D As long as he sought the Lord , God gave him success. G He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. I 8 The Ammonites J brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. M 15 In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls.
The Bible tells us that he had a godly father and a godly mother. And he could be nothing else, hardly, with such influence, as to be a godly boy, because that had been what had been placed before him at all time King Uzziah was a great man, and a great king of Judah during the time of Isaiah the prophet.
He was a shepherd boy who loved the outdoors. Even though Uzziah was only 16 years old when he became king, he was raised by a godly father and mother who taught him right from wrong. Uzziah obeyed God and God blessed him for it. King Uzziah may not have even known it at the time, but the young king had someone very important watching him.
Isaiah the prophet was younger than King Uzziah, and he looked up to the godly king. Soon the two would become good friends.
Sometimes Isaiah would even go to the castle to stay with King Uzziah. Together, they would go to the temple and pray, and ask the will of the Lord for their people. They both knew that they were special people, who were chosen by God to lead the people of Judah.
He built great towers and walls, and giant gates to fortify Jerusalem. There is a big picture answer given in the first half of verse Look at it, would you?
It seems likely that Zechariah was no longer an influence in his life and had not been replaced by another mentor. The author is clear: When Uzziah became strong, he grew proud, and we read sadly to his destruction. There is a verse in Hosea This is what happened to Uzziah. He was at the top of his game as a king. He had great power. His enemies feared him. His pride swelled and he forgot the Lord, and Uzziah fell away.
Nothing, nothing has changed. Moses writes:. And if you forget, if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. Brothers and sisters, do you see the predictable danger that Moses anticipates? When we begin to forget, when we fail to gratefully remember all the Lord has done for us in the past, that explains our achievements and success, the vacuum in our soul that remains is swiftly occupied by sinful pride, and when that happens we, like Uzziah, are doomed because pride makes one self-absorbed and pride does not tolerate faith and humility.
He determined to take to himself the responsibilities of the office of priest as well by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. This duty was strictly limited to the priests in Exodus 30 and in Numbers 16 and Numbers To violate this was a capital offense. He and many others with him lost their lives due to their pride. Rather than repent, what does Uzziah do?
Verse 19 tells us: He became angry with the priests. Angry with the priests. And although what Uzziah had done was worthy of death, the Lord spared his life, but there were severe lifelong consequences for him. Verse 20 we read that the Lord struck Uzziah with a skin disease described as leprosy that rendered him unclean and unqualified to continue as king for all practical purposes.
Verse 21, the chronicler says Uzziah remained a leper the rest of his life and was required to live in a separate house, away from his residence and the temple. Jotham, his son, became a co-regent to rule the people from that time forward.
And this took place around B. He was around 58 years old. This was no act of a zealous youth. This was an act of a seasoned king, and it should give those of us in this season of life pause.
Even in death, says one commentator, Uzziah did not lose the shame of the skin disease which he received as a result of his infidelity. What are we to learn from this ancient story about a great king of Judah who began well but ended in disgrace? First, pray for your leaders, both spiritual and political. Your elders and deacons, along with your political leaders, are no better than Uzziah without the Lord.
When leaders fall, the collateral damage is often great. Listen to how he puts it to Timothy and to us in 1 Timothy 2. By my friends, praying for our leaders is not native to us, is it? What comes naturally to us? To complain about our leaders. Your elders and deacons are not perfect men. We make our share of mistakes, but praying for us would be a much more productive endeavor than complaining about us to others.
And if the apostle Paul is to be trusted, praying for your leaders would also please the Lord. Second, become literate. God can manifest success in so many ways. No matter where you are at seek God today and He will order your life, and make you successful. Your relationship with God will give you fulfillment in life, and His righteousness will produce godly fruit in you.
God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. God helped King Uzziah defeat the enemies of Israel. The king had a great army of men of valor, who fought with mighty power and helped him defeat his enemies.
We face enemies all the time. Ephesians You are always assured of victory against your enemies because you have a mighty God on your side. In Luke , Jesus has given us the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy. He ends by saying that nothing will harm us. In the days of the Old Testament, the Levites were in charge of temple duties. The priests are the ones who could offer sacrifices and make offerings to God in the temple.
This must have been clear to King Uzziah but with his heart puffed up due to pride, he walked into the temple one day ready to burn incense on the altar. Azariah, the priest, went after the king with other priests to stop him from burning incense and attracting the wrath of God. King Uzziah was furious and would not relent, until God struck him with leprosy. It specifically says that the leprosy an infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage even appeared on his forehead.
Revealing to all his folly. Pride made him overstep the temple boundaries that God had put in place. When God has NOT called him to that. Unfortunately, it always leads to a downfall, which is painful to deal with.
The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. When we humble ourselves, God can step in and help us where we fall short. But on the face everyone will see it. This is what made him leave the temple. From being a successful and famous king, he became an isolated man hiding his leprosy until he died.
The interesting thing to note is that it never mentions Uzziah repenting for his pride and asking God to cleanse him.
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