From Our Daily Journey
Evangelist D. L. Moody once said, “When a man thinks he has a good deal of strength, and is self-confident, you may look for his downfall. It may be years before it comes to light, but it is already commenced.” This was definitely true of King Uzziah.
Everything seemed to be going so well in the monarch’s life. He lived in covenant obedience to the Lord and he sought God’s guidance during most of his reign. As long as he asked God for guidance and help, God gave him great success. His success was evidenced by his many accomplishments (2 Chronicles 26:2,7-15). In fact, Uzziah’s life could be considered a human success story—until he became blinded by his power and success, which caused him to be filled with pride.
Uzziah’s pride was evidenced in several ways: He challenged God’s holiness by trespassing into the temple and presuming upon a position he would never be able to have (2 Chronicles 26:6); he viewed God’s power as nice but not absolutely necessary for his leadership and life (2 Chronicles 26:5,16); when confronted with his pride, he refused godly correction and counsel; he refused to repent, and he ignored—instead of feared—the consequences of his sin (2 Chronicles 26:18-19). Uzziah’s pride motivated him to glorify himself and contend for God’s supremacy. What a tragic ending to a promising life.
The story of Uzziah teaches us several important lessons on how to break the pride cycle and start the humility cycle in our lives: View God’s help as absolutely necessary, remember the Source of all our blessings, thank God regularly for those blessings, and accept godly and worthwhile counsel.
May we choose, as William Penn says, a “low and level dwelling!” For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
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