“Ukulalela Kungcono Kunomhlatshelo”

INKOSI yokuqala yakwa-Israyeli wasendulo kwakunguSawule. Nakuba yayikhethwe uNkulunkulu weqiniso, ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ayibange isalalela.

Iziphi izinto ezimbi ezenziwa uSawule? Wayengeke yini akwazi ukuzigwema? Singazuza kanjani ngokucabangela isibonelo sakhe?

UJehova Wembula Inkosi Ayikhethile

Ngaphambi kokuba uSawule abe inkosi, umprofethi uSamuweli wayekhonza njengommeleli kaNkulunkulu kwa-Israyeli. Manje uSamuweli wayesemdala futhi amadodana akhe ayengathembekile. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, isizwe sasisongelwa izitha. Lapho amadoda amadala akwa-Israyeli ecela uSamuweli ukuba amise inkosi eyayizobahlulela futhi ibahole empini, uJehova waqondisa lo mprofethi ukuba agcobe uSawule njengomholi wabe esethi: “Uzosindisa abantu bami esandleni samaFilisti.”—1 Sam. 8:4-7, 20; 9:16.

USawule ‘wayesemncane futhi eyigeza.’ Nokho, akubona ubuhle bakhe kuphela obamenza wafaneleka, wayethobekile futhi. Ngokwesibonelo, uSawule wabuza uSamuweli: “Angiyena yini mina umBhenjamini wesizwe esincane kunazo zonke kwa-Israyeli, futhi umndeni wakithi awuwona yini ongelutho kunayo yonke imindeni yesizwe sakwaBhenjamini? Pho kungani ukhulume kimi into efana nale?” USawule akazange aziqhakambise yena nomkhaya wakubo nakuba uyise, uKishi, “ayecebe kakhulu.”—1 Sam. 9:1, 2, 21.

Cabanga nangendlela uSawule asabela ngayo lapho uSamuweli azisa abantu inkosi ka-Israyeli uJehova ayeyikhethile. USamuweli waqale wagcoba uSawule ngasese wabe esethi kuye: “Wenze noma yini isandla sakho esikuthola kusemandleni aso, ngoba uNkulunkulu weqiniso unawe.” Ngemva kwalokho, lo mprofethi wabiza abantu ukuze ababonise lowo uJehova ayemkhethile. Nokho lapho bemethula, uSawule wayengasabonwa nangalukhalo. USawule onamahloni wayesecashile. UJehova wabatshengisa ukuthi ukuphi futhi kwamenyezelwa ukuthi useyinkosi.—1 Sam. 10:7, 20-24.

Enkundleni Yempi

USawule washeshe wababonisa ukuthi babenephutha bonke ababecabanga ukuthi akafaneleki. Lapho abakwa-Amoni besongela umuzi othile wama-Israyeli, “umoya kaNkulunkulu wasebenza kuSawule.” Ngegunya wabiza amabutho esizwe, wawahlela, wawahola futhi banqoba. Kodwa uSawule wadumisa uNkulunkulu ngalokho kunqoba, wathi: “Namuhla  uJehova wenze insindiso kwa-Israyeli.”—1 Sam. 11:1-13.

USawule wayenezimfanelo ezinhle futhi uNkulunkulu wayembusisa. Ngaphezu kwalokho, wayewaqaphela amandla kaJehova. Nokho, ukuqhubeka kwama-Israyeli nenkosi yawo enqoba kwakuxhomeke esicini esisodwa esibalulekile. USamuweli watshela abantu bakwa-Israyeli: “Uma nizomesaba uJehova nimkhonze impela futhi nilalele izwi lakhe, futhi ningeke nidlubulunde emyalweni kaJehova, nina nenkosi ezobusa phezu kwenu ngokuqinisekile niyoba abalandeli bakaJehova uNkulunkulu wenu.” Yini ama-Israyeli ayengaqiniseka ngayo uma ayethembeka kuNkulunkulu? USamuweli wathi: “UJehova ngeke abalahle abantu bakhe ngenxa yegama lakhe elikhulu, ngoba uJehova uzinqumele yena ukuba anenze abantu bakhe.”—1 Sam. 12:14, 22.

