Title: Lessons from Uzziah
Text: 2 Chronicles 26: 1-23
Date: January 16, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Tonight
our subject is: Lessons from Uzziah.
2 Chronicles 26: 1: Then all the people of
Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of
his father Amaziah. 2: He built Eloth, [important
seaport] and restored it to Judah, after
that the king slept with his fathers. 3: Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he
began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s
name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.4: And he did that which was right
in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. 5: And he
sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of
God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.
Divisions: There were two periods in Uzziah’s life. Those two
periods will make our divisions. 1) The first half of his life, Uzziah sought
God and God made him to prosper 2) The latter half of his life, Uzziah transgressed
against God and his prosperity ended.
Proposition: Our chief lesson from Uzziah is the necessity of the
believer persevering in faith—continuing from beginning to end believing Christ
Jesus.
Salvation
is not a one-time public profession of Christ.
Neither shall any be saved who begin then turn away from Christ and his
gospel. All who do manifest they never were truly regenerated and given faith
by God. When a sinner is truly made a partaker of Christ we continue stedfastly
believing Christ unto the end of this life.
Hebrews 3:14: We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold
the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Hebrews 10: 39: But we are not of them who draw back unto
perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
I. THE FIRST HALF OF UZZIAHS LIFE IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE
WHO BELIEVES THE LORD—v5:
He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had
understanding in the visions of God:
“He sought God” means Uzziah worshipped God in the way God commanded
that God would be approached.
For example:
While seeking God, Uzziah offered incense offerings through the priests as God
commanded. Later in the text, this is where Uzziah transgressed later in his
life. The incense-offering symbolized worship and prayer toward God through
Christ—Ps 141: 2: Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense. The
priests who presented the incense-offering for Israel typified Christ the Intercessor
of God’s spiritual Israel.
Get the picture: In the outside court of the temple, the people prayed
to God. As they prayed, it was only through the priests that their prayers
ascended to God. By the incense, which the
priests burned, the sinner’s prayer was made acceptable to God in type. Then the priest returned from God with the
blessing from God to the one who prayed.
Get the reality: the believer now has access to God as long as we come through
faith in Christ the new and living Way. Christ our Intercessor, our Mediator presents:
his people, our worship, our prayers, our service to God. Like the sweet
incense, the person and merits of Christ make: us, our worship, prayers, and
service acceptable to god. Then Christ comes from God to us with a blessing
from God the Father such as, "Your sins are forgiven; go in peace,"
(Ps 141:2; Re 5:8; 8:4.)
God only
accepts the believer—ourselves, our worship, our prayer, our feeble service—when
we approach God through faith in Christ. It is in Christ’s person, his merits,
his intercession only that God accepts his people. For a while, Uzziah
approached God in an Intercessor.
Uzziah was
faithful to seek God v5: “in the days of
Zechariah, who
had understanding in the visions of God:” This
is not the prophet Zechariah. But this was a man given understanding by God so
he could teach the truth of God’s prophets and law. So Zechariah was Uzziah’s preacher, teaching Uzziah
the meaning of the types and shadows of the law and the prophets—v5: And Uzziah sought God in the days of Zechariah
This
shows us the necessity of continually hearing the true gospel. We need the
gospel to be continually reminded that we must come to God through faith in
Christ or we shall not be accepted of God. As long as Uzziah continually attended
the preaching of Zechariah, being taught the Way, the Truth and the Life, he
sought God aright.
Illustration:
Reminders of upcoming events else we forget. Luther “we need to hear the gospel
everyday because we forget it everyday.”
Then we
are told, v5: “and as long as [Uzziah] sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.”
As long as Uzziah persevered in faith, worshipping God as he was taught
through God’s messenger to come God through a Mediator, an Intercessor, he did
so and as long as he sought the LORD,
God made him to prosper. God made King Uzziah prosper in a material way in
the earth. Christ is certainly able to
make his people prosper temporally. But
more importantly Christ makes us prospwer spiritually. So in the temporal prosperity of king Uzziah,
let’s consider the spiritual prosperity God gives every believer.
First,
God made King Uzziah to be a good, benevolent king. (16 years old during a
great depression in Jerusalem—yet God made him prosper greatly.) Spiritually, believer’s are made kings unto
God in Christ—not by the people, as was
Uzziah, but by Christ’s blood.
