2Chronicles 25-27
Wednesday Evening Bible Study
Introduction
Last week we saw how God rescued the kingdom
of Judah
2Chronicles 25
:1-4 Amaziah deals with assassins
:1 Amaziah was twenty and five years old …his mother's name was Jehoaddan
of Jerusalem
Amaziah – ‘Amatsyah – “Jehovah is mighty”
Jehoaddan – Y@how‘addiyn – “Jehovah delights”
Jerusalem
:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.
right – yashar – straight, upright, correct, right
perfect – shalem – complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace
heart – lebab – inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding
(2 Chr 25:2 NLT) Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight,
but not wholeheartedly.
(2 Chr 25:2 NASB) And he did right in the sight of the LORD, yet
not with a whole heart.
Understanding “perfection”
It seems that the standard of “perfection” was King David.
The writer of 2Kings says of Amaziah:
(2 Ki 14:3 KJV) And he did that which was right in the sight of the
LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash
his father did.
An earlier king, Abijam, was also compared to David.
(1 Ki 15:3-5 KJV) And he walked in all the sins of his father,
which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his
God, as the heart of David his father. {4} Nevertheless for David's sake did
the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and
to establish Jerusalem: {5} Because David did that which was right in the eyes
of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the
days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Being “perfect” in this sense was not an issue of whether or not you had ever committed a sin.
David told Solomon to have a perfect heart, he even prayed for it (1Chr. 29:19)
1Ki 8:61 Let your heart <03824>
therefore be perfect <08003>
with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments,
as at this day.
But Solomon wasn’t “perfect”
1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives
turned away his heart <03824> after other gods: and his heart
<03824> was not perfect <08003> with the LORD his God, as was the
heart <03824> of David his father.
Being “perfect” refers to the state of your heart towards God. It’s doing things for the right reasons, doing things for the Lord.
Summary: Amaziah did some good
things, but his heart wasn’t where it ought to have been.
Lesson
Motivation
It seems that the issue is about motives. Who are we serving? What are we serving? Why are we serving?
Sometimes I think we find ourselves serving because we want people to notice us or admire us. Sometimes we do things because we’re hoping for a bonus in the paycheck at the end of the week.
Sometimes there’s a “I don’t do windows” mentality that creeps into our hearts.
I think that God wants us in the place where it doesn’t matter whether we’re doing something big or small, just as long as we get the chance to do it for the Lord.
David’s example
At one point in David’s life, he had become king of Israel Jerusalem
David’s actions weren’t something that King Saul would have been caught doing, it was something rather lowly. David’s wife Michal, the daughter of Saul became critical of David’s actions.
(2 Sam 6:20-22 KJV) Then David returned to bless
his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and
said, How glorious was the king of
David wasn’t naked as some have suggested. He was wearing
a linen ephod (2Sam.
{21} And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me
before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the
people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. {22}
And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and
of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
David didn’t seem to care what Michal thought. It wasn’t
important to him what she thought about him, it was important to him what God
thought about him.
Bonus
God shows Himself strong toward those with a perfect heart
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose
heart <03824> is perfect <08003> toward him. Herein thou hast done
foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
When I am doing things for the Lord, I will find God helping me.
:4 But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses …
It was proper that Amaziah put his father’s murderers to death.
When he didn’t put their children to death also, he was following God’s Law:
(Deu 24:16 KJV) The fathers shall not be put to death for the
children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man
shall be put to death for his own sin.
:5-13 Amaziah attacks Edom
:5 found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war
This also was not a bad thing. It is right for a nation to have an army
:6 He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel
hundred talents of silver – 120,000 oz, 3.75 tons, or 3.4 metric tons. In today’s market ($4.85/oz), it would be worth $582,000.
These mercenaries are hired from the northern kingdom of Israel Judah Israel
:7 O king, let not the army of Israel Israel
Ephraim – another name for the northern kingdom, the name comes from
the largest, most dominant tribe, Ephraim. See map
This was something that Jehoshaphat and his son Jehoram and grandson Ahaziah should have learned. When Jehoshaphat had barely escaped after having gone to war allied with wicked Ahab, he was rebuked:
(2 Chr 19:2 KJV) And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to
meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and
love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the
LORD.
:8 But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.
(2 Chr 25:8 ICB) You can make yourself strong for war. But God will
defeat you. He has the power to help you or to defeat you."
Go ahead, just try and win this war. You won’t. If God doesn’t want you to
win, you aren’t going to win.
