SONKE siyakholwa ukuthi uJehova nguye okhokhela abantu bakhe futhi obanika abakudingayo ukuze bahlale beseduze laye ‘kulezinsuku zokucina.’ (2 Tim. 3:1) Kodwa kumele simlalele. Sifanana lama-Israyeli ngesikhathi esenkangala. Kwakumele alalele nxa icilongo likhala.

UJehova watshela uMosi ukuthi enze amacilongo amabili ngesiliva esicanduliweyo ayezawasebenzisa ‘nxa ebizela abako-Israyeli ndawonye lanxa izihonqo sezifanele ukususwa ukuba kuhanjwe.’ (Nani. 10:2) Abaphristi kwakumele bawatshaye ngendlela ezitshiyeneyo amacilongo la futhi indlela ngayinye yayitshela abantu okuthile okwakumele bakwenze. (Nani. 10:3-8) Lamuhla abantu bakaJehova batshelwa ngendlela ezitshiyeneyo lokho okumele bakwenze. Esihlokweni lesi sizaxoxa ngendlela ezintathu esitshelwa ngazo okumele sikwenze besesiziqathanisa lendlela amacilongo ayetshaywa ngayo ngesikhathi sama-Israyeli. Sitshelwa okumele sikwenze nxa sisemhlanganweni emikhulu, nxa abadala beqeqetshwa lalapho kusiba lotshintsho emabandleni wonke.

Nxa uJehova wayefuna “isizwe sonke” sibuthane esangweni elisempumalanga yethabanikeli, abaphristi babetshaya amacilongo womabili. (Nani. 10:3) Isizwe lesi esasehlukaniswe saba ngamaqembu amane futhi sigombolozele ithabanikeli sasikuzwa ukukhala kwamacilongo lawo. Kumele ukuthi ama-Israyeli ayehlala duzane lesango ayephangisa ukufika kodwa kwamanye kwakudinga isikhathi lokuzimisela ukuze afike ngoba ayehlala khatshana lesango. Kungelani lokuthi ayehlala ngaphi uJehova wayefuna wonke abuthane futhi afunde.

Lamuhla asibuthani ethabanikeli kodwa sinxuswa emibuthanweni yabantu bakaNkulunkulu. Imibuthano le igoqela imihlangano yesabelo, leminye imihlangano lapho esithola khona imilayezo eqakathekileyo. Emhlabeni wonke abantu bakaJehova bafundiswa okufananayo. Yikho bonke abahambayo emhlanganweni le bayakukholisa ukuba phakathi kwabantu abathokozayo. Abanye bahamba imango emide ukwedlula abanye. Lanxa kunjalo labo abaya emihlanganweni bayavuma ukuthi ukuba lapho kuyabanceda kakhulu.

Labo abahlala khatshana okokuthi abenelisi ukuya lapho imihlangano le eyenzelwa khona bona bayancedakala yini? Ye bayancedakala. Ezempucuko zenza benelise ukulalela loba ukubukela uhlelo lomhlangano baze bazwe angani labo bebekhona. Ngokwesibonelo ngesikhathi ummeli wamawofisi amakhulu evakatshele eBenin, igatsha lahlela ukuthi abazalwane ababesedolobheni le-Arlit eliseSahara Desert eNiger babukele uhlelo lomhlangano kusetshenziswa ezempucuko. Kwakulabafowethu labodadewethu abahlanu kanye labangu-16 ababenxusiwe. Lanxa babekhatshana lalapho okwakusenzelwa khona umhlangano, bazizwa bemanyene  labanye abangu-44 131 ababesemhlanganweni. Omunye umfowethu wabhala wathi: “Silibonga singaqedi ngokusinceda ukuthi sibukele uhlelo lolu. Seliphinde lasitshengisa ukuthi liyasithanda.”

Nxa kwakutshaywa icilongo elilodwa kuphela, ‘abakhokheli, izinhloko zezizwana’ kwakumele baye ethenteni lokuhlanganela. (Nani. 10:4) Babefika baphiwe imilayezo futhi baqeqetshwe nguMosi. Lokhu kwakuzabanceda ukuthi bayenze kuhle imisebenzi ababeyiphiwe ezizwaneni zabo. Aluba wawungomunye walabo bakhokheli wawungeke yini wenze konke okusemandleni akho ukuthi ubekhona njalo uncedakale?

