EMINYAKENI eminengi eyadlulako, amakhotho wakenye inarha amukela ubufakazi obumamala malungana nabantu ababili abamangalelwa ngokubulala, bebafumana isigwebo sentambo. Indaba yathi nayivelako bona ubufakazobu bebumamala, aboqcwetha benza koke abangakwenza ukuvikela omunye wabasolwaba. Kodwana beyingekho into abangayenza ngebanga lokuthi—omunye ungazimbi besele abulewe.

Ngebanga lokuhlanakezelwa kobulungiswa kinanyana ngiwuphi umkhakha wakezomthetho, iBhayibheli lithi: “Yenzani ubulungiswa kwaphela.” (Duteronomi 16:20) Abahluleli nabakulandelako lokhu, nabantu bayazuza. UmThetho kaZimu wanikela ama-Israyeli wekadeni ikambiso engokomthetho malungana nokubandlulula nobulungiswa. Akhesihlole umthetho loyo sikwazi ukubona ukuthi ‘zoke iindlela [zakaZimu] zilungile.’—Duteronomi 32:4.

Abahluleli nabalandela ubulungiswa ngaphandle kokuhlanakela umthetho, neentlhogo zabantu ziqalelelwa kuhle. UmThetho kaZimu kuma-Israyeli wababekela isisekelo esinamandla abahluleli bangesikhatheso. Nabathoma ikhambo labo lemangweni, uMosi watjelwa bona ‘akhethe [amadoda] anekghono, asaba uZimu, athembekileko nazonda ukufunjathiswa bese uwabeka bonyana abe ziinduna.’ (Eksodusi 18:21, 22) Kwathi ngemva kwamatjhumi amane weminyaka, wabuya wagandelela itlhogeko ‘yamadoda ahlakaniphileko, anombono nanelemuko’ bona ahlulele abantu.—Duteronomi 1:13-17.

Ngemva kwamakhulu weminyaka, iKosi uJehotjhafathi * yakwaJuda yatjela abahluleli ukuthi: “Tjhejani lokho enikwenzako ngombana anigwebeli abantu kodwana nigwebela [uJehova] uZimu ohlala anani njalo lokha nanikhupha isigwebo. Nje-ke ukwesaba [uJehova] akube phezu kwenu, nigwebe ngokutlhogomela ngombana uJehova uZimethu akukho ukungalungi, akunasikhozi namkha ukufunjathiswa.” (2 IinKronike 19:6, 7, NW) Ikosi yakhumbuza abahluleli ukuthi nengabe ukubandlulula namarhamaru kuba nomthelela eenquntweni ezithathwako, uZimu bekazobabeka umlandu ngananyana ngimuphi umphumela omumbi obowuzokuba khona.

Bekuthi abahluleli bakwa-Israyeli nabalandela imithethokambiso kaZimu, isizwe besizizwa siphephile begodu sivikelekile. UmThetho lo bewubuye godu usize abahluleli bona bakwazi ukusebenzisa iinkambisolawulo ngendlela elungileko, ngitjho nanyana ubujamo bumaphorodlha. Ngiziphi ezinye zeenkambisolawulwezo?

Nanyana abahluleli ebebakhethwa bekumadoda ahlakaniphileko nanelemuko, kodwana nasiza endabeni yokwenza iinqunto bebangakavumeleki ukuzenza ngokuya ngamazizwabo namkha amakghono abanawo. UJehova uZimu wabanikela iinqophiso namkha iinkambisolawulo enzelela bona bakwazi ukwenza iinqunto ezilungileko. Nanzi ezinye zeenqophiso ezanikelwa abahluleli bakwa-Israyeli.

Akwenziwe iphenyisiso. UZimu walaya abahluleli bama-Israyeli, asebenzisa uMosi wathi: “Lalelani  imilandu ngokufanako hlangana komuntu nomuntu; nigwebe ngokulunga.” (Duteronomi 1:16) Abahluleli bebathatha isiqunto esifaneleko kwaphela nebafumene woke amaqiniso wendaba. Ngebangelo uZimu walaya egade baqalelela iindaba zokwahlulela ukuthi: ‘babuzisise bese bayafunisisa bakhambe babuza ngokuzimisela.’ Abahluleli ekhotho bekufuze baqiniseke bona isahlulelo somlandu ‘siliqiniso mbala’ ngaphambi kobana baragele phambili necala.—Duteronomi 13:14; 17:4.

