Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you today, and I hope that this day finds you all doing well.
I talked to my uncle on the phone this afternoon. He is suffering from severe arthritis in the back. Would you all please pray that my uncle Richard will feel better shortly. Also in your prayers, thank the Lord that my friend's wife had a good job interview this morning.
I am thankful to the Lord for my job at the research company. I also want to thank the Lord that I picked up a couple of new writing clients this week. I am still looking for more work, so I would ask you to continue to pray about this. I might discuss some more of my thoughts on all of this tomorrow.
Last week, we examined the life of Solomon. Solomon had so much going for him, but he let it all slip away and turned away from the True and Living God to worship idols.
In today's message, I want to focus on another king who started out well, but in the end, he had great difficulties.
Uzziah became the king of Judah when he was just 16 years old. He would rule over Judah for more than 50 years. The Bible says that Uzziah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 26:5 states, "And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper."
Uzziah was a strong king and successful military leader. With the Lord's help, Uzziah won victories over the Philistines and the Arabians. The Ammonites were also subject to him. Uzziah believed in military preparedness, and he took several steps to strengthen the nation's defenses and to provide for the armed forces.
The Bible also records that Uzziah was very interested in husbandry. He had a large number of cattle and built several wells to meet his flocks needs. He also hired many vine dressers to care for his many plants.
So far, so good. Uzziah seems to have been a really great leader and a devoted follower of God. However, like what happens with so many people, pride got the better of Uzziah. 2 Chronicles 26:16 states, "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense."
When Uzziah went into the temple to burn incense, Azariah the priest stopped him. He told the king that only Levites were allowed to minister in the temple.
Uzziah became very anger at this news. He took an incense censor in his hand, and as soon as he did it, the Lord smote Uzziah with leprosy. Uzziah was thrown out of the temple. He also could no longer act as king. Uzziah's son Jotham served as co-regent until he became king in his own right upon his father's death. Uzziah was not even allowed to be buried with the other kings because he was a leper.
So, what was so terrible about what Uzziah did. First of all, there had to be more to it than the king trying to act as a priest. During the Maccabean period, several of the Hasmonean kings acted as High Priest. They, however, were members of the tribe of Levi. Only the tribe of Levi was designated by God to serve in the temple. Part of Uzziah's sin was that as a member of the tribe of Judah, Uzziah was trying to go against the commands of God. In other words, Uzziah thought that he was so important that God's commandments didn't apply to him.
Also, I think that it is possible that Uzziah was beginning to fall into the trap that so many rulers in that time fell into. They became so puffed up with their own importance that the felt as if they were gods themselves.
What can we as 21st century followers of Jesus learn from all of this. We need to learn the danger of pride and arrogance. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:3 that no one should think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
What we all need to remember is that everything that we have has been given to us by the grace of the Lord. Every good and perfect gift comes from above says the book of James. We are nothing in and of ourselves. All of our strength and ability comes from the hand of God Almighty.
Just because we find ourselves in a favorable circumstance in life, that is no reason to look down on others or to make the claim that we got to where we are in life as the result of our own effort. We should not think that we are better than someone else because we have more money, a higher position or are more successful according to the standards of this sinful world.
There is an old saying that states, "There but for the grace of God go I." Without God's grace upon my life, I know that I would be nowhere. God has graciously allowed me to have a job, food, good parents and my friend Toby. Everything good I have ever had has come from the Lord Jesus.
The Bible clearly gives us the way to avoid being proud. It presents us with the example of the Lord Jesus Himself. Philippians 2:1-11 tells us that we should follow the example of humility given by Jesus. Jesus was God. However, He took upon Himself human flesh at the Incarnation. He suffered and died on a cross bearing the sins of humanity. He did not have to do this. He humbled Himself and did it.
Jesus is our example. If we look to Him, we will know how to have a humble heart of service, and we will not be lifted up with pride as Uzziah was.
There is another lesson we can learn from Uzziah. It is that we should respect the power, majesty and holiness of God. It is interesting to note that Isaiah the great prophet saw the throne room of Heaven in the same year that Uzziah died of leprosy. Isaiah 6:1 states, "In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple." This chapter goes on to detail the majesty of God. When Isaiah saw the Lord he said, "Woe is me, for I am undone."
The majesty and power of an earthly king was nothing compared with the glory of the Lord revealed to the prophet Isaiah.
We must always remember that God is holy, and He will not share His glory with another. We are mere humans. It is incumbent upon us to obey the Lord and not become so prideful that we think that we know more than God does.
The Lord is more majestic than any world leader. The leaders and the powerful and the rich people of this world think that they are important and superior. They try to exercise their power over others through physical and economic exploitation. They are nothing in the sight of God.
One day, all of those who think they are powerful and important will bow before the mighty hand of God. When the Lord Jesus returns, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I am looking forward to that day with great expectation.
Next week, I will post a verse on Monday and a review on Wednesday. The Weekend Sermon next week will have a Christmas theme. May God bless you. Amen.
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