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Bible reading: 2
Chronicles 26:16-23
16 But
when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction:
for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the
temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 17
And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him
fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: 18 And
they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It
appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the
LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated
to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast
trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from the LORD
God. 19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his
hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests,
the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in
the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. 20 And
Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him,
and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him
out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the
LORD had smitten him. 21 And Uzziah the king was a leper
unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a
leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham
his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the
land. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and
last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. 23 So
Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his
fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings;
for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his
stead.
The transgression
of the kings before Uzziah was, forsaking the temple of the Lord,
and burning incense upon idolatrous altars. But his transgression
was, going into the holy place, and attempting to burn incense
upon the altar of God. See how hard it is to avoid one extreme,
and not run into another.
A proud heart was at the bottom of his sin; a lust that ruins
many. Instead of lifting up the name God in gratitude to him who
had done so much for him, his heart was lifted up to his hurt.
Men's pretending to forbidden knowledge, and seeking things too
high for them, are owing to pride of heart. The incense of our
prayers must be, by faith, put into the hands of our Lord Jesus,
the great High Priest of our profession, else we cannot expect it
to be accepted by God (Rev.8:3).
Though Uzziah strove with the priests, he would not strive with
his Maker. But he was punished for his transgression; he continued
a leper to his death, shut out from society. The punishment
answered the sin as face to face in a glass. Pride was at the
bottom of his transgression, and thus God humbled him, and put
dishonor upon him. Those that covet forbidden honors, forfeit
allowed ones.
Adam, by eating of the tree of knowledge which he might not eat
of, debarred himself of the tree of life which he might have eaten
of. Let all that read say, The Lord is righteous. And when the
Lord sees good to throw prosperous and useful men aside, as broken
vessels, if he raises up others to fill their places, they may
rejoice to renounce all worldly concerns, and employ their
remaining days in preparation for death.
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