So Uzziah
slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of
the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a
leper." And Jotham his son became king in his place. (2 Chronicles 26:23)
Fifty-two years Uzziah had
served as a king. Most all of those
years he had been a good man and a great leader, but as he continued to prosper,
his pride began to grow to the point that it stole his power. He was inappropriately enraged and God struck
him down and he was remembered only as a leper.
You see that's the final thing about pride, when your heart's full of it
and you’re struck down, people will remember you only for that pride and what
it brought about, not for the good accomplished in your life prior to that.
They wouldn't even bury
him in the royal burial field...Why? Because he was a man who died of leprosy. They buried him near the burial places of the
kings, but they wouldn't contaminate the royal cemetery with a leper. His pride caused his anger which brought about
his disobedience and serious consequences.
What are the lessons from
Uzziah's life beyond what we have already discerned from the scriptures?
1. Realize that no genuine success is possible apart from the Lord God.
God prospered Uzziah; God
helped him. If you're enjoying success
it's more than likely a blessing from God, don't ever forget that.
2. There are few tests like the test of success.
This might surprise some
of you, but there are more people who can handle life at the bottom than there
are who can handle it at the top. You
see the pinnacle is a very tenuous place to be. If you get there, if God blesses you with
success in your life beyond your imagination, let me encourage you to walk
humbly, walk quietly, and walk gratefully in the presence of God.
3. The God that blesses is also the God who can undo those blessings.
The same God that gave
Uzziah riches and health was the one who looked at him in the temple and stuck
him with leprosy. Don't ever spit in the
face of God. Don't ever let pride swell
in your heart to the point you think, you're the one who calls the shots. God has never tolerated that and He won't now.
In our sliding scale of
sin, pride is certainly not one of those we would declare one of the
worst. Certainly the sins of murder,
adultery, stealing or some other listed in the Ten Commandments would be
worse. Yet, God has shown us throughout
His Word that the sin which is core to all others is the sin of pride. Jesus taught from the Mount of the Beatitudes
the necessity of humility when He said, "Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
Do you not find
it interesting that the primary expression of ungodly pride is anger? James spoke to this when he said, Every good
thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father
of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. … This you know,
my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow
to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1:17&20)
The lessons of Uzziah are worthy of learning in
times when all of going very well. As we
are blessed, we need to be blessing God.
Scripture to
Claim:
An angry man
stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. A man's pride
will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor. (Proverbs 29:22-23)
