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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter
Speaker 1: twenty six, and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation.
Speaker 1: All the people of Judah had crowned Ameziah's sixteen year
Speaker 1: old son Usiah as king in place of his father.
Speaker 1: After his father's death, Usiah rebuilt the town of Elath
Speaker 1: and restored it to Judah. Usiah was sixteen years old
Speaker 1: when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty
Speaker 1: two years. His mother was Jekaliah from Jerusalem. He did
Speaker 1: what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his
Speaker 1: father Amaziah had done taught God during the days of Zechariah,
Speaker 1: who taught him to fear God. And as long as
Speaker 1: the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.
Speaker 1: Uziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the
Speaker 1: walls of Gath, Jabna and Ashdod. Then he built new
Speaker 1: towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Pelistia.
Speaker 1: God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his
Speaker 1: battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with
Speaker 1: the Mayonites. The Mayonites paid annual tribute to him, and
Speaker 1: his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become
Speaker 1: very powerful. Uziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the
Speaker 1: corner gate, at the valley gate, and at the angle
Speaker 1: in the wall. He also constructed forts in the wilderness
Speaker 1: and dug many water cisterns. Because he kept great herds
Speaker 1: of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains.
Speaker 1: He was also a man who loved the soil. He
Speaker 1: had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards,
Speaker 1: both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys. Uziah
Speaker 1: had an army of well trained warriors ready to march
Speaker 1: into battle. Unit by unit. This army had been mustered
Speaker 1: and organized by Jail, the secretary of the army, and
Speaker 1: his assistant Messiah. They were under the direction of Han
Speaker 1: and Aiah, one of the king's officials. These regiments of
Speaker 1: mighty warriors were commanded by two thousand, six hundred clan leaders.
Speaker 1: The army consisted of three hundred seven thousand, five hundred men,
Speaker 1: all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king
Speaker 1: against any enemy. Usiah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets,
Speaker 1: coats of mail, bows and slingstones, and he built structures
Speaker 1: on the walls of Jerusalem designed by experts to protect
Speaker 1: those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the
Speaker 1: towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread
Speaker 1: far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help,
Speaker 1: and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful,
Speaker 1: he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He
Speaker 1: sinned against the Lord, his God by entering the sanctuary
Speaker 1: of the Lord's temple and personally burning incense on the
Speaker 1: incense altar. Azariah, the high Priest, went in after him
Speaker 1: with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men.
Speaker 1: They confronted King Uziah and said, it is not for you,
Speaker 1: Uziah to burn incense to the Lord. That is the
Speaker 1: work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron, who
Speaker 1: are set apart for this work, get out of the sanctuary,
Speaker 1: for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor
Speaker 1: you for this. Usiah, who was holding an incense burner
Speaker 1: became furious. But as he was standing there raging at
Speaker 1: the priests before the incense altar in the lord's temple,
Speaker 1: leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. When Azariah, the
Speaker 1: high Priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy,
Speaker 1: they rushed him out, and the king himself was eager
Speaker 1: to get out because the Lord had struck him. So
Speaker 1: King Uziah had leprosy until the day he died. He
Speaker 1: lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was
Speaker 1: excluded from the temple of the Lord. His son Jotham
Speaker 1: was put in charge of the royal palace, and he
Speaker 1: governed the people of the land. The rest of the
Speaker 1: events of Uziah's reign from beginning to end are recorded
Speaker 1: by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos. When Uziah died,
Speaker 1: he was buried with his ancestors. His grave was in
Speaker 1: a nearby burial field belonging to the kings, for the
Speaker 1: people said he had leprosy, and his son Jotham became
Speaker 1: the next king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for
Speaker 1: your word, and we thank you for the privilege of
Speaker 1: being able to look at it today and we thank you,
Speaker 1: Lord for the fact that during the majority of Uzaiah's
Speaker 1: life he did what was right in your eyes. But Lord,
Speaker 1: you blessed him, and he, again, like some of his
Speaker 1: ancestors had done, took those blessings for granted and made
Speaker 1: assumptions about himself that were not in line with your will. Lord.
Speaker 1: Instead of coming before you humbly, he came before you
Speaker 1: with pride. He assumed unto himself tasks or a role
Speaker 1: in a position that was not his. To assume he
Speaker 1: was king, but he assumed the role of a priest,
Speaker 1: and he wouldn't listen to the counsel of the priests
Speaker 1: when he was confronted in the midst of his sin. Lord,
Speaker 1: we recognize that there's a deeper meaning to what you've
Speaker 1: presented here, and a very personal application to us that
Speaker 1: we would be wise to heed. Lord. We know that
Speaker 1: the only one who is prophet east and king in
Speaker 1: the ultimate sense is your son Jesus Christ, and for
Speaker 1: Usiah to try and assume that role was in a
Speaker 1: sense like he was usurping the role of Christ. And
Speaker 1: Lord by way of application, we realize that you've called
Speaker 1: us not to be proud people before you but to
Speaker 1: humbly seek your help, because you are eager to give
Speaker 1: us the help that we need. And we pray Lord
Speaker 1: that when we go about things, that we would do
Speaker 1: so in a way that is in line with what
Speaker 1: you've communicated in your word. Uziah drifted from that, and
Speaker 1: we've drifted from that as well. But by your grace, Lord,
Speaker 1: we pray that as our faith matures, that we would
Speaker 1: begin to value what you have communicated, and that we
Speaker 1: would listen to your wisdom and your counsel in all circumstances. Lord,
Speaker 1: we're grateful for this day. We're grateful for your presence
Speaker 1: with us, and we're grateful for your love. We just
Speaker 1: thank you for all these things, and we pray this
Speaker 1: all in Jesus's name. Amen.