This chapter describes the reign of Amaziah’s son Uzziah, the next Judean king.
“And [Uzziah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord… But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he… entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him… and said… ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense…’ Then Uzziah was angry… and… leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord” (v4, 16-19 abr)
Like many of the kings, Uzziah started out well by honoring God. As the years went by, his fame, wealth and power grew, and so did his opinion of himself. He became prideful enough to believe he qualified to offer incense in the Lord’s presence. I find it interesting God did not strike him instantly, as He did Aaron’s sons. Uzziah was only stricken after he became angry with the priests for warning him of his mistake.
Did you know that God consistently warns us when we’re sinning or about to sin? It is God’s desire that we sin as little as possible. Sin draws us away from God, and he wants us to remain close to Him. He warned Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit, He warned Peter of his triple betrayal, and he warned Uzziah of his upcoming wrongdoing.
The problem is we are easily fooled and blinded – we can allow Satan to cloud our minds so we either ignore, or don’t hear God’s warnings. Uzziah was blinded by pride which is one example of a barrier to hearing God’s warnings.
Surrender is the best remedy I know for breaking down barriers to hearing God’s voice. When we humble ourselves, die to worldly desires and falsehoods, and embrace God’s grace and truth, we open the door to God’s will and leading.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (Jas 4:7) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rm 12:2) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Pro 3:5-6)
I encourage us to follow the sound advice in scripture – submit to God, humble our hearts, acknowledge God in everything and for everything, and He will gladly govern our souls. He will not lead us into temptation, but will deliver us from the evil one.
Father God, our Glorious and Magnificent Lord, righteous, holy and gracious is Your name. Father we praise You for sending Your Spirit to guide and lead us every moment of every day. Please gently humble our hearts, helping us surrender to Your will and Your ways, so we don’t go astray. Please guard our hearts and minds against Satan’s wiles, and whisper Your warnings when sinful traps are near. We ask all this in the name of Jesus, our King who avoided many traps by leaning on Your word. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training