EMINYAKENI edlule, izinkantolo ezweni elithile eliseNtshonalanga zamukela ubufakazi obuyiphutha ngokumelene namadoda amabili ayesolwa ngokubulala futhi zakhipha isigwebo sokuba abulawe. Lapho kutholakala ukuthi lobo bufakazi buyiphutha, abameli basebenza kanzima futhi bakhulula oyedwa kula madoda ayesegwetshiwe. Kodwa laba bameli abachwepheshile abakwazanga ukusiza indoda yesibili—yayisibulewe kakade.

Njengoba kungase kube namaphutha anjalo kunoma yisiphi isimiso somthetho, iBhayibheli liyanxusa: “Ubulungisa—ubulungisa yibo okufanele ubuphishekele.” (Duteronomi 16:20) Lapho abahluleli benza ngobulungisa izakhamuzi ziyazuza. UMthetho kaNkulunkulu wanika ama-Israyeli asendulo isimiso somthetho esisekelwe ekungakhethini nasekungenzelelini. Ake siwuhlole lo Mthetho ukuze sibone ukuthi “zonke izindlela [zikaNkulunkulu] ziwubulungisa” yini.—Duteronomi 32:4.

Izidingo zabantu zifezwa kahle uma abahluleli bewenza kahle umsebenzi wabo, bengenzeleli futhi bemelene nenkohlakalo. UMthetho kaNkulunkulu awunika ama-Israyeli wawubonisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ubazisa kakhulu abahluleli abanjalo. Besaqala nje uhambo lwasehlane, uMose watshelwa ukuba afune “amadoda anekhono, esaba uNkulunkulu, amadoda athembekile, azonda inzuzo engalungile” ukuba akhonze njengabahluleli. (Eksodusi 18:21, 22) Eminyakeni engamashumi amane kamuva, uMose waphinde wagcizelela isidingo ‘samadoda ahlakaniphileyo naqondayo nanolwazi’ ukuze ahlulele abantu.—Duteronomi 1:13-17.

Emashumini eminyaka kamuva, inkosi yakwaJuda uJehoshafati * yayala abahluleli: “Qikelelani kwenikwenzayo, ngoba anahluleleli umuntu kodwa uJehova; futhi ukanye nani endabeni yokwahlulela. Manje ingebhe ngoJehova mayibe phezu kwenu. Qaphelani nithathe isinyathelo, ngoba kuJehova uNkulunkulu wethu akukho ukungalungi noma ukukhetha noma ukwamukela isifumbathiso.” (2 IziKronike 19:6, 7) Ngaleyo ndlela inkosi yakhumbuza abahluleli ukuthi uma ubandlululo noma umhawu kuthinta izinqumo zabo, uNkulunkulu wayeyobajezisa nganoma imuphi umphumela omubi owawuyoba khona.

Lapho abahluleli bakwa-Israyeli bephila ngaleyo mithetho ephakeme, isizwe sasizizwa sivikelekile futhi silondekile. Kodwa uMthetho kaNkulunkulu wawubuye ube nezimiso eziningana ezazisiza abahluleli ukuba benze izinqumo zokungakhethi, ngisho nasezimweni ezinzima kakhulu. Yiziphi ezinye zalezo zimiso?

Nakuba abahluleli abakhethiwe kwakufanele kube amadoda ahlakaniphile nafanelekayo, kwakungafanele benze izahlulelo ngokuncika emakhonweni abo nasekuhlakanipheni kwabo. UJehova uNkulunkulu wabanikeza izimiso noma iziqondiso ezaziyobasiza benze izinqumo ezilungile. Nazi ezinye iziqondiso ezanikezwa abahluleli bakwa-Israyeli.

Phenyisisani. NgoMose, uNkulunkulu wayala abahluleli bakwa-Israyeli: “Lapho nilalela icala phakathi kwabafowenu, kumelwe nahlulele ngokulunga.”  (Duteronomi 1:16) Abahluleli bangakhipha isahlulelo esifanele kuphela uma bewazi wonke amaqiniso endaba. Ngenxa yaleso sizathu uNkulunkulu wayala labo ababesingatha izindaba zomthetho: “Kumelwe futhi ufune, uphenye futhi ubuzisise.” Abahluleli enkantolo kwakufanele baqiniseke ukuthi indaba yowonile “itholakala iyiqiniso” ngaphambi kokuqhubeka necala.—Duteronomi 13:14; 17:4.

