The Tupelo journal., 1911-05-05
KING UzZIAH
~ HUMBLED
Sunday SeAsel Lesson fer My Z, 1911
Specially arranged for This Paper

LESSON TExT-2 Chronicles q. Mem
DRY Verses 10, 20.
GOLDEN TExT-"Pride goeth before
destruction. and an naughty spirit be-
fore q fall."-Prov. 1913.
TIME-Uzziah's reign extended Beech
err from B. c.. 8O6 to b. c.. 755; (Hastings)
B. c. Sol to 749. Uzziah may have become
q leper about b. C. 76S. lothian being the
regent from that time.
PLACE-The Temple in Jerusalem.
KINGS-In Israel. Jeroboam II. In
Assyria, S~halmanezer III.
PROPHETS-Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, the
Zechariah OF our lesson
On the murder of King Joash he
was succeeded by his eldest SON,
Amaziah, q man of piety and force,
who slew the murderers of his father,
sparing their sons, and then turned up
on the enemies of his country, the
Edomites south Of the Dead Sea, who
had been ravaging southern Judea.
He hired thousands of mercenaries
from the Northern Kingdom, to aid
him In the war. When a prophet re-
buked him for thus involving himself
with an idolatrous nation he dismiss
ed the mercenaries, who, on their way
home. ~plundered the cities Of Judah.
Amaziah went on. however. and with
his own troops conquered the Edom-
ties in the Valley of Salt south of
the Dead Sea, and thoroughly sub
dued the cruel nation.
He brought home with him some Of
tho Edomite idols and worshiped
them. ,hus dishonoring Jehovah. who
had SO signally helped him, in favor
Of gods who had proved their own
powerlessness! A courageous prophet
rebuked him, but we are told what the
effect was.
In his pride of success and perhaps
to avenge the towns which the Israeli
itish mercenaries had plundered, he
sent q boastful message to Joash king
Of Israel, challenging him to fight. Jo-
ash promptly accepted the challenge,
completely worsted Amaziah, captured
Jerusalem, and went away with all the
treasure of the Temple and royal pal
ace. and with many Of the citizens as
hostages. Amaziah continued to
reign for fifteen years. but his sub
iects never were c~ontented, and at last
they rose in revolt and murdered him.
The son of Amaziah, Uzziah, a lad
of sixteen, was chosen by the people.
He continued his fathers conquest Of
the Edomites by fortifying Eloth. an
important city at the head of the east
ern branch of the Red Sea, thus put
ting Judah In a position to the
rich commerce with India which Solo
mon had established.
Uzziah's was q religious life. He
did that which was right in the sight
Of the Lord. He followed Amaziah In
the better part of hiS life. and O In
his idolatry. There Is no better prep
aration for the Eyes Of the world than
to be conscious aver Of Gods eyes
upon us.
The period Of Uzziah and Jeroboam
was the golden 6 of Israel. As a
result of conquest and of commercial
enterprise the Accumulation Of wealth
was greater than had w been
known before. The rich lived in
palaces of hewn stone and OF ivory.
While the mobiles fourished, the poor
grew constantly poorer. The peasant
proprietors were crowded out, and all
the land came into the hands of a few
great mobiles. The freedom Israelites
sank to the position of serfs. Pros
perity has more perils than adversely,
and pride is one of them. Dressed, &C
cording to Josephus, in priestly attire,
and perhaps on the celebration Of some
high national feast, Uzziah presumed
to enter the Holy Place, which 1t was
death for any but q priest to enter,
and to offer incense upon the sacred
altar. Uzziah appears to have desired
to become supreme pontif as well as
king, and to exercise the same dual
functions as the Egyptian Pharaohs
were wont to do. He had to disregard
the direct command Of Jehovah that
the priests alone should burn incense
on his altar; he had to despise the his
tory Of his people, to defy the holy
name by which he himself was called.
Thus q reign Of ffty-two years was
spoiled in an hour.
What terrible punishment came to
Uzziah? The infection of that most
~loathsome, incurable disease, leprosy.
Thus Miriam had been punished, and
Gehazi. According to ~Josephus, 1t was
at this very moment that the famous
earthquake of Uzziah's reign occurred.
For the rest of his life he lived in a
separate house. 1t was perhaps some
place In the country to which the king
confined himself. We are not told
whether he repented OF the sin that
he had committed; but we may per-
haps assume that he did SO.
The story Of Ahaz reinforces the
warning that comes to us from the
story of Uzziah. The pride of Ahaz
was pride Of opinion: that of Uzzah
was pride In accomplishment. Pride
NOV .cnriu1 from 9o0d l0okq fno