:9 The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.
Amaziah has put quite a large investment into the army of the north. It doesn’t seem right to let it all go for nothing.
Lesson
God can cover your losses
(Mark 10:17-31 KJV) And
when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to
him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life? {18} And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none
good but one, that is, God. {19} Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit
adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not,
Honour thy father and mother. {20} And he answered and said unto him, Master,
all these have I observed from my youth. {21} Then Jesus beholding him loved
him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever
thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and
come, take up the cross, and follow me. {22} And he was sad at that saying, and
went away grieved: for he had great possessions. {23} And Jesus looked round
about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches
enter into the kingdom of God kingdom of God kingdom of God
Jesus is not setting the standard for every person who comes to follow Him. He is dealing specifically with this man and the things that are important to him. This man loved his wealth and apparently more than Jesus.
When we come to Jesus, we may find that He will ask us to give something up. He may ask us to leave something behind. He may ask us to put a halt to some relationship like the thing that Amaziah had going with the Israelites.
As he was listening to this, Peter got to thinking about how he and the other disciples had already given everything up to follow Jesus.
{28} Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and
have followed thee. {29} And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you,
There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, {30} But
he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and
sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the
world to come eternal life. {31} But many that are first shall be last; and the
last first.
Jesus promised that God would one day take care of the things we gave up in order to follow Him. We will get our reward one day, perhaps when we get to heaven.
If God asks you to give something up, He will take care of it one way or another.
Illustration
Never Discouraged
Imagine that I dump 10,000 plastic eggs in your back yard. I
assure you that inside one of those hollow eggs is a check for $1 Million
dollars with your name on it. Would you get discouraged if you opened the first
100 eggs without finding the check? How about the first 1000 eggs? Of course
not ! You’d just keep opening those eggs, just waiting for the moment when you’d
find the check. St.
Paul
:10 their anger was greatly kindled against
Judah
The army from the northern kingdom was upset that they weren’t going to get their bonus. They would be paid the 100 talents of silver, but that was just their regular wages. The mercenary made his real money from the spoil and plunder he’s take from the dead enemy army.
We’ll see in verse 13 what these guys did in their anger.
:11 went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.
valley of salt – at the south end of the Dead Sea .
See map
children of Seir – another term for the Edomites. Seir was a main
mountain in their country. See map
The account in 2Kings also records that he captured the capital of Edom Petra
:12 cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.
Sounds pretty cruel to me. But I think we need to be careful about what
Amaziah is doing. He isn’t rebuked for going to war with Edom
:13 the soldiers …fell upon the cities of Judah Samaria
Samaria
Bethhoron - See map
These guys wanted their “spoil”, so they decided to take it from Judah
Lesson
Just because you do what’s right
doesn’t mean there won’t be tough times
God will take care of you, but sometimes it may not be immediately.
Don’t be surprised when you break off something that God wants you to break off, if things get tough for awhile.
(1 Pet 4:12 ICB) My friends, do not be surprised at
the painful things you are now suffering. These things are testing your faith.
So do not think that something strange is happening to you.
:14-16 Amaziah’s sin
:14 he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods
This is the point where we see that Amaziah’s heart was not “perfect” before the Lord.
Lesson
Watch yourself
There’s a lot of bad stuff out there and we need to be careful that we don’t let it suck us in.
I think you could even make a case that Amaziah’s war with Edom
Yet right in the middle of serving the Lord he gets caught in a temptation.
(Gal 6:1 KJV) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which
are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be
tempted.
It’s good and right to be helping each other. We need to help the person who has become caught in sin.
But you need to be careful you don’t fall into the same pit as the person you’re helping.
:15 Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?
Why are you going after these other gods when these gods didn’t help the Edomites when they fought you? These gods didn’t work for the Edomites, so why are you following them?
Lesson
Our faith works
The question for us is – does our faith work? Do people see that Jesus is alive in our lives?
Our faith does work. Jesus changes lives.
:16 Art thou made of the king's counsel?
We sometimes say, “Who died and made you king?” Here’s a new line.
(2 Chr 25:16 ICB) As the prophet spoke, Amaziah said to him,
"We never gave you the job of advising the king! Stop, or you will be
killed." The prophet stopped speaking. Then he said, "I know that God
has decided to destroy you because you have done this. You did not listen to my
advice."
It looks as if Amaziah is another king that can’t handle being rebuked.
