“Abantwana Bantekenteke”

‘Abantwana bantekenteke; ngizohamba kancane, ngejubane labantwana.’—UJakobe, uyise wezingane eziningi, ngekhulu le-18 B.C.E.

UKUPHATHWA kabi kwezingane akuyona into entsha. Imiphakathi yasendulo—njengama-Aztec, abaseFenike, ama-Inca namaKhanani—idume kabi ngomkhuba wokwenza umhlatshelo ngezingane. Imivubukulo edolobheni iCarthage eFenike (manje esemaphethelweni edolobha laseTunis, eNyakatho Afrika) yembula ukuthi phakathi kwekhulu lesihlanu nelesithathu B.C.E., izingane ezingaba ngu-20 000 zenziwa umhlatshelo kunkulunkulu uBali nakunkulunkulukazi uTanit! Leli nani lishaqisa nakakhulu lapho umuntu ecabanga ukuthi ngesikhathi iCarthage isachuma, kuthiwa inani labantu ababakhe khona lalingaba u-250 000 kuphela.

Nokho, kwakunomphakathi owodwa owawuhlukile. Nakuba sasihlala phakathi komakhelwane ababeziphatha ngonya izingane, isizwe sakwa-Israyeli sasivelele ngendlela esasiphatha ngayo izingane. Uyise waleso sizwe, inzalamizi uJakobe, wabeka isibonelo. Ngokwencwadi yeBhayibheli kaGenesise, lapho ebuyela ezweni lakubo, uJakobe wanciphisa ijubane lesixuku ayehamba naso ukuze izingane zingakhandleki. Wathi: “Abantwana bantekenteke.” Ngaleso sikhathi abantwana bakhe babeneminyaka ephakathi kwemihlanu nengu-14 ubudala. (Genesise 33:13, 14, NW) Inzalo yakhe, ama-Israyeli, yabonisa inhlonipho efanayo ngezidingo nesithunzi sezingane.

Ngokuqinisekile, kuningi izingane ezazikwenza ezikhathini zeBhayibheli. Njengoba babekhula, abafana babeqeqeshwa oyise kwezolimo, noma emisebenzini yezandla, njengokubaza. (Genesise 37:2; 1 Samuweli 16:11) Amantombazane, njengoba esekhaya, onina babewafundisa amakhono asendlini ayezoba usizo lapho esekhulile. URaheli, umkaJakobe, wayengumalusi lapho eseyintombazanyana. (Genesise 29:6-9) Abesifazane abasebasha babesebenza emasimini phakathi nesikhathi sokuvuna ukudla okusanhlamvu nasezivinini. (Ruthe 2:5-9; IsiHlabelelo seziHlabelelo 1:6)a Ngokuvamile umsebenzi onjalo wawenziwa ngaphansi kwesiqondiso sabazali sothando futhi wawuhlanganiswa nemfundo.

Ngesikhathi esifanayo, izingane ezincane kwa-Israyeli zaziyazi injabulo yokuphumula nokuzilibazisa. Umprofethi uZakariya wakhuluma ‘ngezitaladi zasemzini ezigcwele abafana namantombazane bedlala.’ (Zakariya 8:5) Kanti uJesu Kristu wakhuluma ngezingane ezazihlezi ezigcawini zibetha umtshingo futhi zidansa. (Mathewu 11:16, 17) Yini eyayibangela ukuba izingane ziphathwe ngenhlonipho kangako?

Izindinganiso Eziphakeme

Uma nje ama-Israyeli elalela imithetho kaNkulunkulu, ayengabaxhaphazi noma abahlukumeze abantwana bawo. (Qhathanisa uDuteronomi 18:10 noJeremiya 7:31.) Ayebheka amadodana namadodakazi awo ‘njengefa elivela kuJehova,’ ‘umvuzo.’ (IHubo 127:3-5) Umzali wayebheka abantwana bakhe ‘njengezithombo zomnqumo ezizungeza itafula lakhe’—futhi izihlahla zomnqumo zaziyigugu kakhulu kulowo mphakathi owawuthanda ezolimo! (IHubo 128:3-6) Isazi-mlando u-Alfred Edersheim siphawula ukuthi ngaphandle kwamagama athi indodana nelithi indodakazi, amaHeberu asendulo ayenamagama angu-9 achaza izingane, ngalinye lalichaza ibanga elihlukile lokuphila. Siyaphetha: “Ngokuqinisekile, labo ababeqaphela ukuphila kwengane kangangokuba baze banikeze igama elicacile lebanga ngalinye lokuphila, kumelwe ukuthi babezithanda ngempela izingane zabo.”

