Lessons from King Uzziah's Story

The name Uzziah means Yah is my strength, he was also known as Azariah means Yah has helped, was the tenth king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah's sons.

King Uzziah was one of the top five powerful Kings after King David, he was famous and a good King, everything he did was successful when he obeyed the Lord. He built cities, he did agriculture, he loved the soil, he invented war machine. He was a powerful King of Judea.  

The top five kings were Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Hezekiah, Josiah. 

Sadly he ended not well, from king to be a leper and living in isolation as leprosy hit him. 

Here are lessons on pride :-  

1) Pride comes before a fall - God opposes the proud and show grace to those who are humble.

2) Exercise cautious when things are going well - we have passed the test of adversary and also passed the test when times are good. We are very vulnerable to temptations during the good and properous times. 

3) We need to develop respect for God's guidelines. We supposed to follow the instructions from God. Society of separate sovereign - the priest (tribe of Levi) and the king (tribe of Judah). 

The only person who was both King and Priest was Melchizedek - Psalm 110:3-4

“You are a priest forever,
    in the order of Melchizedek.” Psalm 110:4

To prevent us from violation to God's instruction is meant for our good. 

4) Those who failed to learn from history is condemned to fail. King Uzziah would know the story of how Saul attempted to offer sacrifice before Samuel arrival and he lost his kingdom. 

5) Do not be conform to the pattern of the world. Do not desire to be like contemporary, the other nations kings around King Uzziah might have divine king. 

6) Pay attention to the divine warning. God often gives warning and call out to us so that we will not sin against Him. 

Isaiah 6:1-5 King Uzziah was so famous that his death was used as a marker in event calendar in the history of  Judea. In the year that King Uzziah's death, Isaiah wrote that he saw the Holiness of God. Could it be that King Uzziah became the god, the supreme leader, that the people could not see God. 

Uzziah became king at 16 years old and he ruled for 52 years. 

1) Pride always takes what is not given. Out of the position of dissatisfaction, we ask for something else. 

2) Pride causes God to oppose you. This is the position we should not be in because we cannot never win when God opposes us. 

Luke 14:11 - For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

3)  Pride is a prison that will isolate you from others. Pride devalues everybody in the room. Humility says "There you are." Pride says "Here I am." Philippians 2:4 - Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 

4) Pride not only isolate you from the others, it isolates you from God.

Psalms 10:4 

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;

    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Authority is a moral issue. When we should not to be under the authority of God, then it is a moral issue. Leprosy fall under the authority of the priests. It is not a punishment but a correction / discipline from God to Uzziah.

5) The key to the prison of pride is humility.  We should live in humility. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA8j_JjXKM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17oz18iN_So

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EbDCKwOtVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdJNUINHPA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-HLY2DQs0U

https://christcovenant.org/sermons/uzziah-a-tragic-conclusion-to-a-promising-life/

Heavenly Father, thank you for this important warning and lesson from the life and the reign of King Uzziah. Father, we have much in common with him. We often forget to remember the countless ways You have provided for us, protected us, demonstrated Your favor. Instead of gratitude leading to faithfulness, our hearts migrate to pride and discontent that render us more often than we want to admit, living in the flesh, without thought for you. Thank you as well for the remedy of repentance and forgiveness that is ours in Christ. Help us to become competent in repentance, Father, that we may indeed finish this life well for Your glory. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Subtle Pride and True Humility

Subtle Pride and True Humility

Rev Renee Khoo

17 September 2017

Proverbs 18:12

12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honour.

Sin of Pride

Wisdom comes from God. Pride is the ultimate sin. Pride is living a life independent of God. Prov.18:12 tells us that pride leads to destruction and humility leads to honor.

Three types of proud people

1) Three types of proud people

i) Obvious proud-Know it all
They are people who talk loudly, very status conscious, showy and think that they are better and smarter than others.

ii) Less obvious proud-easily offended
They are normal but get easily offended if you don't acknowledge them, shake their hands or smile to them because they feel that other people don't regard them as important.

iii) Hidden proud/subtle pride-Life independent of God.
They are people who want to live certain area and time of their lives the way they want independent of God. God is only relevant to them on sundays. After fulfilling their church obligations they leave God in the church from Monday to Saturday and live their lives in the marketplace. Their lives have no reference to God whatsoever believing as if they are God themselves. Their hallmark is independence of God.
We are not autonomous. We need God. When God is not featured in any area of our lives it is subtle pride. 

2) True Humility

True Himility is humble boldness

Matthew 11:29, 21:12, 23:13-36

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus said he is gentle.

Yet he turned tables inside the temple. 

True humility is not becoming a doormat or becoming Mr/Miss sorry. Jesus demonstrated to us what True Humility means in three incidents recorded in scripture.
In Matt.11:29 he invited us to take his yoke and learn from him for he is gentle and humble at heart.
In Matt.23:13-36 he condemned the Pharisees by calling them hypocrites, vipers and white washed tombs.
In Matt.21:12 he overturned the tables and drove out the merchants doing business in the temple
It is evident here that True Humility is for the strong. We need the humble boldness to hold the two extreme tensions of submissiveness (enduring quietly) verses aggressiveness (shouting profusely) in balance. The best balance is assertiveness where we speak our mind truely, clearly and firmly for the glory of God.

3) James 4:6
"God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble"
If we want more grace we need to submit our lives and humble ourselves to him. When we draw near to him he will draw near to us.
Some of us need to say the seven hardest words to those we have wronged.
"I was wrong can you forgive me." By this act of humility we will attract God's favor into our lives

Questions:

1) Read and reflect the following ( select those that are meaningful to you) Proverbs 3:34; 8:13; 11:2; 15:33; 16:5; 16:18-19; 18:12; 22:4. What do they say to you?

2) Recall and share an incident in your life where you experienced subtle pride and/or true humility.

3) In light of your reflections, what is one area in your life and one deliberate step you would take to change in regards to humility and pride.

Proverbs in Question 1
Proverbs
3:34
He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble & oppressed
8:13
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride & arrogance, evil behaviour & perverse speech
11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom
15:33
Wisdom's instruction is to fear the Lord & humility comes before honor
16:5
The Lord detests all the proud of heart Be sure of this They will not go unpunished
16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall
16:19
Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud
18:12
Before a downfall the heart is haughty but humility comes before honor
22:4
Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches & honor & life☘

Our discussions :-

Every one of us will have a different level of pride in different environments and settings. There is always this hierarchy and protocol of things at workplace, Brigade, church, it is an understood protocol that seniority in rank or age or longer service will mean they could command greater respects from the juniors.

But then with humility, there also could be three level of humility :-

True humility - Needless to say, or talk about it, you could feel it in their presence and also how other people describe them.

Moderate humility - The persons can swing from being humble to being arrogant depending on the situation. One who would insist on a certain protocol in certain situations but in another time, a very humble soul.

Fake humility - one could brag about being very humble and decline to serve due to self-declared disability or disqualification. One may disqualify himself or herself from serving even when they are able to serve.