:17-24 Pride and Fall
:17 Then Amaziah king of Judah
took advice – what he’s about to do, somebody has suggested to him.
Josephus records,
Now upon the victory which Amaziah
had gotten, and the great acts he had done, he was puffed up, and began to
overlook God, who had given him the victory[1]
The Scriptures seems to agree that Amaziah is going to do some foolish things out of pride.
Josephus also records,
but in a vein of insolence he wrote
to Joash, the king of Israel, and commanded that he and all his people should
be obedient to him, as they had formerly been obedient to his progenitors,
David and Solomon; and he let him know, that if he would not be so wise as to
do what he commanded him, he must fight for his dominion.[2]
The idea is that perhaps Amaziah thought he would restore the kingdom to it’s old form, a single kingdom under a descendant of David.
:18 The thistle that was in Lebanon
Joash sends a reply back to Amaziah in the form of a parable.
A little, prickly thorn bush decides it’s going to make the big time and arrange a treaty by marriage with the huge, majestic cedar tree. But before anything else happens, a wild animal comes by and tramples the little thorn bush.
The point?
Amaziah is no bigger than a little thorn bush compared to large, majestic Jehoash.
If Amaziah doesn’t watch out, he might get trampled to death. Anybody could beat Amaziah blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their back.
Get away from me kid, you’re
bothering me!
:19 thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home
Amaziah has this victory over Edom
Lesson
Dangerous pride
I think that sometimes a little too much confidence is a bad thing and can get us into trouble.
I always cringe a little when I hear a believer say something like, “I’m never going to do that again”, or, “I got the victory over this area of my life and I’ll never have this problem again”.
Our confidence is to be Jesus and what He has done and will do in our life.
(Prov 16:18 KJV) Pride goeth before destruction, and
an haughty spirit before a fall.
:19 why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt
meddle - garah - to cause strife, stir up, contend, meddle, strive, be stirred up
Webster: med•dle: to interest oneself in what is not one’s concern : interfere without right or propriety
Lesson
The danger of meddling
Amaziah has meddled in two ways:
He’s gotten involved with ungodly things, the Edomite gods.
He’s gotten involved in a battle with Israel
(Prov 26:17 KJV) He that
passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that
taketh a dog by the ears. (like a really BIG dog)
Sometimes we get involved in battles that aren’t ours.
We can jump into problems between people, thinking we’re going to try and fix the situation, but in reality we only make things worse.
For a long time I’ve seen myself as a “peacemaker”. But a problem I’ve had in the past is that I haven’t done things correctly.
Often times I’ll listen to only one side of things and without realizing it I make a decision as to who is the “good guy” and who is the “bad guy”. Then I’ll listen to the other side, and truly get confused.
To be a true peacemaker, you can’t take sides.
To be a true peacemaker, you need to get both individuals together and talk. Hold their hands. Pray with them. But be careful about taking sides and taking on battles that aren’t yours.
:20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God
God uses Amaziah’s hard heart to put him in a place for judgment.
:21 both he and Amaziah king of Judah
Bethshemesh – Beyth Shemesh –
“house of the sun”. The battle takes place 15 miles west of Jerusalem
:23 brought him to Jerusalem
Josephus records,
Now it happened, that as they were
scattered about by the terror that was upon them, Amaziah was left alone, and
was taken prisoner by the enemy; whereupon Joash threatened to kill him, unless
he would persuade the people of Jerusalem to open their gates to him, and
receive him and his army into the city. (201) Accordingly Amaziah was so
distressed, and in such fear of his life, that he made his enemy to be received
into the city.[3]
:23 brake down the wall of Jerusalem
This was a practice of the victor, as a way of keeping the city defenseless.
The wall was a protection around the city from attack, but now there’s this 600 foot gap in the protection, making them easier to attack the next time.
When Nehemiah came to rebuilt Jerusalem
Lesson
The result of meddling
When we give in to things like pride, or meddle in areas where we don’t belong, we become weaker.
The person who has trouble with alcohol and who gives in to that one little drink is going to have a lot harder time refusing the next one.
Once you start across the emotional boundaries with a person you shouldn’t be attached with, it’s easier and easier to get closer and closer.
:24 all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom
Obededom – ‘Obed ‘Edowm –
“servant of Edom
Obededom was the guy who took the Ark Temple
Could this be referring somehow to the treasures that were captured from Edom
:25-28 Amaziah’s death
:25 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Israel
I wonder if this was some sort of “revenge” for Amaziah to have outlived Joash?
