1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters 3 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. 4 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: twenty six, and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: All the people of Judah had crowned Ameziah's sixteen year 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: old son Usiah as king in place of his father. 8 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: After his father's death, Usiah rebuilt the town of Elath 9 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: and restored it to Judah. Usiah was sixteen years old 10 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty 11 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: two years. His mother was Jekaliah from Jerusalem. He did 12 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his 13 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: father Amaziah had done taught God during the days of Zechariah, 14 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: who taught him to fear God. And as long as 15 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success. 16 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: Uziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the 17 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: walls of Gath, Jabna and Ashdod. Then he built new 18 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Pelistia. 19 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his 20 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with 21 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: the Mayonites. The Mayonites paid annual tribute to him, and 22 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become 23 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: very powerful. Uziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the 24 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 1: corner gate, at the valley gate, and at the angle 25 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: in the wall. He also constructed forts in the wilderness 26 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: and dug many water cisterns. Because he kept great herds 27 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. 28 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: He was also a man who loved the soil. He 29 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, 30 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:10,119 Speaker 1: both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys. Uziah 31 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: had an army of well trained warriors ready to march 32 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: into battle. Unit by unit. This army had been mustered 33 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: and organized by Jail, the secretary of the army, and 34 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: his assistant Messiah. They were under the direction of Han 35 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: and Aiah, one of the king's officials. These regiments of 36 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: mighty warriors were commanded by two thousand, six hundred clan leaders. 37 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: The army consisted of three hundred seven thousand, five hundred men, 38 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king 39 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: against any enemy. Usiah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, 40 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: coats of mail, bows and slingstones, and he built structures 41 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: on the walls of Jerusalem designed by experts to protect 42 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the 43 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread 44 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, 45 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, 46 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He 47 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: sinned against the Lord, his God by entering the sanctuary 48 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: of the Lord's temple and personally burning incense on the 49 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: incense altar. Azariah, the high Priest, went in after him 50 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. 51 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: They confronted King Uziah and said, it is not for you, 52 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: Uziah to burn incense to the Lord. That is the 53 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron, who 54 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: are set apart for this work, get out of the sanctuary, 55 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor 56 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: you for this. Usiah, who was holding an incense burner 57 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: became furious. But as he was standing there raging at 58 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: the priests before the incense altar in the lord's temple, 59 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. When Azariah, the 60 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: high Priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy, 61 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,559 Speaker 1: they rushed him out, and the king himself was eager 62 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: to get out because the Lord had struck him. So 63 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 1: King Uziah had leprosy until the day he died. He 64 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was 65 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: excluded from the temple of the Lord. His son Jotham 66 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: was put in charge of the royal palace, and he 67 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: governed the people of the land. The rest of the 68 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: events of Uziah's reign from beginning to end are recorded 69 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 1: by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos. When Uziah died, 70 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,720 Speaker 1: he was buried with his ancestors. His grave was in 71 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: a nearby burial field belonging to the kings, for the 72 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: people said he had leprosy, and his son Jotham became 73 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: the next king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for 74 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: your word, and we thank you for the privilege of 75 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: being able to look at it today and we thank you, 76 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: Lord for the fact that during the majority of Uzaiah's 77 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: life he did what was right in your eyes. But Lord, 78 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: you blessed him, and he, again, like some of his 79 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 1: ancestors had done, took those blessings for granted and made 80 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: assumptions about himself that were not in line with your will. Lord. 81 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: Instead of coming before you humbly, he came before you 82 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: with pride. He assumed unto himself tasks or a role 83 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: in a position that was not his. To assume he 84 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: was king, but he assumed the role of a priest, 85 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: and he wouldn't listen to the counsel of the priests 86 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: when he was confronted in the midst of his sin. Lord, 87 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: we recognize that there's a deeper meaning to what you've 88 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: presented here, and a very personal application to us that 89 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: we would be wise to heed. Lord. We know that 90 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: the only one who is prophet east and king in 91 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: the ultimate sense is your son Jesus Christ, and for 92 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,919 Speaker 1: Usiah to try and assume that role was in a 93 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: sense like he was usurping the role of Christ. And 94 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: Lord by way of application, we realize that you've called 95 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: us not to be proud people before you but to 96 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: humbly seek your help, because you are eager to give 97 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: us the help that we need. And we pray Lord 98 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: that when we go about things, that we would do 99 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: so in a way that is in line with what 100 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: you've communicated in your word. Uziah drifted from that, and 101 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 1: we've drifted from that as well. But by your grace, Lord, 102 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 1: we pray that as our faith matures, that we would 103 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: begin to value what you have communicated, and that we 104 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: would listen to your wisdom and your counsel in all circumstances. Lord, 105 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: we're grateful for this day. We're grateful for your presence 106 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,359 Speaker 1: with us, and we're grateful for your love. We just 107 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,280 Speaker 1: thank you for all these things, and we pray this 108 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: all in Jesus's name. Amen.