Title: Uzziah/2 Chronicles 26:1-23
Uzziah / 2 Chronicles 26:1-23
good at first
Another name for Uzziah is Azariah (2 Kings 15:3). Uzziah's father, Amaziah, was killed because of the rebellion of his servants, and Uzziah became king at the age of 16. Uzziah, who became king, built Elod (Elath, 2 Kings 14:22). It is the point where the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba on the other side of the Red Sea and the tip of the Negev Desert meet with the Sinai Wilderness as the center. It is still the southernmost tip of Israel. It was originally the land of Edom, but it was first conquered by Solomon (2 Chronicles 8:17). It was lost again in the days of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:8-10), but was restored again in the days of Uzziah. This place was a key point of maritime traffic (1 Kings 9:26, 22:48). Uzziah also attacked the Philistines and even Arabia. The Ammonites also paid tribute to Uzziah (6-8).
Uzziah not only expanded his power externally, but also ruled well internally. New gates were built in various places in Jerusalem, and towers were built (9-). Not only that, he said, 'Even in rough ground, they built towers and dug many pools of water' (10-). The rough land refers to the wilderness of Judea to the west of the Dead Sea. Uzziah built a tower to keep the people from looting their livestock, and he built it to control Arabia's commercial roads. He also dug many puddles of water to keep animals well. Also, while strengthening the national defense, the army was well organized (11-13). And new weapons were developed and armed (14-15). I made and installed a machine to shoot arrows and a stone cannon that can shoot multiple arrows at once. Uzziah became strong, and his name spread not only to Egypt (8-), but also to far-off places (15-).
later get arrogant
Uzziah got to this point because he was honest with God (4b-) and because God helped him (7a, 15b). But Uzziah became proud. It was sometime when less than 40 years had passed since he ascended to the throne (Uzziah reigned for 52 years from about 783 BC. Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom died about 746 BC. However, according to 1 Chronicles 5:17, Jotham, the son of Uzziah, and Jeroboam II are recorded as kings who ruled at the same time in the Southern and Northern Kingdoms respectively)
He became proud and went to the temple to burn incense. Azariah the priest and 80 courageous priests followed and stopped them. The original meaning of 'block' is 'standing face to face'. That is, it was not just a verbal warning, but a strong deterrent. I stopped and called 'Uzziah'. The meaning of this word is 'The temple is not the place of the king's authority'. Still, Uzziah was furious. When he was angry, leprosy broke out on his forehead in front of the priest by the altar of incense in the house of the LORD.
Uzziah became king at the age of 16 and reigned 52 years (1,3). So I lived to 68. However, at the age of 50, he became leper and could not enter the temple or the royal palace until the day of his death.生不如death, meaning that he lived but died while living as if he was dead. Even after he died, he could not enter the king's tomb because he was unclean.
Lesson
Uzziah ascended to the throne in the welcome of 'all the people' (1-, 2 Kings 14:21). And with God's help, he enjoyed prosperity and glory comparable to that of Solomon's time. Its glory was at its peak before becoming arrogant. Although Uzziah did well, it was the grace of God (7:15). Looking at the circumstances surrounding the country of Judah at that time, Syria, a powerful force in the north, was rapidly weakened by Assyria, and even Assyria did not have time to look outside due to domestic problems. Because of this historical background, the kingdom of Uzziah was able to achieve great prosperity overall. But Uzziah forgot to thank God for His grace and became proud. When God struck, I had no choice but to give up everything in an instant. I have seen countless examples of this from previous kings. And yet, like many kings, they became proud.
·The lesson of being humble at first, but later becoming proud and forsaken by God, continues to the point that I find it boring. Why do you keep repeating the same topic over and over again? This is because it is so important (cf. Deuteronomy 8:16-18).
· We must remember God's grace. But most people know that when things go well, they do well because they do well. It is not easy to be humble to the end (Proverbs 16:18).
· To live with one heart in the sight of God until the end, and to have a consistent heart is your ability. At first, I am nervous and thankful, but if I am not awake (Colossians 4:2), I get wet with inertia and think that everything is just going well. It is essential not to lose the spirit of spiritual hungry.