Note: This is the time period in which the prophet Jonah lived, during the reign of Jeroboam II in the northern kingdom.
(2 Ki 14:25 KJV) He restored the coast of Israel Israel
This is the same Jonah that was swallowed by the big fish and then went to Nineveh
:27 he fled to Lachish
Lachish Jerusalem
2Chronicles 26
:1-10 Uzziah’s good rule
:1 took Uzziah…made him king
Uzziah = “my strength is Jehovah”. He is also known in 2Kings as Azariah, “Jehovah has helped”
If I was Uzziah, I might not be too excited about being king. It’s certainly a dangerous profession. Uzziah’s grandfather, Joash was the little baby that had been rescued from wicked Athaliah. Yet he was killed when he rebelled against the Lord and had the priest Zechariah killed. When his father Amaziah rebelled against the Lord, he was killed as well. I guess you might get to thinking that you ought to follow the Lord.
:2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah
Eloth – ‘Eylowth – “grove
of lofty trees”. Also called “Elath”. This was a port on the north-east arm of
the Red Sea (doesn’t fit on the map).
:3 Sixteen years old …His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem
This is one of the longest reigns of any king.
Jecoliah – Y@kolyah – “Jehovah is able”
:4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
We saw in the last chapter that Amaziah did some “right” things (like bringing justice to his father’s assassins, and going to war against the Edomites).
The problem was that Amaziah didn’t do things with the right heart.
(2 Chr 25:2 KJV) And he did
that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.
I wonder if this is really a compliment to be compared to Amaziah?
: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.
sought – darash – to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require
Zechariah – this is not the guy who wrote the book of Zechariah, but another prophet. We know nothing else of this man.
prosper – tsalach – (Hiphil) to make prosperous, bring to successful issue, cause to prosper; to show or experience prosperity, prosper
Lesson
Seek God and prosper
“As long as”
God wants us to keep seeking Him. Right to the end.
:6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines…Gath Ashdod
Gath Gath Goliath
Jabneh – Yabneh – “building of God”. A Philistine city. See map
Ashdod Mediterranean Sea west from Jerusalem
:7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.
helped – ‘azar – to help, succour, support. This
is the word that is the root of Azariah.
Gurbaal – Guwr-Ba‘al – “dwelling of Baal”. See map
Mehunims – M@‘uwniy – “habitations”;
a people who lived south of Canaan
The Philistines and Arabians had caused great trouble to Jehoram, Uzziah’s great-great-grandfather.
(2 Chr 21:16-17 KJV) Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram
the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the
Ethiopians: {17} And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried
away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also,
and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the
youngest of his sons.
Now Uzziah strikes back at them.
:8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even
to the entering in of Egypt
Ammonites – See map
he strengthened himself – chazaq – (Hiphil) to make strong, strengthen; to make firm; to display strength; to make severe; to support; to repair; to prevail, prevail upon; to have or take or keep hold of, retain, hold up, sustain, support; to hold, contain
We’ll see in verses 15-16 that Uzziah runs into problems “when he was strong”. It’s not wrong to “strengthen yourself”, it’s when you think you’ve arrived that you have problems.
:9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem
During his father’s reign, the 600 feet of the walls of Jerusalem
:10 Also he built towers …in Carmel
Carmel Hebron
This guy could do everything.
:11-15 Uzziah’s military strength
:14 And Uzziah prepared for them …habergeons …
habergeons – shiryown –
body armour; Leather coats covered with thin plates of metal
Uzziah made sure his army was well equipped.
:15 And he made in Jerusalem
engines – chishshabown –
device, invention. Catapults
:16-21 Uzziah’s sin
:15 for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
helped – ‘azar – to help, succour, support. This is the root word for Uzziah’s other name, “Azariah”, or, “Yahweh has helped”
till he was strong – This is where Uzziah’s problems start. He
thought he had arrived.
Lesson
Pride makes me lukewarm
Becoming strong isn’t the problem. It’s thinking you’ve arrived that brings trouble.
As long as Uzziah thought he needed to get stronger, God helped him. When he thought his gas tank was filled, God stopped pumping gas.
Jesus had a pretty severe warning for the church at Laodicea
(Rev 3:15-19 KJV) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. {16} So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
This is the “lukewarm” church. This is the church that makes Jesus sick.
{17} Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The problem with this church was that they had thought they had arrived. They didn’t think they needed to go any further with the Lord.
