| What I Can Learn From . . . , Part 12: King Uzziah |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, November 28 2005 00:00 |
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The lesson to be learned from King Uzziah is the opposite of that which we learn from King Jehoshaphat: The weakness of strength. The early years of Uzziah’s lengthy reign were marked with amazing successes granted to him by the Lord. He rebuilt cities, followed the Lord, and sought guidance from Him. 2 Chron. 26:5b tells us that “As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” He waged successful war against the Philistines and other enemies of Judah. His fame spread, verse six tells us, to the border of Egypt. He had become very powerful. He built towers, gates, and cisterns in Jerusalem, and conducted a successful farming operation. He had a well-trained and organized army of an impressive 307,500 men. At the end of verse 15 we read, “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.” At one point he forgot who helped him to become powerful and began to trust in the power itself, for the next verse reads: “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” Uzziah entered the temple of the Lord, carried away with a sense of his own greatness, and presumed to burn incense on the sacred altar, a task reserved only for the priests. When the high priests accompanied by eighty other courageous priests confronted the king and told him that what he was doing was a sin, he lost his temper and raged against the priests. While in the midst of his temper tantrum, perhaps shouting, “Who are you to tell me, the King of Judah, what I can and cannot do?” the Lord sent leprosy upon him. He broke out with it immediately, had to leave not only the temple but his palace and live in a separate house the rest of his life, isolated and unclean. His son Jotham had to take over the royal duties in the place of his stricken father. What a horrible disgrace for one who had been so greatly blessed and granted such tremendous successes! We need to take heed: there is weakness in strength! |
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