MANDULO phayaa, iinkundla zomthetho zelizwe laseNtshona zamkela ubungqina obungachananga obabambisa amadoda amabini awayetyholwa ngokubulala, zaza zawagwebela ukufa. Xa kwacacayo ukuba obu bungqina abuchananga, amagqwetha asebenza nzima ezama ukukhulula enye yala madoda. Kodwa awazange akwazi ukuyikhulula indoda yesibini kuba yayisele ibulewe.

Ngenxa yokuba okungekho sikweni kunokubakho kulo naliphi na icandelo lezomthetho, iBhayibhile iyabongoza: “Okusesikweni—okusesikweni uze ukusukele.” (Duteronomi 16:20) Xa abagwebi bewuthobela lo mthetho, abantu bayancedakala. UThixo wanika abagwebi boSirayeli wamandulo umthetho owawuza kubenza bangathathi cala baze bagwebe ngobulungisa. Makhe sijonge loo Mthetho ukuze sibone ukuba “zonke iindlela [zikaThixo] zisesikweni” kusini na.—Duteronomi 32:4.

Abantu bayancedakala xa abagwebi begweba ngokufanelekileyo nangokusesikweni. UMthetho uThixo awawunika amaSirayeli wawuyalela ukuba kukhethwe abagwebi abanjalo. Ekuqaleni kohambo olude lwasentlango, uMoses wayalelwa ukuba afune “amadoda afanelekileyo, amoyikayo uThixo, amadoda akholosekileyo, ayithiyileyo ingeniso yokungekho sikweni,” ukuze abe ngabagwebi. (Eksodus 18:21, 22) Kwiminyaka eyi-40 emva koko, waphinda wagxininisa imfuneko ‘yamadoda azizilumko, aziingqondi nanamava.’—Duteronomi 1:13-17.

Kumakhulu eminyaka kamva, uKumkani uYehoshafati * wakwaYuda wacebisa abagwebi wathi: “Kulumkeleni oko nikwenzayo, ngenxa yokuba anigwebi ngenxa yomntu kodwa kungenxa kaYehova; yaye unani ke kumbandela wokugweba. Ke kaloku vumelani ukunkwantya kuYehova kube kuni. Lumkani nize nithabathe inyathelo, kuba uYehova uThixo wethu akanantswela-bulungisa nakukhetha buso okanye kuthabatha sinyobo.” (2 Kronike 19:6, 7) Lo kumkani wayebakhumbuza abagwebi ukuba xa izigqibo zabo zibonisa ukuthabatha icala, uThixo wayeya kuliphosa kubo ityala lengozi eyehlayo.

Xa abagwebi bakwaSirayeli bethobela loo mithetho iphakamileyo, isizwe sasiziva sinqabisekile yaye sikhuselekile. Kodwa uMthetho kaThixo wawukwanemigaqo eyayinceda abagwebi benze izigqibo zobulungisa, nkqu nakumatyala anzima. Yeyiphi eminye yaloo migaqo?

Nakubeni kwakukhethwa abagwebi ababenobulumko nababefaneleka, kwakungafuneki bathembele kubuchule babo. UYehova uThixo wayebanike imigaqo okanye imithetho eyayiza kubanceda bagwebe kakuhle. Nantsi eminye imigaqo eyanikwa abagwebi bakwaSirayeli.

Phanda ngokucokisekileyo. Esebenzisa uMoses, uThixo wayalela abagwebi bakwaSirayeli wathi: “Xa nilamla phakathi kwabazalwana benu, nize  nigwebe ngobulungisa.” (Duteronomi 1:16) Abagwebi banokugweba ngobulungisa kuphela xa besazi yonke into ngetyala. Ngenxa yoko uThixo wayalela abo bagwebayo wathi: “Uze uphande, uhlolisise, ubuzise ngokucokisekileyo.” Abagwebi enkundleni babefanele baqiniseke ukuba isityholo sommangalelwa ‘siyinyaniso’ ngaphambi kokuwisa isigwebo.—Duteronomi 13:14; 17:4.