Ukuzwa abofakazi bendaba. Bekuqakathekile ukuzwa lokho okutjhiwo bofakazi malungana nephenyo. UmThetho kaZimu wayibeka ngokuzwakalako nawuthi: “Ningathathi ubufakazi bomuntu oyedwa emlandwini wokusolwa komuntu owenze ubulelesi namkha owone nganamkha ngimuphi umlandu. Akube nabofakazi ababili namkha abathathu ngaphambi kobana ningalalela umlandu lowo.” (Duteronomi 19:15) Nawukhuluma nabofakazi, umThetho kaZimu wathi: “Ungarhatjhi iindaba ezimamala. Ungazibandakanyi nesikhohlakali ngokuba ngufakazi wobukhohlakali.”—Eksodusi 23:1.

Kutlhogeka nokuthembeka kilabo abethula ubufakazi. Isigwebo ebesifunyanwa mumuntu oleya amala ngekhotho besiba budisi khulu: “Abagwebi bazabaphenyisisa bese nakube ufakazi loyo ngowamanga begodu ufungele umfowabo ngamanga, yenzani kuye lokho ebegade akuhlose ngomfowabo. Ngaleyondlela nizabe nithanyela ubumbi phakathi kwenu.” (Duteronomi 19:18, 19) Bekuthi nengabe omunye ukhulume amanga ekhotho ngokuthi athathe amafa womunye umuntu, bekuzakufanele abhadele umuntu loyo isilinganiso esifanako. Nangabe ukhulume amanga ngokuthomelela umuntu onganamlandu, umuntu loyo abe abulawe, naye bekazokubhadela ngepilwakhe. Isinqophiswesi besigandelela bona kukhulunywe iqiniso.

Ukwahlulela ngokungakhethi. Bekuthi bangafumana woke amaqiniso wendaba, kukhona-ke abahluleli bathatha isiqunto. Kilelizinga, umThetho kaZimu  wadlala indima eqakathekileko: “Ningahlanakezeli isigwebo; ungakhethi ubuso besichaka namkha nijamele onothileko. Gwebani abantu bekhenu ngokulunga.” (Levitikusi 19:15) Kiwo woke amaphenyo weendaba abahluleli bekufuze bahlulele ngamaqiniso, ingasi ngokuqaleka komuntu namkha ngokuya ngokwesikhundla anaso.

Iinkambisolawulwezi, ezatlolwa ngokukhanyako emakhulwini weminyaka eyadlulako emThethweni kaZimu kuma-Israyeli, zingasetjenziswa nemakhotho namhlanjesi. Nazilandelwa kuhle, kungabalekelwa ukuhlanakelwa komthetho, kunye nemitjhapho.

UMosi wabuza ama-Israyeli wathi: “Godu ngisiphi isizwe esikhulu esineemiso nemithetho elunge njengawo woke umyalo engininikela wona namhlanje lo?” (Duteronomi 4:8) Kwamambala, abakho abantu abathabela iinzuzwezo njengesizwe sama-Israyeli. Nakusabusa iKosi uSolomoni, owathi ebutjheni bakhe wafanelekela ukuphatha umthetho kaJehova, abantu: “baphila ngokuphepha” bahlala ngokuthula banotha, “bangatlhogi okudliwako nokuselwako, bajekezela.”—1 AmaKhosi 4:20, 25.

Okudanisako, ama-Israyeli amhlanakela uZimabo. Asebenzisa umphorofidi uJoromiya, uZimu wathi: “Mbala, balahle ilizwi lakaSomnini [uJehova, NW]! Alo, kuhlakanipha bani-ke abanakho?” (Joromiya 8:9) Umphumela ngeJerusalema waba: ‘lidorobho leengazi’ elizele “izinto ezinyenyisako.” Isiphethosalo latjhiwa limarubhi iminyaka ema-70.—Hezekiyeli 22:2; NW Joromiya 25:11.

Umphorofidi u-Isaya waphila ngesikhathi sama-Israyeli ebesibudisi emlandweni. Nawubuyela emva ngendaba le, watjhukumiseleka bona abikezele iqiniso ngoJehova nomThethwakhe: “Lokha iingwebo zakho nazisephasini, abahlali belizwe bafunda okulungileko.”—Isaya 26:9.

Athatjiswe kukuzwa lokhu, u-Isaya waphefumulelwa bona aphorofide ngokubusa kweKosi uMesiya, uJesu Krestu athi: ‘Ayizukugweba ngokubona kwayo namkha iqunte ngezwabethi. Iye, izakugweba abadududu ngokulunga, kwabasweleko bephasi iqinte ngokulinganako.’ (Isaya 11:3, 4) Qala bona lokhu kuzokuba yinto ethabisa kangangani kibo boke abazakuba zizakhamuzi zeKosi uMesiya ngaphasi kokubusa komBuso kaZimu!—Matewu 6:10.