Isihluthulelo sokwamukelwa uNkulunkulu kwakuwukulalela futhi namanje kusenjalo. Lapho izinceku zikaJehova zilalela imiyalo yakhe, uyazibusisa. Kodwa kwenzekani uma zingamlaleli uJehova?

“Wenzé Ngobuwula”

Isenzo sikaSawule esalandela sawathukuthelisa kakhulu amaFilisti. USawule wahlaselwa amabutho “angangesihlabathi esisogwini lolwandle ngobuningi.” “Abantu bakwa-Israyeli babona ukuthi babesebunzimeni obukhulu, ngoba abantu babecindezelwe kanzima; abantu bazifihla emihumeni nasemigodini nasemadwaleni nasemagumbini ayingungu nasemigodini yamanzi.” (1 Sam. 13:5, 6) Wayesezokwenzenjani uSawule?

USamuweli wayetshele uSawule ukuba bahlangane eGiligali, lapho lo mprofethi ayezokwenza khona imihlatshelo. USawule walinda, kodwa uSamuweli wephuza ukufika, futhi ibutho likaSawule lase lihlakazeka. Ngakho uSawule wanquma ukuzenzela yena imihlatshelo. Kwathi nje lapho eqeda, qhamukiyani uSamuweli. Ngemva kokuzwa lokho uSawule ayekwenzile, uSamuweli wathi kuye: “Wenzé ngobuwula. Awuwugcinanga umyalo kaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho akuyale ngawo, ngoba ukube ubuwugcinile, uJehova ubeyowuqinisa umbuso wakho phezu kuka-Israyeli kuze kube nini nanini. Manje umbuso wakho ngeke ume. Ngokuqinisekile uJehova uzozitholela umuntu ovumelana nenhliziyo yakhe; uJehova uzommisa abe ngumholi phezu kwabantu bakhe, ngoba awukugcinanga lokho uJehova akuyale ngakho.”—1 Sam. 10:8; 13:8, 13, 14.

Entula ukholo, uSawule wagabadela wakhetha ukungawulaleli umyalo kaNkulunkulu wokulinda uSamuweli ukuba eze azonikela umhlatshelo. Yeka ukuthi inkambo kaSawule yayihluke kanjani kwekaGideyoni, owayengumkhuzi wamabutho akwa-Israyeli esikhathini esedlule! UJehova wayala uGideyoni ukuba anciphise ibutho lakhe lisuka ku-32 000 laya ku-300 futhi walalela. Kungani? Ngoba wayenokholo kuJehova. Ngosizo lukaNkulunkulu, wanqoba amabutho angu-135 000. (AbaHl. 7:1-7, 17-22; 8:10) UJehova wayeyomsiza noSawule. Nokho, ngenxa yokungalaleli kukaSawule, amaFilisti amphanga u-Israyeli.—1 Sam. 13:17, 18.

Lapho sibhekene nobunzima, sizenza kanjani izinqumo? Kulabo abangenalo ukholo, kungase kubonakale kuwukuhlakanipha ukungazilaleli izimiso zikaJehova. Njengoba uSamuweli ayengekho, kungenzeka ukuthi uSawule wacabanga ukuthi lokho akwenza kwakuwukuhlakanipha. Nokho, labo abazimisele ukwamukelwa uNkulunkulu bayaqaphela ukuthi ukulandela izimiso ezingokomBhalo ezisebenza kuleyo ndaba kuphela okuyinkambo efanele.

UJehova Uyamlahla USawule

Ngesinye isikhathi uSawule elwa nama-Amaleki, wenza elinye iphutha elibi kakhulu. UNkulunkulu wayewalahlile ama-Amaleki ngoba ahlasela ama-Israyeli ngokungenasizathu lapho ephuma eGibhithe. (Eks. 17:8; Dut. 25:17, 18) Ngaphezu kwalokho, ama-Amaleki aphinde akha umfelandawonye nabanye ekuhlaseleni abantu bakaNkulunkulu abakhethiwe ngezikhathi zabaHluleli. (AbaHl. 3:12, 13; 6:1-3, 33)  Ngakho, uJehova wenza ama-Amaleki ukuba alandise futhi wayala uSawule ukuba akhiphe isahlulelo sakhe kuwo.—1 Sam. 15:1-3.

