Sibanjwe Zizono Zethu

The Serpent’s Prize

It has already been suggested that the serpent had a deeper personal agenda than merely sabotaging God’s creation. So what did he expect to gain from Adam’s sin?

• God had made Adam ruler and protector of the earth (Gen 1:28). God is true to his word: and that word declares that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Num 23:19, Rom 11:29). As long as Adam followed God, the earth remained under God’s ultimate rule and protection. Kodwa, by choosing to follow the serpent, Adam was obeying him rather than God; so the serpent became earth’s ruler. He openly claimed this when tempting Jesus (Lk 4:5-6), and Jesus acknowledged it by referring to him as ‘the prince of this world’ (Jn 12:31). Unlike God, the serpent’s interest in ruling the earth was purely selfish. Le yayizindaba ezimbi zika-Adam nomhlaba zizonke (Gen 3:17-8, Rom 8:22).
• Emehlweni kaThixo, Inyoka yayingumvukeli kunye nolwaphulo-mthetho. Kutheni le nto uThixo engazange amtshabalalise? Elinye lawona mazwi athe andava rhoqo olwaphulo-mthetho olwenziweyo, “Ndiyazazi amalungelo am!” UThixo nguThixo wobulungisa; Kodwa nothando nenceba: Ngelixa inyoka ibona zonke ezi mpawu njengababuthathaka nje ukuba zixhaphazelwe. Wayeyazi uthando lukaThixo ngoAdam noEva, kwaye wayefuna ipolisi yeinshurensi. Ngoku, Ukuba uThixo ufuna ukumgweba, Unokukhomba isono sika-Adam kwaye athi uThixo uya kuba nosizi ukuthintela uAdam kodwa hayi ngokwakhe. Kwaye omnye wona umntu omkhulu, Ityala lakhe liya kuba. Iphakathi koku ufumana elinye igama layo likaSathana - 'umtyholwa.’
• USathana esele eyiqonda intsingiselo yamagama, “Ngomhla wokutya kwakho uya kuthi ngokuqinisekileyo uya kufa,” (Gen 2:17); Kuba sele ephantsi kwesivakalisi esinye. Oko kwakuthetha ukuba bahlukane nobomi bukaThixo. USathana wayekholelwa ukuba, Ukuba uThixo ufuna ukurhoxisa esi sisohlwayo sika-Adam, Wayenokuphikisana ukuba okusesikweni kufuna intlawulo efanayo – nokuba nguTherdon wakhe okanye uhlobo oluthile lwesohlwayo esingenasiphelo sokukhetha kwakhe. Kodwa kuSathana, Imfanyekiswa yintloko yakhe, Imbono yokuba uThixo unokuzinikela njengentlawulo, yayingumphambukeli ngokupheleleyo. Wayecinga ukuba unyukele kuThixo.

Iwa indalo

Abantu zizilwanyana; kunye neentlobo ezifanayo zeemfuno zendalo kunye neemvakalelo njengabanye. Oku kwenza ukuba kube lula ukuba sichonge kwaye siqonde iimfuno zendalo esasizelwe ukuba silawule. But the thing that marks us out above all other animals is our capacity to know God, ukuqiqa, Qikelela kwaye wenze ukhetho lokuziphatha. To a far greater extent than any other animal we are able to act in ways that override our natural programming.

This means that we can learn from our experiences, anticipate the potential consequences of our actions and alter our behaviour in order to achieve a better outcome. We are empowered to value qualities such as love above lesser considerations – even, if necessary, above the safety and comfort of ourselves or our own families.

But without the presence of God in our lives our capacity for moral choice is crippled, ngeendlela ezininzi:

• Ukukwazi kwethu ukubona iziphumo zokhetho lwethu zinqongophele. Unless we can access a wisdom higher than our own, mistakes are pretty much guaranteed. (But note that these only become moral failures when such wisdom is available and we choose to ignore it.)
• Without God there is no absolute moral standard of right and wrong. Life degenerates into ‘survival of the fittest;’ where ‘fittest’ is defined as, ‘the one who survives,’ and ‘right’ as that which works for the survivor.
• Without the presence of God in our lives we lack the motivation to do right.
• Without the presence of God in our lives we lack the power to do right. Just as our physical bodies lose strength without the necessary supplies of food, air and warmth, so too our spiritual and moral nature weakens when we are not connected to God.
• Everyone born into the world since that time is born into a world corrupted by evil; kwaye iza phantsi kwempembelelo yobubi kwangaphambi kokuba babe mdala ngokwaneleyo ukuba bakhethe ukuthazama ukonakalisa.

Isiphumo kukuba sityelele kwindawo 'yezilwanyana ezikrelekrele’ -Ukukwazi ukufunda kwaye wenze izinto ezimangalisayo: kodwa ayikwazi ukulawula ngokufanelekileyo imeko yethu yendalo yezopolitiko. Iziphumo zoku zinokubonwa zijikeleze thina enzonzobileni yenkohlakalo, Ukungakhathalelwa kunye nokungakhathali nokubandezeleka kwabanye apho ubuntu besihlala sitshonile.

Kodwa ibingabi kakhulu. Nokuba banamandla kangakanani nangaba bantu beqhina kunye nogonyamelo, Ekugqibeleni bonke bafile; kunye nokunyuka kwesizukulwana esitsha, ityhutywe yimifanekiso yabo, Iinzame ezintsha ezenziweyo ukwakha ikamva elingcono. Kodwa kuthekani ukuba nako ukuba abanzi bobubi babengafiyo?