Enkathini yobuKristu, abazali báyalwa ukuba baphathe izingane zabo ngesizotha nangenhlonipho. UJesu wabeka isibonelo esivelele lapho esebenzelana nezingane zabanye abantu. Ngesinye isikhathi ngasekupheleni kwenkonzo yakhe yasemhlabeni, abantu baqala ukuletha izingane zabo kuye. Ngokunokwenzeka becabanga ukuthi uJesu wayematasa kungadingekile ukuba akhathazwe, abafundi bazama ukuvimbela abantu. Kodwa uJesu wakhuza abafundi bakhe, ethi: “Bayekeni abantwana abancane beze kimi; ningazami ukubavimba.” UJesu waze “wabasingatha abantwana.” Akungabazeki ukuthi wayebheka abantwana njengabayigugu nabakufanelekele ukuphathwa kahle.—Marku 10:14, 16; Luka 18:15-17.

Kamuva, umphostoli uPawulu wathi kobaba: “Ningabathukuthelisi abantwana benu, ukuze bangadangali.” (Kolose 3:21) Ngokuvumelana nalo myalo, abazali abangamaKristu, ngaleso sikhathi nanamuhla, abasoze bavumele izingane zabo ukuba zibe yizisulu zokusebenza ezimweni ezimbi. Bayaqaphela ukuthi ukuze izingane zikhule kahle ngokomzimba, ngokomzwelo nangokomoya, kudingeka kube nesimo sothando, ukukhathalela nokuphepha. Uthando lwangempela lwabazali kufanele lube sobala. Lokhu kuhlanganisa nokuvikela izingane zabo ezimweni zomsebenzi eziwohloza umzimba.

Amaqiniso Anamuhla

Yiqiniso, siphila ‘ezikhathini ezibucayi okunzima ukubhekana nazo.’ (2 Thimothewu 3:1-5) Ngenxa yesimo somnotho esibucayi, ngisho nemikhaya yamaKristu emazweni amaningi ingase ikuthole kudingeka ukudedela izingane zayo ziyosebenza. Njengoba sekuphawuliwe kakade, akukho lutho olubi ngomsebenzi owakhayo nozifundisayo izingane. Umsebenzi onjalo ungathuthukisa ukukhula kwengane okungokomzimba, okungokwengqondo, okungokomoya, okungokokuziphatha noma okungokwenhlalo ngaphandle kokuphazamisa umsebenzi wesikole, ukuzilibazisa okunokulinganisela nokuphumula okudingekayo.

Ngokungangabazeki, abazali abangamaKristu bafuna ukuba izingane zabo zisebenze ngaphansi kokuqondisa kwabo kothando, zingabi izigqila zabaqashi abanonya, abangenaluzwela noma abangathembekile. Abazali abanjalo bafuna ukuqiniseka ukuthi noma imuphi umsebenzi izingane zabo eziwenzayo awuzichayi engozini yokuxhashazwa ngokomzimba, ngokobulili, noma ngokomzwelo. Futhi, bafuna ukuba izingane zabo zihlale nabo. Ngale ndlela bangafeza indima yabo esekelwe eBhayibhelini yokuba abafundisi abangokomoya: “Ubafundise impela [amazwi kaNkulunkulu] abantwana bakho, uwakhulume lapho uhlezi endlini yakho, nalapho uhamba endleleni, nalapho ulala, nalapho uvuka.”—Duteronomi 6:6, 7.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, umKristu uyalwa ukuba abonise ukuzwelana, abe nokusondelana nobubele besisa. (1 Petru 3:8) Ukhuthazwa ukuba ‘asebenze okuhle kubo bonke.’ (Galathiya 6:10) Uma izimfanelo ezinjalo zokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu kufanele ziboniswe kubo bonke abantu, kangakanani-ke ezinganeni zomuntu ngokwakhe! Ngokuvumelana noMthetho Wegolide—“zonke izinto enifuna abantu bazenze kini, nani kumelwe nizenze ngokufanayo kubo”—amaKristu ngeke alokothe ahlukumeze izingane zabanye, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ezamaKristu akanye nawo noma cha. (Mathewu 7:12) Ngaphezu kwalokho, njengoba amaKristu eyizakhamuzi ezigcina umthetho, afuna ukuqaphela ukuba angeqi imithetho kahulumeni emayelana nobudala beminyaka yabantu abaqashwayo.—Roma 13:1.

