Lingisa Ubuqotho Buka-Ithayi

“MIKHULU iyamangalisa imisebenzi yakho, Jehova Nkulunkulu, Mninimandla onke. Zilungile futhi ziyiqiniso izindlela zakho, Nkosi yaphakade. Ubani ongeke ngempela akwesabe, Jehova, akhazimulise igama lakho, ngoba wena wedwa uthembekile?” Le ngoma, eyahlatshelelwa ezulwini ‘yilabo abanqoba isilo sasendle nomfanekiso waso,’ iqokomisa ukwethembeka noma ubuqotho bukaNkulunkulu. (IsAm. 15:2-4) UJehova ufuna abakhulekeli bakhe bamlingise ekuboniseni le mfanelo efiselekayo.—Efe. 4:24.

Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uSathane uDeveli wenza konke okusemandleni akhe ukuze ahlukanise izinceku zikaNkulunkulu zasemhlabeni nothando lukaNkulunkulu ezimkhulekelayo. Naphezu kwalokho, eziningi ziye zahlala ziqotho kuNkulunkulu ngisho nangaphansi kwezimo ezinzima kakhulu. Yeka ukuthi sibonga kanjani ngokuthi uJehova ukwazisa kakhulu ukuzinikela okunjalo! Yebo, siyaqinisekiswa: “UJehova ungumthandi wobulungisa, futhi ngeke abashiye abaqotho bakhe.” (IHu. 37:28) Ukuze asisize ukuba sihlale siqotho, uye waloba  eZwini lakhe umlando wezenzo zabantu abaningi abaqotho. Lowo mlando uhlanganisa noka-Ithayi umGiti.

‘Wayengowesinye Isizwe Futhi Edingisiwe’

Cishe u-Ithayi wayedabuka emzini odumile wamaFilisti waseGati, umuzi womdondoshiya uGoliyati kanye nezinye izitha ezinkulu zika-Israyeli. Sifunda ngokokuqala ngo-Ithayi, iqhawe elimnkantsh’ ubomvu, lapho u-Absalomu evukela iNkosi uDavide. Ngaleso sikhathi, u-Ithayi namadoda angamaFilisti angu-600 akanye naye babesekudingisweni endaweni engaseJerusalema.

Isimo sika-Ithayi nabalandeli bakhe kungenzeka sakhumbuza uDavide isikhathi lapho yena namabutho akwa-Israyeli angu-600 bebalekela ezweni lamaFilisti futhi behlala endaweni ka-Akhishi, inkosi yaseGati. (1 Sam. 27:2, 3) Yini u-Ithayi namadoda akanye naye ababezoyenza njengoba uDavide evukelwa indodana yakhe u-Absalomu? Ingabe babeyosekela u-Absalomu, noma babengeke bathathe uhlangothi noma babeyosekela uDavide namadoda akhe?

Bona ngeso lengqondo njengoba uDavide ebaleka eJerusalema futhi ema endaweni ebizwa ngokuthi iBheti-merihaki, okusho ukuthi “Indlu Eqhelile.” Lena cishe indlu yokugcina eJerusalema ngaseNtabeni Yeminqumo ngaphambi kokuba unqamule iSigodi SaseKidroni. (2 Sam. 15:17) Uma efika lapha, uDavide uhlola amabutho akhe njengoba edlula. Bheka! Ngaphandle nje kwama-Israyeli aqotho, kukhona namaKhereti nawo wonke amaPheleti. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kukhona wonke amaGiti—u-Ithayi namabutho akhe angu-600.—2 Sam. 15:18.

Eshukunyiswa uzwela olusuka enhliziyweni, uDavide uthi ku-Ithayi: “Kungani nawe kufanele uhambe nathi? Phindela emuva uhlale nenkosi [cishe wayesho u-Absalomu]; ngoba wena ungowesinye isizwe, futhi ngaphandle kwalokho, udingisiwe endaweni yakini. Bekuyizolo lapho ufika, ingabe namuhla kufanele ngikwenze uzulazule kanye nathi, ukuba uhambe lapho ngihamba khona futhi uye nomaphi lapho ngiya khona? Buyela emuva uthathe abafowenu kanye nawe, [futhi kwangathi uJehova angakubonisa] umusa wothando nokwethembeka!”—2 Sam. 15:19, 20.

