Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1915-12-02
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 5
UZZiAH'S PRIDE AND PUNISH
MENT.

r. ".
Again we consider the southern
Kingdom No better character could
have been chosen to illustrate t1,a
condition Of rulers and people in the
declining days of Judah's glory. Uz.
zlah ruled for So years and his reign
was almost midway between the DAYS
OF Solomon and those of the Babylon.
ian captivity.
J. Priest and Parents, w. 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 ". 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-.
virenment- are not, however. a guar.
anty of any perpetuity in character.
u. Pride, w. 6-15. Uzziah or Azariah
tmarg.) made a 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
tons ". 81. In the conduct of his
campaigns Uzziah "waxed exceeding
~ strong ". R. VI Uzziah also
greatly improved and strengthened
Jerusalem and gave much heed to
stock raising and forestry ". 10). The
secret OF all of this prosperity was
that he sought Jehovah. Christen-
dom is not Christianity, yet it is a
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
his word, and do that will when
learned, is the only true basis of real
and lasting prosperity. Uzziah also
gave an exhibition of worldly wisdom
that he strengthened the defenses of
the nation (v. 9-10). Confidence in
God does not paralyze human energy
or make us presumptuous and care
less q Chron. 27:25-31). Uzziah
brought the army up to a 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. "a Pride
-Uzziah's fall and shame is one Of
the saddest chapters in history His
became his ruin. When he
was strong his heart was lifted up"
Poverty, struggle and adversely are
not passports to glory though they
have 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)
Presumpticn-Centuries before God
had warned men that prosperity
would lead to ruin (Deut. SILLY:
32:13-15) and Solomon also gave
warning prov. 1919. The subtlety
OF pride is the gradual way by which
we come to look upon our prosperity
as the work of our own hands, there
by forgetting the source of our pow
er and becoming filled with a feeling
Of our own self-sufficiency. The next
step was that Uzziah assumed to him
self those duties (v. 1e) which right
fully and exclusively belonged to the
(see Mum. 16:40; 1877: i
Kings 1888; 12:1-4; Heb. 5 ~. (3) Pro-
testing-We now behold the strange
spectacle of the king protesting for
the wrong and the faithful priests
Azariah for the right. A sad specta
Gle indeed when the head of a nation
openly avows the wrong and persists
in it despite the protests of the serv-
ants of God. The last part OF verse
Is indicates the extent and perver
sity Of Uzziah's pride. Admonition
only aroused the anger of the all-con-
quering monarch. No honor ever
comes from disobeying God q Sam
1880; Dan. $780,. Uzziah apparently
". 19) was about to use the censor in
HIS Hand as weapon IN execution
Of his wrath, but God interfered q
Peter 6:6-D. Azariah is saved and
Uzziah becomes a leper.
We must not press the teaching that
all sickness is the result of sin (read
Job).
Uzziah was forever separated ".
21) and was in his death 'unclean'' be-
cause His heart was lifted to his de-
struction.''
There are four suggestions in clos.
Ing: % Uzziah's pride had gone too
far; secretly and perhaps unconscious
ly lt>had slowly, but surely permeated
his whole nature
(2) Leprosy was fitting punish
ment, for it was an emblem Of the
foulness Of his sin.
CD His leprous condition was in
marked contrast with what he had
formerly enjoyed
(4) His punishment shut him out ef-
fectually from the work of his king.