Revelation 1: 5:…Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6:
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (See also Rev 5: 9-10)
As long
Uzziah sought God, God gave him victory over his enemies—v6: And he …warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall [of
enemy cities]…and built cities [among
the enemies] 7: And God helped him [The
Word of the LORD helped him—Christ the pre-incarnate Word] against [three enemies:] the
Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.
It is by Christ’s hand the believer is given the victory over all our enemies.
These
three enemies had previously conquered Judah like as every sinner was conquered
in our first representative by three enemies.
·
By Satan—(Ephesians 2: 2)
·
By sin—(Rom 6:20)
·
By death—(Hebrews 2:15)
The last
representative, the representative of God’s elect—Christ the Word helped us—the Word was made flesh, by his obedience,
he conquered Satan, sin, & death fulfilling the law on our behalf.
Romans 5: 19: For as by one man’s disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20:
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound: 21: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15: 55: O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56: The sting of
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.57: But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:37:…we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us.
While
Uzziah sought God, God gave him ability to build cities amongst his enemies—v6: built cities about Ashdod, and among
the Philistines. Christ uses his faithful servants, and through his gospel he
establishes heavenly cities—gospel churches—in the midst of this world of
enemies.
2 Corinthians 2:14: Now thanks be unto God, which always
causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his
knowledge by us in every place. 15: For we are unto God a sweet savour of
Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16: To the one we are
the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.
And who is sufficient for these things?...3: 5: Not that we are sufficient of
ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
God
even uses our enemies to provide gifts for us and God makes his name known as
he spreads his kingdom throughout this whole earth—v8: And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering
in of Egypt; for he [the LORD, the Word] strengthened [Uzziah] exceedingly.
As long
as he sought God, God gave Uzziah defenses to protect him--v9: he built towers in Jerusalem…v10: towers in the desert. But God gives the believer Christ himself to defend us.
He is our high tower and our city of refuge.
Psalm 61:3 For thou
hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
Proverbs 18:10: The name of the LORD is a strong tower:
the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
As long
as Uzziah sought God, God have him wells in the desert. v10: and digged many wells: But God has given Christ to be our Well
of salvation—
Jeremiah 2:13 For
my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of
living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water.
John 4:10 Jesus
answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would
have given thee living water….14:…whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
As long
as he worshipped God in Christ Uzziah was given v10: much cattle, But
believers are God’s cattle—Christ’s sheep under care of Christ our Shepherd
Psalm 23: 1: «A Psalm of David.» The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want. 2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters. 3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name’s sake.
As long
as Uzziah sought God, God gave Uzziah v10:
[many] vine dressers in the
mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry—but believers have Christ our
Vine, we are his branches and God our Father is the Husbandman—
John 15: 1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the
husbandman. 2: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and
every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth
more fruit. 3: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5: I am the vine,
ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
As long
as he sought God, Uzziah was blessed of the LORD with a great army—v12:…the mighty men of valour were
two thousand and six hundred. [commanding officers] 13 And under their hand was
an army, [307, 500 men], that made
war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14: And Uzziah
prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and
habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. But believer we are Christ’s army, Christ is
our Captain, all your brethren are God’s mighty army who make war with mighty
power.
The
victory of redemption is won already by Christ our Mighty Power.
Isaiah 40:2: Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry
unto her, that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the
LORD’S hand double for all her sins.
And to
fight the warfare between flesh and spirit just as king Uzziah equipped his
army, Christ has equipped us.
Ephesians 6: 13: Wherefore take unto you the whole armour
of God, [Christ himself] that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. 14: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about
with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15: And your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16: Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. 17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God: 18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints;
Brethren,
for Christ’s sake, God has marvelously blessed us spiritually, making us strong
in him. V15: And [Uzziah’s] name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously
helped, until he was strong. We want only Christ’s name to spread far and
abroad. He alone has made us strong and
our strength is him alone.
Psalm 115:1: Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto
thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
But the
proof that we have been made partakers of Christ is if we continue believing Christ
and looking to him alone—
Matthew 24:13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved.
Hebrews 10:35: Cast not away therefore your confidence,
which hath great recompence of reward.
II. NOW WE COME TO THE SECOND PART OF UZZIAH’S
LIFE—Here is an example of those who prove they
never were in Christ by God’s grace.
They prove it by not persevering in faith in Christ—V16: 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.
First,
notice the cause he turned away from God—v16:
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction:…When he
was strong, Uzziah began looking at the blessings God had given rather than at
God who gave them. Looking to the strength
God gave made him forget the LORD who was his only strength.