{18} I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Gold refined by fire is a faith that has learned to hold on in tough times.
White raiment is a person’s life that has learned to be continually cleansed by Jesus.
Eyesalve is for people who think they “see”, people who think they “get it” but they don’t.
{19} As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore,
and repent.
If God tugs at your heart today, pay attention.
:16-21 Uzziah’s sin
:16 when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction
lifted up – gabahh – to be high, be exalted; to be haughty, be arrogant
Lesson
Pride brings destruction
Solomon wrote,
(Prov 16:18 KJV) Pride goeth before destruction, and
an haughty spirit before a fall.
It seems to me that one of the biggest dangers of people who are “religious” is pride. Jesus had been invited to supper at the house of a Pharisee.
(Luke 14:7-11 KJV) And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms …
This is going to be a party filled with good, religious people. The best spots that people were seeking out might have been best because they were closest to Jesus. Jesus was the guest of honor, so I would imagine that the “best” places were the ones closest to Him. These folks wanted to be seen as having been close to Jesus, not because they needed Jesus, but because they wanted to be seen as “great people”.
Uzziah was not a proud pagan. He was a religious man. The things he’s going to do could be equated with being religious.
…saying unto them, {8} When thou art bidden of any man to a
wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou
be bidden of him; {9} And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give
this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. {10} But
when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that
bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou
have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. {11} For
whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall
be exalted.
Peter writes,
(1 Pet 5:5-6 KJV) Likewise,
ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to
another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth
grace to the humble. {6} Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that he may exalt you in due time:
I think one of the reasons that God resists the proud is because the proud person is focused on himself, not upon God. The proud person is looking to himself for the answers of life, and not to God. The proud person is pointing people to himself, and not to God. And the help that people really need is not found in the proud person, but in God.
:16 went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense
Uzziah goes into the first room of the Temple Temple
This might sound good, but this was not something a king was supposed to
do. Only a priest, a descendent from Aaron was allowed to go into the Holy
Place Temple
:17 And Azariah the priest went in after him
Azariah – ‘Azaryah – “Jehovah has helped”. It’s interesting that the High Priest has the same name as the king. I wonder if the priest doesn’t remind Uzziah of what he ought to be.
:18 And they withstood Uzziah the king
Lesson
Pride distorts the rules
Even a king has to live by the rules.
Growing up – it’s not all about getting out from under your parents. It’s about learning to live by the rules by yourself, without having someone to be your mom.
Learning to ride a bike. The day your dad finally let go of the bike. The bike still needed to be kept upright. But now you were the one doing it, not your dad.
There had been a number of people who have thought they could go around God’s rules. It never works. Even the priests had to follow God’s rules.
Nadab & Abihu.
(Lev
10:1-3 KJV) And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his
censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire
before the LORD, which he commanded them not. {2} And there went out fire from
the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. {3} Then Moses said
unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in
them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And
Aaron held his peace.
They died because they offered “strange fire”. What is strange fire? It was simply something that God had not asked for.
They died because they didn’t play by God’s rules. They thought for a moment that it wasn’t important to do things God’s way.
:19 Then Uzziah was wroth
Lesson
Pride makes you angry
I rarely learn anything while I’m angry.
One of the things that I’d like to accomplish one day is to lose thirty pounds.
I can get on the scale and get angry with the scale, but it won’t change my weight. I can look at the mirror and get mad at the mirror, but it won’t change my shape. I can get mad at myself – but that hasn’t seemed to work either.
(James 1:20 KJV) For the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God.
I’m not going to get anywhere with God when I’m angry.
Who are you angry with? Is your anger really helping things? Get over it.
(Eph 4:31-32 KJV) Let all bitterness,
and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: {32} And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you.
Is it possible to just “put away” your anger? I think we have the ability to do it. Have you ever been in a rip-roaring argument with someone when you are interrupted with a phone call? Have you ever found yourself picking up the phone and answering politely, “Hello”. How are we able to stop the anger to be nice on the phone? I think we can put our anger away. Stop giving yourself permission to hang on to it.