Ikhambi Langempela

Kuthiwani ngekusasa? Kunezikhathi ezingcono eziseduze ezizojatshulelwa yizingane nabantu abadala. AmaKristu eqiniso ayaqiniseka ukuthi ikhambi laphakade lenkinga yokugqilazwa kwezingane liwuhulumeni wezwe ozayo iBhayibheli eliwubiza ngokuthi “umbuso wamazulu.” (Mathewu 3:2) Sekungamakhulu eminyaka abantu abesaba uNkulunkulu bethandazela lokhu lapho bethi: “Baba wethu osemazulwini, malingcweliswe igama lakho. Umbuso wakho mawuze. Intando yakho mayenzeke nasemhlabeni, njengasezulwini.”—Mathewu 6:9, 10.

Phakathi kokunye, lo Mbuso uyosusa izimo ezibangela ukugqilazwa kwezingane. Uyoqeda ubumpofu. ‘Umhlaba uyothela izithelo zawo; uNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu wethu, uyosibusisa.’ (IHubo 67:6) UMbuso kaNkulunkulu uyoqinisekisa ukuthi bonke abantu bathola imfundo efanele esekelwe ezimfanelweni zokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu. “Lapho izahlulelo [zikaNkulunkulu] zisemhlabeni, abakhileyo bezwe bafunda ukulunga.”—Isaya 26:9.

Uhulumeni kaNkulunkulu uyosusa izimiso zezomnotho ezibangela ukucwasana. Ngaleso sikhathi, ukubandlulula abanye ngenxa yohlanga, ezenhlalo, ubudala noma ubulili babo ngeke kusaba khona, ngoba umthetho oyinhloko walowo hulumeni kuyoba umthetho wothando, ohlanganisa lo myalo: “Kumelwe uthande umakhelwane wakho njengoba uzithanda wena.” (Mathewu 22:39) Ngaphansi kukahulumeni wezwe onjalo wokulunga, ukugqilazwa kwezingane kuyoqedwa ngokuphelele!

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 12]

Inkosikazi Idedela Amantombazane Ayisebenzelayo

IMINYAKA engu-15, uCeciliab wayenezindlu zezifebe kwesinye seziqhingi zaseCaribbean. Wayethenga amantombazane angu-12 kuya kwangu-15 ngesikhathi, iningi lawo lingaphansi kweminyaka engu-18 ubudala. La mantombazane ayephoqelelwa ukusebenza ukuze akhokhe izikweletu ezenziwa imikhaya yakubo. UCecilia wakhokha lezo zikweletu wayesethatha la mantombazane ukuba amsebenzele. Emalini ayeyihola, wayekhokhela ukudla nezindleko zawo abese egcina ingxenye ethile yemali ayewathenge ngayo. Kwathatha iminyaka eminingi ngaphambi kokuba la mantombazane athole inkululeko. La mantombazane ayengavunyelwe ukuba aphume endlini uma engahambi nonogada.

UCecilia usikhumbula kahle kakhulu esinye isenzakalo. Unina wenye intombazane eyisifebe wayefika isonto ngalinye ezothatha amabhokisi okudla—ukudla “okwakusetshenzelwa” yindodakazi yakhe. Leyo ntombazane yayinendodana eyayiyikhulisa. Yayihluleka ukukhokha izikweletu zayo futhi ingenathemba lokuthi iyoke ikhululeke. Ngolunye usuku yazibulala, yashiya incwadi ethi indodana yayo yayizonakekelwa inkosikazi ebaphethe. UCecilia wakhulisa lo mfana kanye nezingane zakhe ezine.

Enye yamadodakazi kaCecilia yaqala ukufunda iBhayibheli nezithunywa zevangeli zoFakazi BakaJehova. UCecilia wakhuthazwa ukuba naye ahlanganyele esifundweni, kodwa ekuqaleni wenqaba ngoba wayengakwazi ukufunda noma ukubhala. Nokho, kancane kancane, ngokulalela lapho kuxoxwa ngeBhayibheli, walubona uthando nokubekezela kukaNkulunkulu futhi waqala ukwazisa indlela athethelela ngayo. (Isaya 43:25) Ngenxa yokuthi wayefisa ukuzifundela iBhayibheli, ngokushesha waqala ukufunda ukuzifundela nokubhala. Njengoba ayethuthuka olwazini lweBhayibheli, wasibona isidingo sokuvumelana nezimiso zikaNkulunkulu zokuziphatha eziphakeme.

Ngolunye usuku, amantombazane amangala lapho ewatshela ukuthi ayengahamba uma ethanda! Wawachazela ukuthi lokho ayekwenza kwakungamthokozisi uJehova. Wonke awazange amkhokhele imali ayemkweleta yona. Nokho, amabili anquma ukuqhubeka ehlala naye. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi enye yaba uFakazi obhapathiziwe. Sekuyiminyaka engu-11 manje uCecilia engumfundisi weBhayibheli wesikhathi esigcwele, esiza abanye abantu ukuba bayeke imikhuba ehlazisa uNkulunkulu.

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