Brethren,
whatever temporal thing God may give us in this life, whatever spiritual
blessings we have, use all to look out of ourselves, away from this world, to
worship Christ alone! Use every blessing to lead you to Christ and never cease
looking to Christ. Temporal blessings and spiritual blessings are good but the
God who gives them is greater than all!
Notice
this was in his heart. We will see his action next, but this was in his heart. A
sinner must be given a new heart which God alone can give.
Matthew 5: 19: For out of the heart proceed evil [of
every kind]…20: These are the things which defile a man:…
Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Because
of blessings given him from another, pride filled his heart—Proverbs 6: 16:
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17:
A proud look,…
King David
gave God the glory,
1 Chronicles 29: 12: Both riches and honour come
of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and
might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto
all. 13: Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. 14:
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to
offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of
thine own have we given thee.
Brethren, what do you and I have to be proud of?
1 Corinthians 4: 7: For who maketh thee to differ from
another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive [from God]? now if thou
didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it [from
God]?
·
By grace, God the Father chose whom he would
in Christ.
·
By grace, Christ put away the sin of his
people, making us the righteousness of God in Christ.
·
By grace, the Holy Spirit created life in us and
gave us faith to believe in Christ.
·
By grace, any good work we do was
foreordained by God that we should walk in it for Christ’s glory.
·
By grace, we are kept believing in Christ, through
the gospel of Christ, made effectual in our hearts by Christ being formed in
you.
God
allowed Uzziah to do this to teach us that unless God truly begin a work of
grace in our hearts and carry it on until the end we will not persevere in faith
in Christ. Therefore, do not look away from Christ. And “He that glories let
him glory in the LORD.” (1 Cor 1: 31)
Here
was Uzziah’s transgression: he attempted to worship God without Christ—v16: for he transgressed
against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense
upon the altar of incense. We saw that the
priest burning incense for the people typified Christ our Intercessor presenting
the believer to the Father. Uzziah thought a man as strong as himself needed no
Mediator between him and God. He was wrong! No sinner can worship God without
Christ; or pray without Christ; or meet God on judgment day and be accepted of
God without Christ.
Notice,
Uzziah did not cease being religious. Many
have a form of religion, even a form of true doctrine. But they do not come to
God through faith in Christ in a heart made new by God. Many cease assembling
with God’s saints who still claim to believe God, even Christ—they are quick to
tell you they do; their doctrine may even have a ring of truth to it. But they
attempt to worship God by their wisdom, by their will, by their works. Doing
so, they refuse to come to God the one way God will be approached, in Jesus Christ
the Mediator.
1 Timothy 2:5 For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Acts 4: 12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.
John 14:6 Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me.
Will
God accept any sinner who comes to God in any way outside of Christ? No! In
fact, Christ himself will be the one to cast such a man out of his presence.
Azariah the priest and these other priests are a type of Christ, notice they
are who cast out Uzzia—v17: 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 honour from the LORD God.
Christ
shall himself judge and thrust out all who attempt to come to God outside of
Christ. Christ said he would do so.
Matthew
7: 21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
[that is believe and rest in Christ alone] 22: Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23: And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Why?
Because v18: “it appertains not unto
you”, it pertains to Christ the Mediator
“But I am sincere”—v18: thou hast
trespassed;--All so-called worship outside of Christ is sin—it is idolatry!
v18: neither shall it be for
thine honour from the LORD God--"Neither is it worship. It is your
disgrace and your destruction." “That makes me angry!”—v19: Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a
censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, [the
priest represent God, Christ. Your anger is your enmity against God, while as
yet you pretend to worship God] the leprosy
even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from
beside the incense altar. [Your anger is sin rising up in your forehead because
you’re are offended that God counts your so-called wisdom nothing but sin.]
Every
sinner who attempts to come to God now
without Christ or in the day of judgment, this will be the word of Christ the
Judge himself to you, v18:…“go out of
the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed.” And in that day you will agree
with God because it will be God himself who has smitten you—v20:…yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten
him.
So
every sinner who comes to God outside of Christ shall be cut off from the
presence of God—v21: 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:…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; [not with the kings but in the
field of lepers] for they said, He is
a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
Go home thinking on this: great contrast between the spiritual prosperity God
gives when we seek God in Christ the Mediator and the wrath God pours out when
one tries to bypass Christ the Intercessor! Can you say, “I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day.” Then “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou
hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 1: 12) Christ
shall “present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye
continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven; (col 1: 22-23) 1
Corinthians 16:13: Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be
strong.
Amen!