Lamuhla abadala bamabandla kayisibo ‘bakhokheli’ kumbe amakhosi emhlambini kaNkulunkulu abawugcinisiweyo. (1 Phet. 5:1-3) Kodwa benza konke okusemandleni abo ukuthi beluse umhlambi. Yikho basukumela phezulu nxa benxuswa ukuthi bazoqeqetshwa, ngokwesibonelo eSikolo Senkonzo SoMbuso. Ukuqeqetshwa lokhu kubanceda bathuthukise indlela abenza ngayo imisebenzi yebandla. Lokhu kwenza bonke ebandleni basondele kakhulu kuJehova. Lanxa ungakaze ungene esinye sezikolo lezi, uyancedakala ngoba labo abasingenayo basebenzisa lokho abakufundayo ukuze bancede ibandla.

Ngezinye izikhathi abaphristi bako-Israyeli babesithi nxa betshaya icilongo bakhweze behlise umsindo walo. Lokhu kwakusitsho ukuthi uJehova wayesefuna izizwana zonke zisuke. (Nani. 10:5, 6, NWT) Zazisuka ngendlela ehleleke kakhulu kodwa kwakungalula ukuthi zenze njalo. Ngezinye izikhathi kungenzakala amanye ama-Israyeli ayedonda ukusuka. Ngenxa yani?

Mhlawumbe amanye ayecabanga ukuthi abaphristi basebetshaya amacilongo izikhathi ezinengi kakhulu futhi esalibele. IBhayibhili lithi nxa iyezi limi phezu kwethabanikeli ayehlala ezihonqweni angasuki. Kodwa “kwesinye isikhathi iyezi lalisima kusukela kusihlwa kuze kuse.” Kwesinye isikhathi lalisima “okwezinsuku ezimbili kumbe okwenyanga eyodwa” kumbe okwesikhathi esedlula lapho, ama-Israyeli engakasuki. (Nani. 9:21, 22) Ahlala ezindaweni ezingaki? Isahluko 33 sebhuku lamaNani siqamba indawo ezingaba ngu-40 ama-Israyeli ahlala kuzo.

Ngezinye izikhathi ama-Israyeli ayehlala ezindaweni ezilemithunzi. Kumele ukuthi kwakumnandi ukuhlala endaweni ezinjalo ngoba ‘ayesenkangala enkulu eyesabekayo.’ (Dute. 1:19) Yikho ayengalingeka ukucabanga ukuthi indawo akuyo ingcono kulayezakuya kuyo.

Nxa kwasekuyisikhathi sokusuka, ezinye izizwana kwakumele zibekezele kuze kufike ithuba lazo lokusuka. Lanxa zonke izizwana zazisizwa ukukhala kwecilongo, zazingeke zisuke ngasikhathi sinye. Ukukhala lokhu kwakusitsho ukuthi izizwana ezisempumalanga kwasokumele zisuke. Izizwana lezo kwakungesakoJuda, esako-Isakhari lesakoZebhuluni. (Nani. 2:3-7; 10:5, 6, NWT) Sezisukile abaphristi babephinda balitshaye icilongo ukuze izizwana ezintathu ezaziseningizimu lazo zisuke. Abaphristi babeqhubeka besenza njalo izizwana zonke zize zisuke.

Mhlawumbe kwakuthwalisa nzima ukwamukela utshintsho oluthile olwenziwa enhlanganisweni. Ungabe wawucabanga ukuthi sekutshintshwe izinto ezinengi kakhulu. Kumbe kungenzeka wawuthanda indlela izinto ezazisenziwa ngayo futhi ungafisi ukuthi itshintshwe. Kungelani lokuthi kuyini okwakusenza kube nzima ukuthi wamukele untshintsho, kungenzeka kwakuthwalisa nzima ukuthi ubekezele njalo kwakuthatha isikhathi ukuthi ulujayele untshintsho lolo. Kodwa singazimisela ukulalela kungenzeka sibone ukuthi utshintsho oluyabe lwenziwe lunceda thina lokuthi uJehova uyathokoza ngathi.

Ngesikhathi sikaMosi, uJehova wakhokhela amadoda, abesifazana labantwana abanengi kakhulu lapho bedabula enkangala. Aluba babenganakekelwa futhi bengakhokhelwa nguJehova, babengasoze basinde. Lathi uJehova uyasikhokhela kulezinsuku zokucina eziyingozi esiphila kuzo. Uyasincedisa ukuthi sibe seduze laye njalo sihlale silokholo oluqinileyo. Yikho asizimiseleni ukulalela nxa kutshaywa amacilongo njengama-Israyeli ayethembekile!