Lalelani ubufakazi bofakazi. Okushiwo ofakazi kwakubaluleke kakhulu ophenyweni. UMthetho kaNkulunkulu wawuthi: “Akekho ufakazi oyedwa okufanele avukele umuntu nganoma isiphi isiphambeko noma isono, kunoma isiphi isono angase asenze. Indaba kufanele iqine ngomlomo wofakazi ababili noma ngomlomo wofakazi abathathu.” (Duteronomi 19:15) UMthetho kaNkulunkulu wayala ofakazi: “Ungawukhulumi umbiko ongelona iqiniso. Ungabambisani nomubi ngokuba ngufakazi oceba ubudlova.”—Eksodusi 23:1.

Qinisekani ukuthi ofakazi bakhuluma iqiniso. Isigwebo sokuqamba amanga enkantolo sasinzima kakhulu kubo bonke abahilelekile: “Abahluleli kumelwe baphenyisise, futhi uma lo fakazi engufakazi wamanga futhi eye wamangalela umfowabo ngecala lamanga, kumelwe futhi nenze kuye njengoba nje ayecebé ukwenza kumfowabo, nisuse okubi phakathi kwenu.” (Duteronomi 19:18, 19) Ngakho, uma umuntu ayeqamba amanga enkantolo ukuze athathe ifa lomunye, kwakumelwe alahlekelwe elakhe ifa. Uma ayeqamba amanga azokwenza kubulawe umuntu ongenacala, wayeyojeziswa ngokuthi kubulawe yena. Lesi siqondiso sasishukumisa ofakazi ukuba bakhulume iqiniso.

Yahlulelani ngokungakhethi. Lapho sebethole bonke ubufakazi, abahluleli babecabangisisa ukuze bakhiphe isahlulelo. Kuleli qophelo, umniningwane obalulekile woMthetho kaNkulunkulu wawube usubaluleka ngokukhethekile: “Ungambandlululi umuntu ophansi, futhi ungakhethi ubuso boyisikhulu. Kufanele  wahlulele umhlobo wakho ngobulungisa.” (Levitikusi 19:15) Kuwo wonke amacala, abahluleli kwakufanele bahlulele udaba ngeqiniso, hhayi ngokubukeka kwangaphandle noma ngesikhundla salabo abahilelekile.

Lezi zimiso, ezashiwo ngokucacile emakhulwini eminyaka eMthethweni kaNkulunkulu owanikwa ama-Israyeli, zingaba usizo namanje ezinkantolo zanamuhla. Uma zilandelwa, angagwenywa amaphutha kanye nokungabi nabulungisa okwenzeka ekwahluleleni.

UMose wabuza ama-Israyeli: “Yisiphi isizwe esikhulu esineziqondiso ezilungile nezinqumo zokwahlulela njengawo wonke lo mthetho engiwubeka phambi kwenu namuhla?” (Duteronomi 4:8) Ngempela, asikho esinye isizwe esasithola lezo zinzuzo. Ngesikhathi kubusa iNkosi uSolomoni, eyenza ngokuvumelana nemithetho kaNkulunkulu iseyintsha, abantu “bahlala ngokulondeka,” benokuthula futhi bechuma, “bedla bephuza bejabula.”—1 AmaKhosi 4:20, 25.

Ngokudabukisayo, ekugcineni ama-Israyeli amshiya uNkulunkulu wawo. Ngomprofethi uJeremiya, uNkulunkulu wathi: “Bheka! Balé lona kanye izwi likaJehova, banakuhlakanipha kuni?” (Jeremiya 8:9) Umphumela waba ukuthi iJerusalema laba “umuzi onecala legazi” ogcwele ‘izinto ezinengekayo.’ Ekugcineni labhuqwa futhi lahlala lingamanxiwa iminyaka engu-70.—Hezekeli 22:2; Jeremiya 25:11.

Umprofethi u-Isaya waphila ngesikhathi sezinkinga emlandweni wakwa-Israyeli. Lapho ebheka emuva, washukumiseleka ukuba amemezele iqiniso ngoJehova uNkulunkulu noMthetho waKhe: “Lapho kukhona izahlulelo zakho ngomhlaba, abakhileyo ezweni elikhiqizayo ngokuqinisekile bayofunda ukulunga.”—Isaya 26:9.

U-Isaya wajabula lapho ephefumulelwa ukuba aprofethe ngokubusa kweNkosi enguMesiya, uJesu Kristu, wathi: “Ngeke ahlulele ngokwanoma yikuphi okubonakala emehlweni akhe, noma amane asole ngokwento ayizwe ngezindlebe. Uyokwahlulela abantu abaphansi ngokulunga, futhi uyosola ngobuqotho ngenxa yabantu abamnene basemhlabeni.” (Isaya 11:3, 4) Yeka amathuba amahle avulekele bonke abayoba izikhonzi zeNkosi enguMesiya lapho sekubusa uMbuso kaNkulunkulu!—Mathewu 6:10.