Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-12-03
LESSON FOR DECEMBER s
uzzIAH's PRIDE AND PUNISH
MENT.

@'eocAa- w uetteT ChhTdCttF Coulu
have been chosen to illustrate the
condition Of rulers and people in the
declining days of Judah's glory. ID
Eiah ruled for 50 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.
vaptages 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 (v. 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.
u. Pride, w. els. Uzziah or Azariah
(marg) made q fine start and his
reign, considered as a whole. vas
one OF the most brilliant in Judah's
history. 1t bears some striking resem-
Dlances to that of Solomon in that the
dangerous enemies became subject ma.
tons ". 81. In the conduct of his
campaigns Uzziah "waxed exceeding.
ly strong" ". s r. W UEziah 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 ~aol
and lasting prosperity. Uzziah s.sn
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. 2725-31). Uzziah
brought the army up to a high point
OF efficiency ". 1315), using the
best weapons known In his day. We,
likewise, may be 'mnrvelously helped"
from the same source and upon the
same conditions: viz, that we seek
the Lord" Eph. $40: Phi. 5:13). But
growing along with all OF this prosper
ity there was also another develop
ment as suggested In the last clause
OF verse 1.-The was marvelously
helped "tliI he was strong There is
no greater burden to bear and no
harder test for a man or a nations
character than that which comes with
prosperity.
~. Punishment, w. 1921. (1) Pride
-UEziah'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
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)
Presumption--Centurie@ before God
had warned men that prosperity
would lead to ruin (Deut. S:11-17;
32:1315) 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 filed with a feeling
OF our own self-sufflciency. The next
step was that Uzziah assumed to him
self those duties ". 16) which right
fully and exclusively belonged to the
priesthood (see Mum. 16:40; 1877; I
Kings 1888; 12;1-4; Heb. 5:4). (s) Pro-
testing-We now behold the strange
spectacle of the king protesting for
the wrong and the faithful prizes g
Azariah for the right. A sad specta-
Gle indeed when the head of a nation
openly avows thu wrong and persists
in It despite the protests of the serv.
ants of God. The last part of verse
1S 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 Il Sam
2;30; Dan. 5:3D. Uzziah apparently
". 19) was about to use the censer in
his hand as a weapon in execution
OF his wrath. but God interfered q
Peter SEQ. Azsriah is saved anc
Uzziah becomes a leper.
Leprosy. like sin. begins and devel
ops in its incipient stages in secret
and Uzziah's act was but the cul
mination Of the long development o.
sinful pride.
Wrath soon passes away, but it's re
suits. physically as well as spiritually
are permanent.
We must not press the teaching tha
all sickness is the result of sin (rea,
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: u) Uzziah's pride had gone to-
far; secretly and perhaps unconscious
ly II had slowly. but surely permeate
his whole nature.
The time is surely coming whei
sin and the sinner must be judge
from. 2:1-5: 6;23).
(2) Leprosy was a fitting punisf
ment. for II was an emblem Of III
foulness OF his sin.
Pride will precipitste men the low
est RRd cause them TO perpetrate tn
most heinous sins. Satan, we ar
told, fell because OF pride.
Uzziah. looking in the glass. coul
see reflected the leprosy of his sou
(S) His leprous condition was
marked contrast with what he ha
formerly enjoyed.
There is only one way for Us /
blot out the past record OF our sin
from. S:2425).
(D His punishment shut him out q
fectually from the work of his KIM
dom-ability, strength, experience an
ambition fall before the blightin
blast Of san.