:19 while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up
Earthquake
Josephus records that there was also a great earthquake that occurred at this time,
And when they cried out, that he must
go out of the temple, and not transgress against God, he was wroth at them, and
threatened to kill them, unless they would hold their peace. (225) In the
meantime, a great earthquake shook the ground, and a rent was made in the
temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the
king’s face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately; and before
the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on
the west, and rolled itself four furlongs, and stood still at the east mountain,
till the roads, as well as the king’s gardens, were spoiled by the obstruction.[4]
Though the historical accounts in the Scriptures don’t mention this earthquake as happening at the time of this event, but don’t write it off just yet. The earthquake itself is mentioned in several places:
Zechariah mentions it in comparing a future earthquake with this one:
(Zec 14:5 KJV) And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains;
for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like
as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah
Amos also mentions the earthquake:
(Amos 1:1 KJV) The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of
Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and
in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the
earthquake.
This tells us that Amos was active in his ministry at the time of Uzziah as well.
It seems that there was some pretty heavy stuff happening all at the same time. God was definitely trying to get somebody’s attention.
:20 hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.
When Uzziah realized what was happening to him, he didn’t need any further
coercion to leave the Temple
This wasn’t the first time leprosy came as a judgment from God.
It also happened to Aaron and Moses’ sister Miriam.
(Num 12:1-2 KJV) And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because
of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian
woman. {2} And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he
not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
Because of her attitude, God made Miriam a leper for seven days.
:21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death
Lesson
Pride can remove you
I think it is possible for God to remove a person from the ministry when they disqualify themselves.
(1 Cor 9:24 -27 KJV) Know ye not that they which run
in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
{25} And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. {26} I
therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the
air: {27} But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Paul is talking about how we need to learn self-control to stay in the race. I don’t think he’s talking about losing our salvation here. I think he’s talking about the race of ministry.
One of the Calvary Chapel “Distinctives” is that we believe in God’s grace.
We believe that God’s heart is always to restore those who have fallen.
But before restoration can take place, there needs to be repentance.
Though we would hope that there would be restoration when a person does something like Uzziah did, Uzziah wasn’t restored. He was removed.
I think it’s significant that we aren’t told that he repented.
:21 dwelt in a several house, being a leper
or, “he lived in a separate house”
Because he was a leper, he had to live apart from the rest of his family, according to the Law (Num. 5:2)
:21 Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.
Uzziah was still alive and technically king, but he couldn’t do much in public because of his condition. Because of this, a co-regency was incorporated, where father and son ruled together. Scholars figure there must have been about 11 years where this co-regency went on. Uzziah was struck with leprosy when he was 57 years old and had it for 11 years before he died.
Lesson
Learn from others
Uzziah’s son, Jotham is one of the rarities among kings. There is nothing negative said about this man.
I wonder if watching his father had an impact on his life.
In the early church, there were a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who tried to become well known in the church by claiming to have sold all their possessions to give to the poor. The problem was, they were fakes. As a result, when they were confronted about their hypocrisy by Peter, they both fell over dead. What happened in the church after this?
(Acts 5:11 KJV) And great fear came upon all the
church, and upon as many as heard these things.
You don’t have to be like Uzziah. You can be like Jotham.
Lesson
God heals lepers
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, God’s heart towards you is to forgive and restore.
All through the accounts of Jesus’ life, we see that over and over again He is reaching out to those who are far from God, those who are broken, those who are hurting.
(Mark 1:39-42 KJV) And he preached in their synagogues throughout
all Galilee ,
and cast out devils. {40} And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and
kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean. {41} And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched
him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. {42} And as soon as he had
spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
There may not be any other who wants to touch you, but Jesus will. Only He can heal the leper.
Illustration
This was in the “Bob Levey’s Washington
compiles and prints the “Best T-shirts of the Summer”:
(around a picture of dandelions) I Fought the Lawn and the Lawn Won
At My Age, I’ve Seen It All, Done It All, Heard It All...I Just Can’t Remember It All
If It’s Called Tourist Season, Why Can’t We Hunt Them?
Senior Citizen: Give Me My Darn Discount
Princess, Having Had Sufficient Experience With Princes, Seeks Frog
(on the back of a passing motorcyclist) If You Can Read This, My Wife Fell Off
I Used To Be Schizophrenic, But We’re OK Now
Over the outline of the state of Minnesota
Veni, Vidi, Visa: I came. I Saw. I Did a Little Shopping.
What If The Hokey Pokey Is Really What It’s All About?
I Didn’t Climb to the Top of the Food Chain to Be a Vegetarian
Gravity...It’s Not Just a Good Idea. It’s the Law.
