The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-12-04
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 5
UzziAH's PRIDE AND PUNISH.
MENT.

w SOAoluOI Ju6 HOuyneTR
hngdom. No better character could
nave been chosen to illustrate the
condition Of rulers and people in the
aecilnlng days Of Judah's glory. W.
zlah ruled for 81 years and his reign
was almost midway between the days
Dt Solomon and those of the Babylon.
ian captivity.
l. Priest and Parents, W.. is. The
pame uzziah means God has helped
me- and no king ever had better adj
Vantages in the way of parents and
counselors. To the influence of bia
parents he yielded in his youth ". Al.
followed the good counsel of Zacha-
ran the prophet of God ". 81, and
Us long as he sought the Lord. God
MADE him prosper" Ancestry and en-.
Vlfonment are not, however, a guar
AMY OF any %perpetuity in character.
H. Pride, w. els. Uzziah or Azariah
lmarg.) made a fine start and his
relgn' considered as a whole. was
n or the most brilliant in .Judab's
history. 1t bears some striking resem-
dances to that of Solomon in that the
dangerous enemies became subject ma
lions ". 81. In the conduct of his
campaigns Uzziah "waxed exceeding
~ strong" ". 8 R. W Uzziah also
greatly improved and strengthened
Jerusalem and gave much heed to
stock raising and forestry ". 1O). The
secret OF all of this prosperity was
|nat ne sought Jehovah. Christen.
uom is not Christianity, yet II ia a
lact that In those lands where God
Is most highly exalted and most near
~ oilowed we witness the greatest
prosperity and men living amidst the
most comfortable surroundings. Seek
JenoVah, know his will as revealed in
MS word, and do that will when
learned, is the only true basis of real
ana lasting prosperity. Uzziah also
gave an exhibition of worldly wisdom
mat he strengthened the defenses of
the nation ". 9-10). Confidence In
Ioo does not paralyze human energy
OF make us presumptuous and care
less Il Chron. 27:25-31). Uzziah
brought the army up to a high point
OF efficiency ". 1870, using the
pest weapons known in his day. We.
likewise, may be "marvelously helped'
from the same source and upon the
same conditions; viz, that we seek
the Lord" Eph. 6:10; Phi. 5:13). But
growing along with all of this prosper
ity there was also another develop
ment as suggested in the last clause
or verse 14-"he was maryeIouslv
helped Kill he was strong" There ia
greater burden to bear and no
test for a man or a nations
character than that which comes with
prosperity.
I'LL. Punishment, w. 1921. (1) Pride
.Uzziah's fall and shame is n of
the saddest chapters in history. His
strength became his ruin. when he
was strong his heart was lifted IN"
Poverty, struggle and adversely are
not passports to glory though thew
have strengthened the moral fiber of
thousands. The tempting tests of
prosperity, gilded. perfumed and at
tractive are, however, far more hard
Withstand. Pride always leads to (2)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS before God
had warned men that
would lead to ruin (Deut. 8:I1-17:
52:l3-l5) and Solomon also gave
warning prov. 1919. The subtletv
Of pride is the gradual way by which
come to look upon our
IS the work OF our own hands, there
by forgetting the source of our pow
and becoming filled with a feeling
u u own self-sufiiciency. The next
step was that Uzziah assumed to him
'elf those duties ". 16) which right.
-ully and exclusively belonged to the
priesthood (see Mum. 1910; 1877:
Kings 1888; 12:1-4; Heb. SD. go Pro-
'esting-We now behold the strange
spectacle of-the king protesting for
ne wrong and the faithful priests
Azariah for the right. A sad specta-
lie indeed when the head of a nation
openly avows thu wrong and persists
n 1t despite the protests Of the sery-
lnts Of God. The last part of verse
3 indicates the extent and peryer-
'ity of Uzziah's pride. Admonition
'nly aroused the anger of the all-con-
monarch. No honor ever
from disobeying God Il Sam.
$50; Dan. $3.50. Uzziah apparently
v. 49, was about to use the censor in
lis hand as a weapon in execution
Il his wrath, but God interfered u
Peter SGD. Azariah is saved and
Jzziah becomes a leper.
Leprosy, like sin. begins and deyel.
'ps in its %incipient stages in secret.
md Uzziah's act was but the cul.
of the long development of
inful pride.
Wrath soon passes away, but its re-
ults. physically as well as spiritually.
re permanent.
We must not press the teaching that
IL sickness is the result OF sin (read
OBJ.
Uzziah was forever separated ".
u and was in his death '~unclean" be-
ause His heart was lifted to his de-
truction."
There are four suggestions In clos.
ng: ~ Uzz.ah's pride had gone too
ar; secretly and perhaps unconscious.
y it had slowly, but surely permeated
is whole nature.
h time is surely coming when
in and the sinner must be Judged
Rom. 2:1-5; 6i23).
~ Leprosy was a fitting punish.
lent- for n was an auhlou