakathi kweNtaba iThabori neMegido. Ngokungangabazeki wayecabanga ukuthi lapha endaweni eyisicaba, amasosha kaIsrayeli angahlomile ngokwanele ahamba ngezinyawo ayengeke amelane nezinqola zakhe zempi. Nokho, akazange akucabange ukuthi wayelwa neSitha sasezulwini.—AbAhluleli 4:4-7, 12, 13.

UJehova wayala uBaraki ukuba asuke eziqongweni ezilondekile zaseThabori aye ethafeni lesigodi, eyengela amabutho kaSisera ekulweni. Khona-ke uJehova wagadla! Isikhukhula esisheshayo saphendula inkundla yempi yaba wubhuku, okwenza amabutho kaSisera angakwazi ukuhamba ngezinqola. Kulokho kudideka, amasosha kaIsrayeli ahamba ngezinyawo kalula nje akwazi ukunqoba isitha sawo ngokuphelele. “Yonke impi kaSisera yawa ngosiko lwenkemba, akwasala-muntu.” Amanzi ayizikhukhula adla izindwani omfula iKishoni enza ukuba izinqola zempi zabaseKhanani zibhajwe futhi kungenzeka akhukhula ezinye izidumbu.—AbAhluleli 4:14-16; 5:20, 21.

Ukunqoba UGogi Nesixuku Sakhe

Lezi zenzakalo zasendulo zanikeza isibonakaliso sokunqoba okusazoza kukaJehova okukhulu kunakho konke. Impi ezofika “ngeminyaka yokugcina” isiyalunguza emkhathizwe. Ngokwesiprofetho sikaHezekeli, uGogi, okuwuphawu ‘lombusi walelizwe,’ uSathane uDeveli, uyovivisa ibutho lezizwe zonke elizohlasela. Uyoqondisa amabutho akhe ukuba ahlasele ‘izintaba zakwaIsrayeli’ ezingokomfanekiso, okungukuthi, isimo esiphakeme esingokomoya ‘sikaIsrayeli kaNkulunkulu’ ongamaKristu.—Hezekeli 38:1-9; Johane 12:31; Galathiya 6:16.

Yini elinga uGogi ukuba ahlasele abantu bakaNkulunkulu ngakho konke okusemandleni akhe? Isiprofetho sibhekisela esimweni sabo esinokuthula, esichumayo ngokomoya. UGogi uthi: ‘Ngiyakwenyukela ezweni elisobala, ngiye kwabazinzileyo abahlala belondekile, bonke abahlala bengenalugange, kungekho kubo imigoqo nezicabha, ukuze uphange impango, ubamuke impahla abantu abazuza imfuyo nempahla.’—Hezekeli 38:10-12.

Ngokuvamile, abantu bakaJehova abacebile ngendlela yokuba nezinto ezibonakalayo. Nokho, baye baba nengcebo enkulu engokomoya njengomphumela womsebenzi wabo wokushumayela abawenza emhlabeni wonke. Kuye kwabuthelwa ndawonye “Isixuku esikhulu . . . sivela kuzo zonke izizwe,” manje esingaphezu kwezigidi ezine. (IsAmbulo 7:9, 10) Ingcebo ngempela! USathane—ethukuthelele lokhu kuchuma okungokomoya—uzama ukuqothula abantu bakaNkulunkulu.

Kodwa ngokungena ezweni lakwaIsrayeli elingokomfanekiso, uGogi, ngesikhathi esifanayo, uhlasela uJehova uNkulunkulu uqobo. “Ukufutheka kwami kukhuphukele emakhaleni ami,” kusho uJehova, oyophindiselela abantu bakhe. Amabutho kaGogi ayohlakazeka ngesiyaluyalu. “Inkemba yalowo nalowo imelane nomfowabo.” Khona-ke uJehova udedela amandla akhe abhubhisayo—“imvula ekhukhulayo, namatshe esichotho, nomlilo, nesibabule.” NjengasoLwandle Olubomvu, eAyi, naseKishoni, uJehova uzophinda futhi alwele abantu bakhe futhi akhazimulise igama lakhe. “Ngiyakuzenza-mkhulu, ngizingcwelise, ngizazise emehlweni ezizwe eziningi, zazi ukuthi nginguJehova.”—Hezekeli 38:18-23.

Umbhalo ogciniwe womlando wezimpi zikaJehova ngezikhathi zasendulo usinika isizathu sokuba sithembele ngokuphelele kulokhu kunqoba kwesikhathi esizayo phakathi ‘nosizi olukhulu.’ (Mathewu 24:21, 22) Njengoba kuhlala kuwuyena oqondisayo, uJehova angazinqoba izitha zakhe ngokuzihlakaniphela futhi aqondise izimo ukuze kusinde abantu bakhe. Ngempela, kuyoba njengoba uIsaya aprofetha: “UJehova uyaphuma njengeqhawe; njengendoda yempi uyavusa ukushisekela kwakhe; uyakhala, yebo, uyabangalasa, enze ubuqhawe phezu kwezitha zakhe.” (Isaya 42:13) OFakazi bakhe bayohlala njalo bembheka njengoJEHOVA, ‘OYINDODA YEMPI’!—Eksodusi 15:3.

[Ibalazwe ekhasini 24]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

Indlela yoFuduko esuka eGibithe

IGOSHENI

IMofi

IRamsesi

ISukoti

IMigidoli

IPhi-Hahiroti

IEtamu

[Izithombe ekhasini 26]

Lapha, endaweni yaseAyi, uJehova waholela uJoshuwa nabantu baKhe ekunqobeni okumangalisayo

Amanzi omfula iKishoni akhuphuka ngokushesha, okwaba nengxenye ekunqotshweni kwezitha zikaJehova

[Umthombo]

Photos: Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.