Amazwi u-Ithayi aphendula ngawo uDavide abonisa ubuqotho obungantengantengi. Uthi: “Kuphila kukaJehova nokuphila kwenkosi yami inkosi, lapho inkosi yami inkosi ingaba khona, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kungenjongo yokuba ife noma ukuba iphile, yilapho inceku yakho iyoba khona!” (2 Sam. 15:21) La mazwi kungenzeka akhumbuza uDavide amazwi acishe afane nawo ashiwo ukhokho wakhe uRuthe. (Ruthe 1:16, 17) Amazwi ka-Ithayi amthinta inhliziyo uDavide, futhi wathi kuye: “Hamba uwele” iSigodi SaseKidroni. Ngakho, “u-Ithayi umGiti wawela, kanjalo nawo wonke amadoda ayengaphansi kwakhe nabo bonke abancane ababenaye.”—2 Sam. 15:22.

“Ukuba Kufundiswe Thina”

AmaRoma 15:4 athi: “Zonke izinto ezalotshwa esikhathini esingaphambili zalotshelwa ukuba kufundiswe thina.” Ngakho senza kahle ngokuzibuza, Yiziphi izifundo esingazifunda esibonelweni sika-Ithayi? Cabanga ngokuthi yini okungenzeka yamshukumisela ukuba abe qotho kuDavide. Nakuba ayengumFilisti futhi edingisiwe, u-Ithayi waqaphela ukuthi uJehova unguNkulunkulu ophilayo nokuthi uDavide ungogcotshiweyo wakhe. U-Ithayi akazange agxile ebutheni obabukhona phakathi kwama-Israyeli namaFilisti. Akazange abheke uDavide njengendoda nje eyabulala iqhawe lamaFilisti uGoliyati kanye nenqwaba yabantu bakubo. (1 Sam. 18:6, 7) U-Ithayi wabheka uDavide njengomuntu owayethanda uJehova futhi ngokungangabazeki waqaphela izimfanelo zikaDavide ezinhle kakhulu. NoDavide wamazisa kakhulu u-Ithayi. Phela, uDavide waze wabeka ingxenye yesithathu yamabutho akhe “ngaphansi kwesandla sika-Ithayi” empini engumnqamulajuqu abayilwa namabutho ka-Absalomu!—2 Sam. 18:2.

Nathi kufanele silwele ukungabheki ukungafani kwamasiko, uhlanga noma ubuzwe—ubandlululo noma ubutha okungenzeka sisenakho—kodwa sibheke izimfanelo ezinhle  kwabanye. Ubuhlobo obakheka phakathi kukaDavide no-Ithayi bubonisa ukuthi ukwazi nokuthanda uJehova kungasisiza sinqobe imizwa enjalo yobandlululo.

Njengoba sicabanga ngesibonelo sika-Ithayi, singazibuza: ‘Ingabe ngibonisa ubuqotho obunjengobuka-Ithayi kuDavide Omkhulu, uKristu Jesu? Ingabe ngibonisa ubuqotho bami ngokuhlanganyela ngentshiseko emsebenzini wokushumayela ngoMbuso nowokwenza abafundi?’ (Math. 24:14; 28:19, 20) ‘Ngizimisele ukukhuthazela kangakanani ukuze ngibonise ubuqotho bami?’

Izinhloko zemikhaya nazo ziyazuza ngokuzindla ngesibonelo sika-Ithayi sokuba qotho. Ukwethembeka kwakhe kuDavide kanye nesinqumo sakhe sokuhamba nenkosi egcotshwe uNkulunkulu kwawathinta amadoda ka-Ithayi. Ngendlela efanayo, izinqumo ezenziwa izinhloko zemikhaya ukuze zisekele ukukhulekela kweqiniso zithinta imikhaya yazo futhi zingase zilethe ngisho nobunzima besikhashana. Noma kunjalo, siyaqinisekiswa: “Koqotho [uJehova] uyokwenza ngobuqotho.”—IHu. 18:25.

Ngemva kwempi kaDavide no-Absalomu, imiBhalo ayibe isasho lutho ngo-Ithayi. Noma kunjalo, lokho okuncane esitshelwa khona ngaye eZwini likaNkulunkulu kusenza siqonde ubuntu bakhe obuhle phakathi naleso sikhathi esinzima ekuphileni kukaDavide. Ukufakwa kwendaba ka-Ithayi emlandweni ophefumulelwe kuwubufakazi bokuthi uJehova uyabuqaphela futhi uyabuvuza ubuqotho obunjalo.—Heb. 6:10.