Middletown transcript., 1922-04-22
IMPROVED UNlFORM INTERNATIONAL
Sl11aldaySchoo1 q
' Lesson '
By REV. P. B. FITZv.ATER. D. D.,
Teacher of English Bible in the Moody
Bible Institute OF Chicago.)
Copyright. 1922. Western Newspaper Union.
LESSON FOR APRIL %.
UZzlAH'S PRIDE AND PUNISH.
MENT.

UZAIAH'S PRIDE AND PUNISH
MENT.
LESSON TEXT.-II Chron. 26:1-21.
GOLDEN TEXT.-Pride goeth before
destruction and an naughty spirit before
4 fall.-Prov. 1913.
REFERENCE MATERIAL. - Mum. H.:
s:as:ss rs; Dsu' S;li-i4' II Kings ';S-S'; Dan'
PRIMARY ToP1c.-The Story of a
Proud King.
JUNIOR ToPIC.-A Man Who Forgot
God.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR
tion."
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
The Perils of Prosperity.
!. Uzziah Made King wv. 1-5).
I. His Age ". ~. He became king
at the age Of sixteen.
2. Length of His Reign ". 81. He
reigned tifty-two years. His mothers
name was Jecoliah, which means
Jehovah is able" or made strong
Of jehovah"
3. His Character ". ~. He did
that which was right IN the sight Of
the Lord. Though his father made
several great mistakes he Is given
credit for that which he did which
was worth while. The son is also COM
mended for what he did which was
right, but with his great opportunity
he should have done better than his
father.
4. His Prosperity ". 81. He def
nifnlv oil God 1,.biln Zpnbu tu IN
lived, and because he sought him God
made him to prosper as long us he
continued to seek him. He. like Joash
before him, turned aside when the in
fluence Of the man Of God was re-
moved.
II. Uzziah's Achievement wv. 6-15).
!. He Built Eloth ". p. This was
port on the Red sea which had been
lost to Judah. No doubt it was the
aim Of the father to get possession Of
this port, so the son makes Its restora-
tiOn his first duty. 1t was an i'm
portnnt trading point and the COM
mercal interests of the nation would
be greatly increased by It's possession.
2. He Had Military Success (vv.
O-oI. w AlC NohVuCiCu thC
tines ". 6). After subduing them he
dismantled their fortified cities and
built new cities in their stead. (2) He
defeated the Arabians ". y. (3) He
made the AmmOnites across the JOr-
dan pay tribute ". 81.
3. He Fortified Jerusalem wv. O.
15). He took advantage of the peace
,1.htaI of ha
subjugation of his enemies to fortlfy
Jerusalem. He placed in the towers
great engines of war for hurling
stones.
4. His Civic Improvements ". 10).
In the regions south and west of
Jerusalem he built towers which
served threefo!d purpose, namely !:
his cattle. This enabled him to carry
on his stock-raising enterprises, as
they would thus be protected from the
Bedouin marauders. He terraced the
hills and vineyards and cultivated the
plains.
5. His Army wv. 11-15). 1t numbered
307, 500. 1t was thoroughly equipped
and drilled. God was with him, and
his fame spread far and wide. The
source Of his strength was God.
III. Uzziah's Transgression wv. 1o-
1S).
The prosperity bestowed upon him
by the Lord was too much for him
his heart was lifted up with pride.
This is always so unless counteracted
h,, dix,inn Tn 1T l.
sumptuously intruded into the priest 8
office. This act was not because of
forgetfulness, but Of deliberate pur-
pose. Azariah and eighty other priests
demonstrated with him, but this only
made him angry. This act was a
trespass against God.
~. Uzziah's Punishment wv. 10.
Ply.
While raging in his wrath and about
to burn incense he was smitten with
leprosy dreadful, incurable and un-
clean disease. This Judgment came
upon him as n consequence of his
overweening pride and vanity. He was
thrust out Of the sanctuary-excluded
from Gods house. Indeed, his own
SoiiSNAShNC oihotS hiHi, anu lie UuTrleu-
ly went out because he knew that the
Lord had smitten him. He not only
was excluded from the place of wor-
ship. but was dethroned. His son
Jotham was made regent. His judg-
ment was:
1. Sudden. The Lord smote him
while attired us priest, with censor in
hand. Frequently Gods judgments
are speedy. 2. Severe. The leprosy
broke forth upon his forehead. The
same judgment befell Miriam for
speaking against Moses (Num. u :1O).
and Gehazi for lying to Elisha QI
Kings 5:2O. Great sins demand
severe punishment. 3. Conspicuous.
AZariah and all the priests looked up
and beheld the leprosy ". 20). The
spot on UzZiah's forehead proclaimed
him as the object of Gods wrath.
How many today are bearing about
the marks of sin-Gods Judgment
4. HumiliatiLg. He was henceforth
unclean-cut off from the congreCa.
tiOn. This is what sin always does.