SONKE siyakholelwa ukuba nguYehova okhokela abantu bakhe, ibe ubanika izinto abazidingayo ukuze bahlale besondele kuye kule ‘mihla yokugqibela.’ (2 Tim. 3:1) Ngoko sonke simele simthobele uYehova. Siyafana namaSirayeli awayesentlango. Kwakufuneka athobele xa amaxilongo ekhala.

UYehova wathi uMoses makenze amaxilongo amabini esilivere ‘awakhalise xa eqokelela ibandla naxa esithi makuhanjwe.’ (Num. 10:2) Ababingeleli babewavuthela la maxilongo ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo, ukuze abantu bayazi ukuba mabenze ntoni. (Num. 10:3-8) Namhlanje, abantu bakaThixo bachazelwa ngendlela ezahlukeneyo izinto amabazenze. Kweli nqaku siza kuthetha ngeendlela ezintathu esichazelwa ngazo izinto esimele sizenze, size sibone ukuba zifana njani nokukhala kwamaxilongo kwaSirayeli. Ezi ndlela zintathu kuxa simenywe kwiindibano, xa abadala beqeqeshwa naxa kukho utshintsho ebandleni.

Xa uYehova wayefuna “lonke ibandla” liqokelelane ngakwicala elingasempuma lomnyango wentente engcwele, ababingeleli babewavuthela omabini amaxilongo. (Num. 10:3) Zonke izizwe ezazimise iinkampu kumacala omane entente engcwele zaziweva loo maxilongo. Izizwe ezazimise iinkampu ngasemnyango zazizakukhawuleza zifike. Ezinye ezazikude zaziza kuhamba kakhulu zona, ibe zaziza kuthatha ixesha ukuba zifike. Noba zazikude okanye zazikufutshane uYehova wayefuna zonke ziqokelelane ukuze zive imiyalelo.

Namhlanje asiqokelelani kwintente engcwele, kodwa siyamenywa ukuze sihlanganisane nabantu bakaThixo. Siye simenywe kwiindibano nakwezinye iintlanganiso ezikhethekileyo, ukuze sichazelwe izinto ezibalulekileyo size sinikwe nemiyalelo. Kuwo onke amazwe asemhlabeni abantu bakaYehova bafundiswa ngendlela efanayo. Ukuba siyaya xa simenyiwe kuba mnandi ukuhlanganisa kunye nabanye abantu abonwabileyo. Abanye basuka kwiindawo ezikude, abanye bakufutshane. Kodwa bonke abayayo xa bemenywa abazisoli ngokuya.

Benza njani bona abahlala kude kakhulu, abangakwaziyo ukuza xa sihlanganise kwezi ndibano? Nabo bayafundiswa bencedwa yiteknoloji, baze bazive bekunye nabantu bakaThixo. Ngokomzekelo, xa ummeli wekomkhulu wayetyelele isebe laseBenin, abazalwana abakwiNtlango iSahara eNiger bakwazi ukumamela olu cwangciso beseArlit, idolophu enemigodi. Kwakukho abantu abayi-21, abazalwana noodade, nabantu abamenyiweyo. Nangona babe kwindawo ekude kodwa yayingathi bakunye nabazalwana babo abayi-44 131. Omnye  umzalwana wathi: “Sinibulela ngokusuka emazantsi eentliziyo zethu ngokusinceda sifumane olu cwangciso. Into eniyenzileyo isincede sabona ukuba nisithanda kangakanani.”

Xa ababingeleli bakwaSirayeli babevuthela ixilongo elinye babebiza kuphela “iinkosi, iintloko zamawaka akwaSirayeli” kwintente engcwele. (Num. 10:4) Apho, uMoses wayeza kuziqeqesha aze azifundise, loo nto yayiza kuzinceda zikwazi ukwenza imisebenzi yazo kwizizwe zazo. Ukuba wawuyinkosi, ngaba wawungazukwenza konke onako ukuze ube khona uze ufundiswe?

