The Pilgrim Path---Second Chronicles 26: 16 – 21 (3—3—23)

But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “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. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God.” Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him. And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And Jotham his son was over the king’s household, governing the people of the land.

“…BECAUSE THE LORD HAD STRUCK HIM”

It is quite easy to become like King Uzziah. To attempt to “take” positions or places that the LORD never designed for us to occupy. We are naturally full of ourselves. We are more than ready to be self-assertive (we need no seminars). Ready to be “King” over everyone and everything. Oh---and we do not want to be corrected either. Thank God---The LORD Jesus Christ loves us too much---to simply leave us ---to ruin ourselves! Might we diminish our usefulness? Possibly---But the Holy Spirit can help us turn---and be renewed! The problem with King Uzziah: he would not walk the path of brokenness. Go back and read the beginning of this chapter. Uzziah belonged to the LORD---but his rebellion “robbed” him of the opportunity of ending well. It does not have to be this way…

From Samuel Rutherford: Among many marks that we are on the journey, and under sail towards heaven, this is one, when the love of God so filleth our hearts that we forget to love and care too much for the having or lacking other things; as one extreme heat burneth out another.

From William Gurnall: True faith is full of self-denial. Faith keeps us low.

Grace & Peace in Jesus, the Only Redeemer of broken and wretched souls, Pastor Jason