ABANYE bakholelwa ukuthi ubudlova kuphela obuyobasiza ukuba bathole inkululeko yezombangazwe futhi bahlanzeke ngokwenkolo—bakholelwa ukuthi ababusi ababi bayosuswa ngobudlova kuphela. Kanti abanye ohulumeni besabisa abantu ukuze balondoloze ukuhleleka futhi babagcine bengaphansi komthetho. Kodwa uma kuyiqiniso ukuthi ubuphekula buyindlela ephumelelayo yokubusa nokuletha izinguquko emphakathini, kufanele bulethe ukuthula, ukuchuma nokusimama. Ngemva kwesikhashana, ubudlova nokwesaba kufanele kudambe. Ingabe kuye kwaba njalo?

Iqiniso liwukuthi ubuphekula benza abantu bangakuhloniphi ukuphila futhi buholela ekuchithweni kwegazi nonya. Ngenxa yokuzwa ubuhlungu, izisulu zivame ukuziphindiselela, okuholela ekucindezelweni okwengeziwe, nako okwenza abantu bakufune nakakhulu ukuziphindiselela.

Sekuyizinkulungwane zeminyaka abantu bezama ukuzixazululela izinkinga zabo zezombangazwe, zezenkolo nezenhlalo. Kodwa yonke imizamo yabo iye yabhuntsha. Kunjengoba iBhayibheli lisho: “Ngazi kahle, Jehova, ukuthi indlela yomuntu wasemhlabeni akuyona eyakhe. Akukona okomuntu ohambayo ngisho nokuqondisa isinyathelo sakhe.” (Jeremiya 10:23) UJesu wathi: “Ukuhlakanipha kuyama noma kuwe ngemiphumela [yako].” (Mathewu 11:19, The New Testament in Modern English, kaJ. B. Phillips) Lezi zimiso zeBhayibheli ziyabonisa futhi ukuthi ubuphekula abulona ithemba langempela. Ubuphekula abuyilethanga inkululeko nenjabulo, kodwa kunalokho, buye babangela ukufa, usizi nencithakalo. Le miphumela emibi iye yabonakala kulo lonke ikhulu lama-20 futhi isiqala ukudlanga nasekhulwini lama-21. Abaningi bangavuma ukuthi ubuphekula bungenye yezinkinga esikhundleni sokuba ikhambi.

“Nsuku zonke ngithemba ukuthi akekho ozokufa emkhayeni wakithi noma kubangane bami . . . Mhlawumbe kudingeka isimangaliso.” Yilokho okwabhalwa intombazane ethile izwe lakubo eliye lacekelwa phansi ubuphekula. Amazwi ayo aveza isiphetho abaningi abaye bafinyelela kuso: Ikhambi lezinkinga zabantu alikho emandleni abo. UMdali womuntu kuphela ongaxazulula izinkinga zomhlaba ezikhona manje, kuhlanganise nobuphekula. Kodwa kungani kufanele sithembele kuNkulunkulu?

Isizathu sokuqala ukuthi njengoMdali, uJehova usinike ukuphila futhi ufuna sikujabulele ngokuthula nokwaneliseka. Umprofethi kaNkulunkulu u-Isaya washukumiseleka ukuba alobe: “O Jehova, wena unguBaba wethu. Thina siwubumba, wena unguMbumbi wethu; thina sonke siwumsebenzi wesandla sakho.” (Isaya 64:8) UJehova unguYise wesintu, futhi abantu bazo zonke izizwe bayigugu kuye. Akanakusolwa neze ngokungabi nabulungisa nenzondo okuye kwabangela ubuphekula. Inkosi ehlakaniphile uSolomoni yake yathi: “UNkulunkulu weqiniso wabenza abantu beqotho, kodwa bona ngokwabo baye bafuna amacebo amaningi.” (UmShumayeli 7:29) Ubuphekula bubangelwa ububi babantu nethonya lamademoni, hhayi ukuhluleka kukaNkulunkulu.—Efesu 6:11, 12.

Esinye isizathu sokuba sithembele kuJehova ukuthi njengoba kunguye owadala abantu, uyiqonda kangcono kunanoma ubani omunye imbangela yezinkinga zesintu nendlela yokuzixazulula. IBhayibheli liveza leli qiniso encwadini yezAga 3:19: “UJehova wasekela umhlaba ngokuhlakanipha. Ngokuqonda wamisa amazulu  aqina.” Indoda yasendulo eyayimethemba ngokuphelele uNkulunkulu yaloba: “Usizo lwami luzovelaphi? Usizo lwami luvela kuJehova, uMenzi wezulu nomhlaba.”—IHubo 121:1, 2.