Namhlanje, abadala bamabandla “abazonkosi” ibe abazenzi abalawuli bomhlambi kaThixo abawuphathisiweyo. (1 Pet. 5:1-3) Kodwa bazama ngamandla abo onke ukuwalusa umhlambi. Yiyo loo nto besiya xa bemenywe kwiSikolo Sobulungiseleli SoBukumkani ukuze baqeqeshwe. Kwesi sikolo abadala baye bafunde indlela yokuzenza kakuhle izinto zebandla. Ngenxa yaloo nto abadala nebandla, batsho bakwazi ukusondela kuYehova. Nomntu osebandleni ongazange aye kwesi sikolo kuba ngathi wayeyile, ngoba abadala izinto abazifunde esikolweni babuya bazokuzenza ebandleni.

Ngamanye amaxesha ababingeleli bakwaSirayeli babewavuthela ngesandi esitshintsha-tshintshayo amaxilongo. Ngaloo ndlela amaSirayeli ayexelelwa ukuba ahambe. (Num. 10:5, 6) Xa amaSirayeli ayehamba yayisiba ngumsebenzi, kodwa yonke loo nto yayisenzeka ngocwangco. Ngamanye amaxesha abanye babeye bangafuni ncam ukuhamba. Ngoba?

Mhlawumbi abanye babesithi bahanjiswa qho, xa beqala ukuthi vu, kuthiwe mabahambe. IBhayibhile ithi: ‘Kungakhathaliseki ukuba ilifu lihlala ixesha elide phezu kwentente engcwele, amaSirayeli ayehlala enkampini. Kodwa xa liye laphakama ayehamba.’ “Ngamanye amaxesha ilifu lalihlala ukususela ngokuhlwa kude kuse, yaye laliphakama kwakusa.” Ngamanye amaxesha lalihlala “iintsuku ezimbini, inyanga, okanye ixesha elide.” (Num. 9:21, 22) Yenzeka kangaphi yonke le nto yokumane ehamba? INumeri isahluko 33 ichaza iindawo eziyi-40 amaSirayeli ayemane emisa iinkampu kuzo.

Ngamanye amaxesha, amanye amaSirayeli ayefumana indawo enomthunzi. Kumele ukuba kwakumnandi ukuhlala kwindawo enomthunzi kule ntlango inkulu yoyikekayo. (Dut. 1:19) Ngoko abanye xa behamba babesenokucinga ukuba basenokungaphindi bayifumane indawo enomthunzi.

Xa izizwe zokuqala zihamba, kusenokuba kwakunzima kwezaziza kulandela ukulinda ixesha lazo lokuhamba. Bonke abantu babeweva amaxilongo xa ekhala ngendlela esitshintsha-tshintshayo, kodwa babengahambi ngexesha elinye. Xa ekhala okokuqala la maxilongo ngendlela etshintsha-tshintshayo, ayethetha ukuba izizwe ezihlala ngasempuma, isizwe sakwaYuda, esakwaIsakare nesakwaZebhulon zazimele zihambe. (Num. 2:3-7; 10:5, 6) Emva kokuba zimkile, ababingeleli babewavuthela amaxilongo okwesibini ngendlela efanayo ukuze izizwe ezihlala ngasemzantsi zilandele. Ababingeleli babeqhubeka beyenza le nto de zonke izizwe zihambe.

Mhlawumbi nakuwe kuye kwanzima ukwamkela izinto ezitshintshayo kwintlangano. Ngoba? Mhlawumbi uye wacinga ukuba zisuke zaninzi izinto ezitshintshayo. Mhlawumbi kukho izinto obuzithanda nobunethemba lokuba azizutshintsha. Noba sithini isizathu sakho, mhlawumbi uye weva umonde wakho uvavanywa, ibe akukhange kubelula ukuqhelana nezinto ezitshintshileyo. Kodwa ukuba siyazimisela ukuzamkela izinto ezitshintshayo, siza kubona ukuba zinceda kwa thina ibe uYehova uyasithanda.

Ngexesha likaMoses uYehova wakhokela iimiliyoni zamadoda, amabhinqa nabantwana entlango. Ukuba wayengabakhokeli aze abakhathalele, babengasoze baphile. Kule mihla yokugqibela iyingozi uYehova uyasikhokela, usinceda sisondele kuye size sigcine ukholo lwethu luqinile. Akwaba ke sonke singazimisela ukuthobela xa amaxilongo anamhlanje ekhala, njengokuba enzayo amaSirayeli.