The Consequence of Pride
When playing with tools in his father’s workshop at age 3, Louis Braille was struck in the eye by a piece of metal. The injury blinded him, and a subsequent infection took the sight of his other eye. His parents determined to give him as many opportunities for education and enrichment as they could, and Louis applied his creativity and keen intellect toward creating a reading and writing system for visually impaired people—completing it by age 15! He also developed a method for mathematics and musical notation. The system he invented, now known as braille, is still used today and has been adapted to include new technologies for email and computer terminals.
Young people can accomplish amazing things! King Uzziah was only 16 years old when he took the throne, and his reign began with great success (vv. 3–5). Attentive to the counsel of God’s prophet Zechariah, Uzziah defended Judah against their enemies, fortified the cities and provided resources for the land to flourish. “As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success” (v. 5). But then Uzziah followed the pattern that we saw earlier with King Joash. His youthful zeal for the things of God and his willingness to rely on godly leaders were replaced by pride in his own accomplishments and trust in his own power (v. 16). Uzziah’s specific transgression was his attempt to claim the priestly duties for himself, venturing into the temple to burn incense. The “courageous priests of the Lord” confronted him, and his reaction compounded his sin (vv. 17–19).
Rather than repent, he grew angry. Rather than submit to God’s law, he was defensive. In divine judgment, God punished Uzziah with leprosy that removed him from the presence of God’s people.
Scripture warns us against pride (see Prov. 16:18). To fight pride, we must follow Christ. “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather . . . he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5–8).
Pastor Larry
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