Prosperity, Pride and Presumption

Lesson from the life of Uzziah

2 Chronicles 26:

5 And he set himself to seek after God during the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God; and as long as he sought after Jehovah, God caused him to prosper.

15 And in Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and at the corners for shooting with arrows and great stones. And his fame went out far abroad, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

16 But when he had become strong, his heart became uplifted, to his own destruction. And he trespassed against Jehovah his God and went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the incense altar.

19 Then Uzziah became angry, and in his hand was a censer for burning incense. And when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah beside the incense altar.

20 ......for Jehovah had stricken him.

21 So Uzziah the king was a leper until the day of his death; and he dwelt in a separate house as a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah. And Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

Uzziah began with seeking after God when he was in despair, and as long as he sought after Jehovah, God caused him to prosper. This should have continued all the days of his life. However, when he was blessed and became famous, because he was marvelously helped until he was strong, by Jehovah, he began to be proud; his heart became lifted up, and that was to his own destruction. And later, he became presumptuous by taking things in his own hand, usurping the function of the priests by burning incense upon the incense alter. The result was God's judgement by leprosy unto death. 

The life of Uzziah is a warning to me and to all the children of God. May the Lord have mercy on us. And always preserve us to live a simple life of seeking after God all the days of our lives. Our seeking the Lord is not for prosperity, even though God may still prosper us. Our seeking God is our righteous deed acknowledging that we are nothing and indeed nothing and that without God we can do nothing and are nothing and the meaning of our human existence is for God and His purpose alone. 

Let us be aware of two big sins: pride and presumption. In fact, the duo are just one; one follow the other and vice versa. The first sin ever committed was pride too. A proud person is a blind person; he is proud because he is blind to the fact that all that he has is actually from God, and all that he is, is of God's mercy and blessing. Otherwise, he would never presume to be anything nor presume to do anything.

What a lesson! What a warning! Yet what an encouragement of God's loving kindness and mercy! "As long as he sought Jehovah God caused him to prosper and will be marvelously helped until he becomes strong." Lord, all the days of my life, may I be such!