Makubekho ubungqina. Into ethethwe ngamangqina yayibalulekile xa kuphandwa. UMthetho kaThixo wawusithi: “Ze kungesuki kuwe ngqina linye ngenxa yaso nasiphi na isiphoso okanye nasiphi na isono somntu, nokuba sisiphi na isono asenzileyo. Lifanele ilizwi limiswe ngomlomo wamangqina amabini okanye ngomlomo wamangqina amathathu.” (Duteronomi 19:15) Kumangqina lawo, uMthetho kaThixo wawusithi: “Uze ungayithabathi ingxelo yobuxoki. Ungasebenzisani nongendawo ngokuthi ube lingqina lobubi.”—Eksodus 23:1.

Kulindeleke ukuba amangqina athethe inyaniso. Ukuxoka enkundleni kwakunesohlwayo esiqatha esisesi: “Bamele baphandisise ngokucokisekileyo abagwebi, yaye ukuba ingqina elo lilingqina lobuxoki kwaye lizise isimangalo sobuxoki ngomzalwana walo, nize nenze kulo kanye njengoko belicebe ukwenza ngako kumzalwana walo, nibususe ke ububi phakathi kwenu.” (Duteronomi 19:18, 19) Ngoko ukuba umntu uxokisa inkundla ukuze afumane ilifa lomnye, wayeza kohluthelwa elakhe. Ukuba uyixokisa ngenjongo yokuba kubulawe umntu ongenatyala, kwakuza kubulawa yena. Lo mgaqo wawukhuthaza ukuba kuthethwe inyaniso.

Gwebani ngokungenamkhethe. Emva kokuva bonke ubungqina, abagwebi babewisa isigwebo. Kwakubalulekile ukuba bakhumbule uMthetho kaThixo othi: “Uze ungamphathi ngomkhethe osweleyo, yaye ungakhethi ubuso besikhulu. Uze usigwebe ngokusesikweni isinxulumani sakho.” (Levitikus 19:15) Ngalo lonke ixesha, abagwebi  babemele bagwebe ngokunyaniseka bengaqhathwa yimbonakalo yomntu okanye isikhundla akuso.

Le migaqo uThixo awayinika amaSirayeli kwiminyaka emininzi eyadlulayo, inokuba luncedo nakule mihla ezinkundleni. Xa ilandelwa, kungagwetywa ngokufanelekileyo.

UMoses wabuza amaSirayeli wathi: “Luluphi na uhlanga olukhulu olunemimiselo nezigwebo zobulungisa njengalo mthetho wonke ndiwubekayo phambi kwenu namhlanje?” (Duteronomi 4:8) Enyanisweni, lwalungekho olunye ngaphandle kwamaSirayeli. Ngethuba lokulawula kukaKumkani uSolomon, ngoxa wayethobela imithetho kaYehova ebutsheni bakhe, abantu ‘babenqabisekile’ yaye beseluxolweni, “besidla kwaye besela benemihlali.”—1 Kumkani 4:20, 25.

Okubuhlungu kukuba, amaSirayeli kamva amshiya uThixo wawo. Esebenzisa umprofeti uYeremiya, uThixo wathi: ‘Khangela! Baligatyile ilizwi likaYehova, banabuphi na ke ubulumko?’ (Yeremiya 8:9) Ngenxa yoko iYerusalem yaba ‘sisixeko esinetyala legazi nesizele zizinto ezicekisekayo.’ Ekugqibeleni yatshatyalaliswa, yahlala ingenabantu iminyaka eyi-70.—Hezekile 22:2; Yeremiya 25:11.

Umprofeti uIsaya wayephila kwelona xesha lakha lalibi kwimbali yamaSirayeli. Ecinga ngexesha langaphambili, wathetha le nyaniso ngoYehova uThixo nangeMithetho yakhe: “Xa imigwebo yakho iziswa emhlabeni, ngokuqinisekileyo abemi belizwe elinemveliso baya kufunda ubulungisa.”—Isaya 26:9.

Kwamvuyisa uIsaya ukuphefumlelwa kwakhe ukuba aprofete ngokulawula kukaKumkani onguMesiya uYesu Kristu esithi: “Akayi kugweba ngayo nayiphi na imbonakalo nje esemehlweni akhe, engayi kohlwaya ngokwento nje eviwe ziindlebe zakhe. Uya kuzigweba izisweli ngobulungisa, abohlwaye ngokuthe tye abo balulamileyo bomhlaba.” (Isaya 11:3, 4) Elinjani lona ithemba elimangalisayo abanalo abo baza kulawulwa nguKumkani onguMesiya kuBukumkani bukaThixo!—Mateyu 6:10.