The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-12-02
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LESSON
LESSON FOR DECEMBER s
UZzlAH'S PRIDE AND PUNISH.
MENT.
(By E. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
Sunday School Course OF Moody Bible
Institute Of Chicago)
Copyright. 1915, Western Newspaper Union.)

Eo|DfiN IGAI-A mans pride shall
bring him low, but he that is OF n lowly
r. v.
Again we consider the southern
Kingdom. No better character could
nave been chosen to illustrate the
condition Of rulers and people in the
declining days of Judah's glory. W.
z1ah ruled for SO years and his reign
was almost midway between the days
OF solomon and those Of the Babylon
ian captivity.
!. Priest and Parents, Wv. is. The
name Uzziah means God has helped
me- and no king ever had better ad-
vantages in the way Of parents and
counselors. To the influence of his
parents he yielded in his youth (v. A.,
followed the good counsel of Zacha-
riah the prophet of God ". 81, and
as long as he sought the Lord, God
made him prosper" Ancestry and en-
vironment are not, however, a guar
anty of any perpetuity in character.
IL. Pride, w. 6.15. Uzziah or Azariah
(marg) made fine start and his
reign, considered as a whole, was
one Of the most brilliant in Judah's
history. 1t bears some striking resem-
blances to that Of Solomon in that the
dangerous enemies became subject ma
tlonS w. 81. In the conduct of his
campaigns Uzziah "waXed exceeding
ly strong ". 8 r. W Uzziah also
greatly improved and strengthened
Jerusalem and gave much heed to
stock raising and forestry ". 10Y. The
| n nf 10
that he sought Jehovah Christen-
dom is not Christianity, yet it is
fact that in those lands where God
is most highly exalted and most near
ly followed we witness the greatest
prosperity and men living amidst the
most comfortable surroundings. Seek
Jehovah, know his will as revealed in
hrs 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
that he strengthened the defenses of
the nation ". 9-10. Confidence in
God does not paralyZe human energy
or make us presumptuous and care
less Il Chron. 27:25-3D. Uzziah
brought the army up to high point
OF efficiency ". 13-15), using the
best 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).
III. Punishment, w. 1921. Q) Pride
-Uzziah's fall and shame is one Of
the saddest chapters in history. His
| strength became his ruin. When he
was strong his heart was lifted up"
Poverty, struggle and adversely are
not passports to glory though they
nave strengthened the moral fiber Of
thousands The tempting tests Of
prosperity, gilded, perfumed and at
tractive are, however, far more hard
to withstand. Pride always leads to (2)
mPtion-Centuries before God
had warned men that prosperity
would lead to ruin (Deut. 8:11-17:
32:13-l5) and Solomon also gave
warning PROV. 1919. The subtlety
Of pride Is the gradual way by which
we come to look upon our prosperity
az the work Of our own hands there
| by forgetting the source Of our pow
cr and becoming filled with feeling
Of our own self-sufIiciency. The next
| step was that UZziah assumed to him
self those duties ". 16) which right
fully and exclusively belonged to the
| priesthood (soe Mum. 16:40; 1877; 1
Kings 1888; 10: Ia Heb. 20. (3) Pro-
| testing-Wo now behold the strange
spectacle Of tho king protesting for
the wrong and the faithful priests
Azarlah for the right. A sad specta-
| indeed W re
openly ayOWs the wrong and persists
In 1T despite the protests OF tho serv-
ants OF God. The last part Of verse
18 indicates the extent and perver-
sity OF Uzziah's pride. Admonition
only aroused the anger Of tho all-con-
quering monarch. No honor ever
comes from disobeying God U Sam.
2:3O; Dan. $50. Uzziah apparently
w. l9) was about to use the censer in
his hand as a weapon in execution
or his wrath, but God interfered U
Peter SGD. Azariah is saved and
UZziah becomes O leper.
We must not press the teaching that
oil sickness is the result of sin (read
Job).
Uzziah was forever separated ",
ll) and was In his death "unclean" be.
cause His heart was lifted to his de.
struction."
Ihere are four suggestions in clog
ing: (D Uzziah's pride had gone too
lar; secretly and perhaps unconscious
~ II had slowly, but surely permeated
his whole nature.
%) Leprosy was fitting punish
ment, for it was an emblem of the
foulncss of his sin.
(3) His leprous condition was in