Along The Way: Pride
Will Ruin Your Life!
(Written By Kevin A. Hall 07.03.17)
“He was marvelously
helped until he became strong”!
Imagine this statement being written on our tombstone. We
ran well until… This story is repeated over and over in the human experience
without fail, but should not be the story of our lives as children of God. This statement was made of King Uzziah:
He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father
Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had
understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God
prospered him (2 Chronicles. 26:15).
He was 16 when he
began to reign with his father King Amaziah, taking full control after his
father’s death. His great dedication to God included a deep respect for and
partnership with the prophet Zechariah. As long as he remained connected to
God and His servant, he was blessed. There's an abiding principle here regarding one's relationship to the church.
Like Uzziah, believers can hold on to God’s promise – “I am
the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him,
will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We are
blessed if we endure. However, blessings should never be defined by things or
accomplishments. Uzziah was blessed but missed the mark – he became strong or
very proud and corrupt. He achieved prosperity, influence, power, wealth and
fame.
8 The
Ammonites also gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame extended to the
border of Egypt, for he became very strong. 9 Moreover,
Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley
Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified them.10 He
built towers in the wilderness and hewed many cisterns, for he had much
livestock, both in the lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers
in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover,
Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which entered combat by divisions
according to the number of their muster, prepared by Jeiel the scribe and
Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s
officers. 12 The total number of the heads of
the households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600. 13 Under
their direction was an elite army of 307,500, who could wage war with
great power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Moreover,
Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor,
bows and sling stones. 15 In Jerusalem he made
engines of war invented
by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of
shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his fame spread afar..
16 But when
he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was
unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense
on the altar of incense. 17 Then Azariah the
priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant
men. 18 They opposed Uzziah the king and said to
him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for
the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of
the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from
the Lord God.”
King Uzziah’s attitude toward God changed. He saw himself as
above the law. No! No matter “our elevation or achievements, God expects
continued obedience, honor and worship” (Nasb). No matter how much God has
blessed us, we should continue to bless Him and seek Him. God judged this man…He
started well…He achieved things no other king was privileged to accomplish. His
military inventions were later used by the Roman armies in their attempt to
dominate the world. It would have been so different had he not become so
self-centered. God judged him:
19 But Uzziah, with a
censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged
with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in
the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. 20 Azariah the chief priest
and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead;
and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out
because the Lord had smitten him. 21 King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his
death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from
the house of the Lord.
Pride comes before
destruction. We should be remembered for our faith, not the results of our
pride.
References:
The Life Application Study Bible (NASB). The United States of
America: Zondervan (2000)
Smith, J. The History of Israel. Joplin, MO: College Press
(1995)
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