Topic: Damned By Pride [Saturday July 1, 2017]
Text: 2 Chronicles 26:1-21
Key Verse: “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” (2 Chronicles 26:16).
Two women, in Shanghai discussed Hudson Taylor, a radical missionary, who believed that China would never be won for Christ by quiet and ease-loving Christians. The women wondered if he was ever tempted to be prideful of his many accomplishments.
One of them inquired from Taylor’s wife, Maria, who asked her husband if he was ever tempted to be proud. With surprised he asked, “Proud about what?” His wife explained: “About all of the things you have done.” Taylor responded, “I never knew I had done anything.” From our text, Azariah, who was also called Uzziah, did not know how to manage his life. He began to rule together with his father, but he actually became the king after his father’s death. The Scripture gave an in-depth description of his life in 2 Chronicles 26 and revealed that a man called Zechariah, taught him a better understanding of the Lord, This is an indication that at any time, God, out of His mercy and love, will always position people to teach others about
His righteousness. At the inception of his reign, Uzziah pleased God, except that he could not remove the places where the people worshipped false gods. However, when success crept in, he became full of himself. He felt that because he had built tall buildings to protect Jerusalem and achieved much in agriculture, among others, he could downplay God’s principles. He attempted to do the priest’s duty by trying to burn incense in the temple, which was a terrible sin. The priests tried to stop him, but he was unyielding and angry. Immediately, he became afflicted with leprosy and was hurriedly removed from the temple.
For the rest of his life, he lived an isolated life because of the illness. He never entered the temple again. To credit oneself with any recorded feat in life is an open and flagrant repudiation of God’s benevolence and kindness. It is at once an ungodly demonstration of pride and carnality. This was the undoing of Uzziah spiritually, from whom the haughty and the proud, so-called Christian must learn.
Thought for the day: A man’s pride can be his downfall
Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 1-3
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
