WEBVTT - 2 Chronicles 26

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter

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<v Speaker 1>twenty six, and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation.

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<v Speaker 1>All the people of Judah had crowned Ameziah's sixteen year

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<v Speaker 1>old son Usiah as king in place of his father.

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<v Speaker 1>After his father's death, Usiah rebuilt the town of Elath

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<v Speaker 1>and restored it to Judah. Usiah was sixteen years old

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<v Speaker 1>when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty

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<v Speaker 1>two years. His mother was Jekaliah from Jerusalem. He did

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<v Speaker 1>what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his

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<v Speaker 1>father Amaziah had done taught God during the days of Zechariah,

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<v Speaker 1>who taught him to fear God. And as long as

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<v Speaker 1>the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.

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<v Speaker 1>Uziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the

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<v Speaker 1>walls of Gath, Jabna and Ashdod. Then he built new

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<v Speaker 1>towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Pelistia.

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<v Speaker 1>God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his

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<v Speaker 1>battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with

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<v Speaker 1>the Mayonites. The Mayonites paid annual tribute to him, and

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<v Speaker 1>his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become

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<v Speaker 1>very powerful. Uziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the

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<v Speaker 1>corner gate, at the valley gate, and at the angle

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<v Speaker 1>in the wall. He also constructed forts in the wilderness

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<v Speaker 1>and dug many water cisterns. Because he kept great herds

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<v Speaker 1>of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains.

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<v Speaker 1>He was also a man who loved the soil. He

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<v Speaker 1>had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards,

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<v Speaker 1>both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys. Uziah

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<v Speaker 1>had an army of well trained warriors ready to march

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<v Speaker 1>into battle. Unit by unit. This army had been mustered

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<v Speaker 1>and organized by Jail, the secretary of the army, and

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<v Speaker 1>his assistant Messiah. They were under the direction of Han

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<v Speaker 1>and Aiah, one of the king's officials. These regiments of

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<v Speaker 1>mighty warriors were commanded by two thousand, six hundred clan leaders.

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<v Speaker 1>The army consisted of three hundred seven thousand, five hundred men,

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<v Speaker 1>all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king

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<v Speaker 1>against any enemy. Usiah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets,

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<v Speaker 1>coats of mail, bows and slingstones, and he built structures

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<v Speaker 1>on the walls of Jerusalem designed by experts to protect

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<v Speaker 1>those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the

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<v Speaker 1>towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread

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<v Speaker 1>far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help,

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<v Speaker 1>and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful,

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<v Speaker 1>he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He

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<v Speaker 1>sinned against the Lord, his God by entering the sanctuary

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<v Speaker 1>of the Lord's temple and personally burning incense on the

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<v Speaker 1>incense altar. Azariah, the high Priest, went in after him

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<v Speaker 1>with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men.

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<v Speaker 1>They confronted King Uziah and said, it is not for you,

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<v Speaker 1>Uziah to burn incense to the Lord. That is the

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<v Speaker 1>work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron, who

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<v Speaker 1>are set apart for this work, get out of the sanctuary,

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<v Speaker 1>for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor

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<v Speaker 1>you for this. Usiah, who was holding an incense burner

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<v Speaker 1>became furious. But as he was standing there raging at

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<v Speaker 1>the priests before the incense altar in the lord's temple,

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<v Speaker 1>leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. When Azariah, the

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<v Speaker 1>high Priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy,

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<v Speaker 1>they rushed him out, and the king himself was eager

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<v Speaker 1>to get out because the Lord had struck him. So

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<v Speaker 1>King Uziah had leprosy until the day he died. He

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<v Speaker 1>lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was

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<v Speaker 1>excluded from the temple of the Lord. His son Jotham

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<v Speaker 1>was put in charge of the royal palace, and he

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<v Speaker 1>governed the people of the land. The rest of the

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<v Speaker 1>events of Uziah's reign from beginning to end are recorded

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<v Speaker 1>by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amos. When Uziah died,

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<v Speaker 1>he was buried with his ancestors. His grave was in

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<v Speaker 1>a nearby burial field belonging to the kings, for the

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<v Speaker 1>people said he had leprosy, and his son Jotham became

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<v Speaker 1>the next king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>your word, and we thank you for the privilege of

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<v Speaker 1>being able to look at it today and we thank you,

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<v Speaker 1>Lord for the fact that during the majority of Uzaiah's

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<v Speaker 1>life he did what was right in your eyes. But Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>you blessed him, and he, again, like some of his

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<v Speaker 1>ancestors had done, took those blessings for granted and made

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<v Speaker 1>assumptions about himself that were not in line with your will. Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of coming before you humbly, he came before you

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<v Speaker 1>with pride. He assumed unto himself tasks or a role

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<v Speaker 1>in a position that was not his. To assume he

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<v Speaker 1>was king, but he assumed the role of a priest,

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<v Speaker 1>and he wouldn't listen to the counsel of the priests

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<v Speaker 1>when he was confronted in the midst of his sin. Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>we recognize that there's a deeper meaning to what you've

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<v Speaker 1>presented here, and a very personal application to us that

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<v Speaker 1>we would be wise to heed. Lord. We know that

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<v Speaker 1>the only one who is prophet east and king in

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<v Speaker 1>the ultimate sense is your son Jesus Christ, and for

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<v Speaker 1>Usiah to try and assume that role was in a

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<v Speaker 1>sense like he was usurping the role of Christ. And

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<v Speaker 1>Lord by way of application, we realize that you've called

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<v Speaker 1>us not to be proud people before you but to

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<v Speaker 1>humbly seek your help, because you are eager to give

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<v Speaker 1>us the help that we need. And we pray Lord

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<v Speaker 1>that when we go about things, that we would do

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<v Speaker 1>so in a way that is in line with what

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<v Speaker 1>you've communicated in your word. Uziah drifted from that, and

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<v Speaker 1>we've drifted from that as well. But by your grace, Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>we pray that as our faith matures, that we would

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<v Speaker 1>begin to value what you have communicated, and that we

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<v Speaker 1>would listen to your wisdom and your counsel in all circumstances. Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>we're grateful for this day. We're grateful for your presence

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<v Speaker 1>with us, and we're grateful for your love. We just

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for all these things, and we pray this

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<v Speaker 1>all in Jesus's name. Amen.