The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1915-12-02
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 5
uzzlAH's PRIDE AND PUNISH.
MENT.

spirit shall obtain honor.-Prov. 1928
r. V.
Again we consider the southern
kingdom. No better character could
have been chosen to illustrate the
condition OF rulers and people in the
declining days OF Judah's glory. Uz-
zioh ruled for So years and his reign
was almost midway between the days
of Solomon and those OF. the Babylon
ian captivity.
l. 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 ". ~,
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-
yironment are not, however, guar
anty OF any perpetuity in character
u. Pride, w. 6-15. Uzziah or Azariah
tmarg) made fine start and his
reign, considered as a whole. was
one of the most brilliant in Judahs
history. 1t bears some striking resem-
blances to that of Solomon in that the
dangerous enemies became subject ma
tions ". 81. In the conduct of his
campaigns Uzziah "waxed exceeding
ly strong" ". Il. W 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 1t 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
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 ". 9-l0). 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 ". 1870, 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:l0; Phi 5:19. But
growing along with all of this prosper.
ity there was also another develop
ment as suggested In the last clause
Of verse 1i-"he was marvelously
helped "tiIl he was strong" There is
no greater burden to bear and no
harder test for man or a nation s
character than that which comes with
prosperity.
III. Punishment, w. 1921. % 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
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)
mption-CenturieJ before God
had warned men that prosperity
would lead to ruin (Deut, s:1l-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
as the work Of our own hands, there
by forgetting the source of our pow
er and becoming filed with feeling
OF our own selfsufficiency. The mex
step was that Uzzlah assumed to him
self those duties ". l6) which right
fully and exclusively belonged to tn,
priesthood (see Mum. 16:40; 1877;
Kings 1898; l2:1-4; Heb. 5:4). (3) Pro
testing-We now behold the strang,
spectacle of the king protesting TO
the wrong and the faithful prizes,
Azariah for the right. A sad specta
Gle indeed when the head of natioi
openly avows ths wrong and persists
in IL despite the protests OF the sery
ants of God. The last part of vers
IS indicates the extent and perver
sity of Uzziah's pride. Admonitioi
only aroused the anger of the all-cor
quering monarch. No honor eve
: comes from disobeying God Il San
' 2:30; Dan. 5.37). Uzziah apparentl
". 19) was about to use the censor Il
his hand as weapon in execution
Of his wrath, but God interfered
Peter $50. Azariah is saved an
Uzziah becomes leper.
Leprosy, like sin, begins and deve
ops in its incipie1t stages in secre
" and Uzziahs act was but the Gu
, mination of the long development c
sinful pride.
, Wrath soon passes away, but its r,
: suits, physically as we'll as spiritual.
/. are permanent.
a We must not press the teaching thi
n all sickness is the result of sin trea
!. Job.
4 Uzziah was forever separated {
2l) and was in his death "unclean" b
Il cause His heart was lifted to his d
4. struction."
, There are four suggestions in clio
/ ing: % Usz,ah's pride had gone tc
II far: secretly and perhaps unconsciou
+ ly 1t had slowly. but surely permeats
:. his whole nature.
q. The time is surely coming whs