Kunesizathu sesithathu sokuthi kungani kufanele sithembele kuNkulunkulu: Unamandla okunqanda ukuchitheka kwegazi okunonya. Esikhathini sikaNowa “umhlaba wagcwala ubudlova.” (Genesise 6:11) UNkulunkulu wakhipha isahlulelo esiwujuqu ngokushesha: “[UNkulunkulu akayekanga] ukujezisa izwe lasendulo . . . lapho eletha uzamcolo phezu kwezwe labantu abangamhloniphi uNkulunkulu.”—2 Petru 2:5.

IBhayibheli lisitshela isifundo okufanele sisifunde eSikhukhuleni sosuku lukaNowa: “UJehova uyayazi indlela yokukhulula ekulingweni abantu abanokuzinikela kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu, kodwa agcinele abantu abangalungile usuku lokwahlulelwa ukuze banqunywe.” (2 Petru 2:9) UNkulunkulu uyakwazi ukuhlukanisa phakathi kwalabo abakufuna ngobuqotho ukuphila okungcono nalabo abenza ukuphila kwabanye kube lusizi. Abenza ukuphila kwabanye kube lusizi ubagcinele ‘ukubhujiswa kwabantu abangamhloniphi uNkulunkulu.’ Kodwa labo abafisa ukuba nokuthula, ubalungiselela umhlaba omusha lapho kuyohlala khona ukulunga.—2 Petru 3:7, 13.

Abalobi beBhayibheli babevame ukusebenzisa igama elithi “umhlaba” lapho bebhekisela esintwini. Ngokwesibonelo, uGenesise 11:1 uthi “umhlaba wonke,” okungabantu ababephila ngaleso sikhathi, wawukhuluma ulimi olulodwa. Umphostoli uPetru wayecabanga ngaleyo ncazelo lapho ebhala ‘ngomhlaba omusha.’ UJehova uNkulunkulu uyovuselela umphakathi wesintu ngendlela eyokwenza ukuba ukulunga nobulungisa buthathe indawo yobudlova nenzondo, ‘buhlale’ phakade ezweni. Esiprofethweni esilotshwe kuMika 4:3, iBhayibheli liyasitshela: “Ngokuqinisekile uyokhipha isahlulelo phakathi kwezizwe eziningi, alungise izindaba ngokuqondene nezizwe ezinamandla ezikude. Ziyokhanda izinkemba zazo zibe ngamageja nemikhonto yazo ibe ngocelemba. Ngeke ziphakamise inkemba, isizwe simelane nesizwe, futhi ngeke zisayifunda impi.”

Abantu bayophila kanjani lapho kugcwaliseka leso siprofetho? UMika 4:4 uthi: “Bayohlala, kube yilowo nalowo phansi komvini wakhe naphansi  komkhiwane wakhe, ngeke kube khona obenza bathuthumele.” Kulelo Pharadesi lasemhlabeni, akekho oyohlalela ovalweni esaba ukuhlasela okuzayo kwamaphekula. Ungasethemba yini leso sithembiso? Yebo, “ngoba wona kanye umlomo kaJehova wamabutho ukhulumile.”—Mika 4:4.

Ngakho, njengoba izinsongo zobuphekula zanda namazwe omhlaba ethuthumela ngenxa yobudlova, ikhambi labathandi bokuthula liwukuba bathembele kuJehova. Ayikho inkinga angenakuyixazulula. Uyosusa ukulimala, ukuhlupheka ngisho nokufa. IBhayibheli lithi: “Empeleni uyokugwinya ukufa kuze kube phakade, iNkosi EnguMbusi uJehova ngokuqinisekile iyosula izinyembezi ebusweni bonke.” (Isaya 25:8) Maduzane, amazwe ayigugu ezizwe eziningi, manje agcwele ubuhlungu nokwesaba ngenxa yobuphekula, ayochichima isithelo sokuthula. Lokho kuthula, okuthenjiswa uNkulunkulu “ongenakuqamba amanga,” kuyilokho kanye isintu esikudingayo.—Thithu 1:2; Hebheru 6:17, 18.