Kunokuba alalele umyalo kaJehova wokubhuqa ama-Amaleki anobutha futhi aqothule imfuyo yawo, uSawule wathumba inkosi yawo futhi walondoloza imfuyo enhle kakhulu. Kwenzekani lapho uSamuweli embuza ngale ndaba? USawule wazama ukuzithethelela ngokuthi: “Abantu babe nobubele kokuhle kunakho konke komhlambi wezimvu nezimbuzi nokomhlambi wezinkomo, ngenjongo yokwenza umhlatshelo oya kuJehova.” Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uSawule ngempela wayehlose ukunikela ngalezo zilwane noma cha, lokho akwenza kwakuwukungalaleli. USawule ‘wayengasemncane emehlweni akhe.’ Ngakho, umprofethi kaNkulunkulu wambonisa ukuthi wayengamlalelanga uNkulunkulu. USamuweli wabe esethi: “Ingabe uJehova ujabulela iminikelo yokushiswa nemihlatshelo kunokulalelwa kwezwi likaJehova? Bheka! Ukulalela kungcono kunomhlatshelo . . . Njengoba ulalile izwi likaJehova, ngakho naye uyakwala ukuba ungabe usaba yinkosi.”—1 Sam. 15:15, 17, 22, 23.

Lapho uJehova esusa umoya wakhe ongcwele nesibusiso sakhe kuSawule, “umoya omubi” waqala ukuyibusa le nkosi yokuqala yakwa-Israyeli. Isimo sengqondo sikaSawule sashintsha waba umuntu ozindlekela nonomona ngoDavide—umuntu uJehova ayeyomnika ubukhosi emva kwakhe. USawule wazama ukubulala uDavide izikhathi eziningana. IBhayibheli lithi “uSawule waba yisitha sikaDavide njalo” lapho ebona ukuthi “uJehova wayenoDavide.” Wazama ukumzingela waze wayala nokuba kubulawe abapristi abangu-85 nabanye. Shono uJehova amlahla!—1 Sam. 16:14; 18:11, 25, 28, 29; 19:10, 11; 20:32, 33; 22:16-19.

Lapho amaFilisti ephinda ehlasela u-Israyeli, uSawule waphendukela ekusebenziseni imimoya efuna usizo kodwa kwaba nhlanga zimuka nomoya. Ngakusasa, walinyazwa kabi empini wayesezibulala. (1 Sam. 28:4-8; 31:3, 4) Ngokuphathelene nokungalaleli kwenkosi yokuqala yakwa-Israyeli, imiBhalo ithi: “USawule wafa ngenxa yezenzo zakhe zokungathembeki ayezenzé ngenxa yokungabi nalukholo kuJehova ngokuphathelene nezwi likaJehova ayengazange aligcine nangenxa yokucela onemimoya ukuba ambuzele. Akazange abuze uJehova.”—1 IziKr. 10:13, 14.

Isibonelo esibi sikaSawule sibonisa ngokucacile ukuthi ukulalela uJehova kungcono kunokumenzela noma imuphi umhlatshelo. Umphostoli uJohane wabhala: “Yilokhu okushiwo uthando ngoNkulunkulu, ukuba sigcine imiyalo yakhe; futhi imiyalo yakhe ayiwona umthwalo.” (1 Joh. 5:3) Kwangathi singelokothe silishaye indiva leli qiniso elibalulekile: Ukuba nobuhlobo obuhlala njalo noNkulunkulu kuxhomeke ekumlaleleni.

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Ekuqaleni uSawule wayengumholi othobekile

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Kungani uSamuweli atshela uSawule ukuthi “ukulalela kungcono kunomhlatshelo”?