Watsho uYehova uThixo, “Khangela, Indoda injengenye kuthi, Ukwazi okuhle nokubi. Ngoku, hleze abeke isandla sakhe, kwaye thabatha nomthi wobomi, kwaye utye, kwaye uphile ngonaphakade…” Wamthuma ngoko uYehova uThixo, emyezweni we-Eden, ukuya kuthi ga emhlabeni awayethathwe kuyo. Wagxotha umntu; kwaye wabeka iikerubhi kwimpuma yomyezo wase-Eden, nedangatye lekrele elijikajika yonke indlela, Ukuphelisa indlela eya kumthi wobomi. (Gen 3:22-24)

Njalo ngaloo mhla, Njengoko uThixo wayexele kwangaphambili, UAdam wanqunyulwa kubusela bukaThixo kunye nokufikelela kumthi wobomi. Oku kuthetha ukuba, Ngokomoya, Wayefile sele efile (yabona “Yintoni intsingiselo yokufa?” Ingcaciso epheleleyo) yaye, ngokwasemzimbeni, yena noluntu lonke babenemigqaliselo yokufa. Ukusebenzisa umzekeliso wale mihla, Sifana nelaptop okanye ifowuni yefowuni ngaphandle kwetshaja – kunyanzelekile ukuba isebenze kwibhetri ephelileyo, Kude kube amandla aphumele kwaye angabasebenzi.

Kodwa esi sigwebo sokufa yayisisenzo senceba-yomonakaliso-kude kube sekupheleni kwe-Master-Cwangciso esichazwe nguThixo ngaphambi kokuba siwenze lonke ilizwe lizaliseke.

Ikhathalogu yokusilela

Imbali yoluntu ukusuka ngelo xesha kude kube ukuza kukaYesu kungashwankathelwa njengekhathalogu yokusilela, Njengoko abantu babefuna zonke iintlobo ezahlukeneyo zokufumana ulonwabo kunye nokuzalisekisa. Ngamanye amaxesha, Impucuko enkulu yasungulwa kwaye i-fed enkulu ifezekisiwe: Kodwa zonke zaphela ngokungazithembi, Ukuxhaphaza kunye nokusilela. Phakathi kwezi, Eyona nto iphawuleka kakhulu ngokwembono yesi sifundo yimbali yabantu abangamaJuda.

UThixo wamemela indoda, U-Abraham, Ngubani owayekulungele ukubeka esichengeni yonke into ukuba alandele uThixo kwaye wabonisa ukuba, ngesimo sengqondo esinjalo, Isizwe esikhulu sinokubekwa ngokuchasene nokubonakala ngathi akukho nto ingenakwenzeka. Ukhe wazingqina kubo, Emva koko uThixo wamisela imithetho yolawulo; ithembisa loo nto, Ukuba bayakuthobela kuphela le mithetho, Uhlanga luya kuqhubeka luphumelela kwaye lube ngumthombo wentsikelelo kwihlabathi liphela. Kodwa ukubambelela kwabo kule mithetho kwakufutshane: kwaye intsalela yembali yabo yayiyengomjikelo wobuqhophololo wempumelelo yamaqhinga kunye nokusilela ngakumbi.

Isifundo sokugqithisa sembali sinokushwankathelwa ngolu hlobo: Umntu, Ngobuchule bakhe, inokulawula indalo: Kodwa akanakuboyisa ubuze bakhe. Unokulawula umhlaba: Kodwa yena ngokwakhe ulawula isono sakhe kwaye uxhomekeke ekubukhuseleni okuqhubekayo komoya okhuthazayo owamfumana kuqala kule nto.

Ityala lethu elingacacanga

Abantu abaninzi bathi uThixo uya kugweba abantu ngokuvavanya 'okuhle’ Izenzo ngokuchasene 'nembi’ Aba- kwaye mhlawumbi nabo banakho ukuthelekisa 'ngokuthelekisa’ Ukusebenza kwabanye. Siza kuqwalasela iinkcukacha ngakumbi kwisiseko sokuba uThixo ugweba abantu kwenye indawo. Kodwa mnye umzekeliso kaYesu owenza icace gca ukuba le ngcinga yinto engeyiyo eyomeleleyo.

Kodwa ngubani phakathi kwakho, Ukuba nesicaka silima okanye sigcina iigusha, iya kuthi, Xa ingena endle, 'Yiza kwangoko kwaye uhlale phantsi etafileni,’ kwaye andiyi kumxelela, 'Lungisa isidlo sam sangokuhlwa, Zimbathise ngokufanelekileyo, Ndikhonze, Ngelixa nditya kwaye ndisela. Emva koko uya kudla, usele '? Ngaba uyayibulela loo mkhonzi kuba wenza izinto ezaziyalelwe? Andicingi. Ngokunjalo nawe, Xa wenze zonke izinto ezikuwisele umthetho ngazo, yithi, 'Singabakhonzi abangafanelekanga. Senze umsebenzi wethu.’ ” (Luk 17:7-10)

NguYesu’ Inqaku lelokuba nokuba, ukususela ngoku ukuya phambili, Wenza yonke into elindeleyo nguThixo kuwe, Akwenzanga nto ngaphandle kokuba uThixo ebelindelwe kwindawo yokuqala. Awukafumani naziphi na iikhredithi’ onokuthi usebenzise ukugqitha ngokuchasene namaxesha onke xa ungakhange wenze. Nokuba yeyiphi na okanye nabani na onokuthi angayenza okanye angayenza, Ukusilela kwakho kuye kwenza ityala elihlala likhule kakhulu ongenakuze uhlawule.

Funda uqhubeke…