If You Want Breakfast In Bed, Sleep In the Kitchen
Wanted: Meaningful Relationship -God
If At First You Don’t Succeed, Skydiving Isn’t For You
Growing Old is Inevitable; Growing Up is Optional
That’s the tough thing about Uzziah – He grew old, but it seems that he
didn’t grow wiser in old age. He grew
more proud.
Lesson
Keeping away from pride
I think there are some very practical things we can do to avoid the same trap that Uzziah fell into.
(Luke 22:24-27 KJV) And
there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the
greatest. {25} And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise
lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called
benefactors. {26} But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you,
let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. {27}
For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he
that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
The bigger you get, the more of a servant you should be.
I am learning that this doesn’t mean that as a leader you don’t lead. But it means that as a leader, you never get past being a servant.
You don’t ever get to the point where you are “above”
doing something that a servant would do. And sometimes you don’t even have to
let others know that you’re doing it either.
I think this is the secret to humility.
:22-23 Uzziah’s burial
:22 …did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.
This is the author of the book of Isaiah.
:23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers
This is the time of Isaiah 6.
2Chronicles 27
:1 His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.
It seems as if the mothers’ names weren’t always given, and even when they were, the grandfather isn’t usually given.
It seems as if the writer only gives the mother’s name when it’s important, and the grandfather’s name is only given when it’s important to who the mother was.
Zadok = “righteous”
It’s interesting to note that “Zadok” is a name often linked with someone of the priesthood. I wonder if Jotham’s maternal grandfather was a priest? One commentator (Lightfoot) says he was a high priest.
:2 he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD
Jotham followed his dad as far as following the Lord, but when it got to his dad’s pride trip, he didn’t follow him!
Jotham is one of those rare jewels in the Bible where we have no record of what he did wrong.
:3 He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
The “higher gate” was on the north side of the temple (Ryrie)
the wall of Ophel – South of the Temple David
We mentioned back in 2Chronicles 26:19 about the possibility that there was a huge earthquake that accompanied Uzziah’s leprosy.
It could be that this construction work was to repair damage from the
earthquake.
:5 the same year an hundred talents of silver…both the second year, and the third.
Does this sound familiar?
This is the amount that Jotham’s grandfather, Amaziah, had paid to the army
of Israel
(2 Chr 25:9 KJV) And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall
we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel
It seems that God kept the promise, but to Amaziah’s grandson.
Lesson
God’s repayment
I find it fascinating that if this is a “repayment” of what Amaziah lost, that it comes for the grandson.
It’s an inheritance.
(Prov 13:22 KJV) A good man leaveth an inheritance to
his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
We can think about how God will repay us in heaven, but sometimes I wonder if some of how He repays us is in the kind of legacy we leave for our children and grandchildren.
:7-9 …and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem
This is also the time of the prophet Nahum. (according to Josephus)
Now there was at that time a prophet,
whose name was Nahum, who spake after this manner concerning the overthrow of
the Assyrians and Nineveh
:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.
2Ch 27:6 So Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before
the LORD his God. (NAS)
prepared - kuwn - to fix, make ready, prepare, provide, provide for, furnish; to arrange, order
ways - derek - way, road, distance, journey, manner
These two words are also found in
Proverbs 4:20-27 (NIV) My son, pay
attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of
your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find
them and health to a man’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for
it is the wellspring of life. 24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep
corrupt talk far from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your
gaze directly before you. 26 Make level paths for your feet and
take only ways that are firm. 27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep
your foot from evil.
Solomon is telling his son to smooth out the path in front of him, so it’s easier to walk.
Lesson
Strength comes from clearing the
road.
Jotham’s strength came because he cleared out the way before him.
It’s like cleaning off your desk at work.
When my desk gets all cluttered up, it seems I can’t get a thing done.
But when I go through all the various piles and throw out the trash, I seem to work much better.
A few weeks ago when we had the high winds, there was a lot of junk blown into the streets. There were a couple of times when I almost ran into some tree branches because the road wasn’t cleared out.
(Heb 12:11-13 KJV) Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are
exercised thereby. {12} Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the
feeble knees; {13} And make straight
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but
let it rather be healed.
If we learn the lessons we’re supposed to in tough times, we gain the “peaceable fruit of righteousness”.
But sometimes it seems that the trials we go through can cause us to limp a little. If you’re limping, it’s not fun to be walking along a path that is filled with twists, rocks, and holes. We need straight paths.
Perhaps there is “clutter” in your life that makes it harder to walk with the Lord.
Make walking easier by removing the clutter.
