THE BIG, BIG “I” (2 CHRONICLES 26)
Two ladies were walking home from church one Sunday morning. (The first lady asked,) “Tell me, what do you consider your worst sin?”
(The second spoke frankly,) “Well, I must admit my worst sin is vanity. I sit in front of the mirror for hours just admiring my beauty.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much,” replied her friend. (“How come?” the lady was taken back.) “That isn’t vanity. It’s just your imagination.” (Adapted from Toastmaster General’s Favorite Jokes 215, George Jessel, Secaucus, NJ: Castle Books, 1973)
The Bible specifically says that pride is the devil’s essence and sin; is the lot and ruin of eight people groups such as the Amorites (Amos 2:9), the Edomites (Obad 3), the Moabites (Isa 16:6), the Egyptians (Ezek 32:12), the Philistines (Zech 9:6), the Assyrians (Zech 10:11) and the Babylonians (Jer 50:31-32) and the Israelites (Jer 13:8); and is the disgrace and demise of wicked man (Ps 10:4). Psalms 10:4-6 says, “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”
If you do not know the history or detect a pattern by now, many good kings were laid low by pride. The longest reigning good king of the southern Judah could have reign longer and break records but his reign was cut short by pride. Uzziah was nothing short of remarkable, reliable, and resourceful king – nothing short of excellent, outstanding and superb!
How can we keep our pride in check? What do we do when our ego and extravagance crop up?
Be Open, And Not Oppositional, To Attract Success
26:1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success. 6 He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.
Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, has been called America’s #1 Manager and one of the greatest corporate leaders in America. He made the company the most valuable company in the world. Fortune magazine asked Welch on its 75th anniversary the best advice he ever got. Welch has this to say:
“It was in 1979 or 1980. I was on the board of GE for the first time. And I was in Seattle for one of those three-day director meetings. I had just gone to my first or second board meeting, and at a party for the directors afterwards, Paul Astin, the former chairman Coke, came up to me. He was a reserved, formal man. Anyway he must have noticed my starched shirt and how quiet I was in the meeting. I was all prim and proper. He said to me, ‘Jack, don’t forget who you are and how you got here.’”
(“The Best Advice I Ever Got,” Fortune 3/21/05).
One of the most educated, powerful and resourceful kings in Judah’s history was King Uzziah. A precocious teen, he was more than capable of filling the shoes of his father, Amaziah. He held his own for fifty-two long years, the longest of the eight good southern kings. Prophets were more than eager to instruct the young king, who made the initiative to seek God. The young king had a good attitude and was willing to listen to the advice of another Zechariah the prophet, not the major prophet. The word “sought” appears twice in verse 5.
Uzziah was as old-fashioned a king as any. He followed in the shoes of the first godly kings of Asa (2 Chron 14:4, 7, 2 Chron 15:2, 12, 13) and Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 17:4), who were known for seeking God. Like Asa (2 Chron 14:7) and Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 20:20), Uzziah had unparalleled success when he sought God. The Philistines had brought tribute to Judah at the height of Jehoshaphat’s reign (2 Chron 17:11), but shortly after his death they, along with the Arabs, put Judah to shame and almost ended the kingdom. They had attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, along with the king’s sons and wives, leaving only Uzziah’s great-grandfather, the youngest son Ahaziah, to the weak reigning king Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 21:16-17). For more than four generations (2 Chron 21:20, 22:2, 22:12, 241, 25:1) and eighty years Judah could not break the Philistines, who wisely formed an unbreakable and impregnable alliance with the Arabs for decades. The score was never settled for decades, or close to a century. In fact, since David last defeated the Philistines (1 Chron 20:5), no king got close. The Philistines had brought tribute to Jehoshaphat but Jehoshaphat had never defeated them.
If breaking the Philistines once were not proof enough of Uzziah’s power, he broke them thrice – through the walls of the major cities of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. To add insult to injury, he rebuilt the towns around Ashdod and populated those towns with Jews. The Ammonites, seeing the latest conditions and the reading the signs, promptly brought tribute to Uzziah. Even Egypt, the powerhouse of the region that had invaded Judah when Solomon died (1 Ki 14:25), had the utmost respect for and kept a keen eye on Uzziah, who was the first biblical king to be credited as “very powerful.”
Be Occupied, But Not Obsessed, When Approaching Success
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. 11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
A union shop steward is addressing a union meeting...
"Comrades. We have agreed on a new deal with the management. We will no longer work four days a week."
"Hooray!", goes the crowd.
"We will finish work at 4 PM, not 5 PM."
"Hooray!", goes the crowd, again.
"We will start work at 10 AM, not 9 AM."
"Hooray!"
"We have a 150% pay rise."
"Hooray!"
"We will only work on Wednesdays."
Silence...then a voice from the back asks, "(Do you mean) Every Wednesday?"
Uzziah was not all about conquest. He had a life outside of combat. He was the first well-rounded and all-purpose king in Israel’s history, the Emperor Qian Long of Judah. He was warrior, engineer, and cultivator. The king strategically built towers at the Corner Gate, in the valleys and at the outposts (v 9) to fortify the city and keep a watch against attacks. To leave no stones unturned, he even built towers all the way to the desert (v 10). Military exercises and military strength were emphasized and military stations and battalions were formed (v 11). He did not want to suffer the consequences of his father, King Amaziah, who lost in battle to the north and was promptly assassinated by his own people (2 Chron 25:23-27). Group leaders were appointed and fighting men were trained. No army was ever described as “a powerful force” (v 13) in Israel’s history.
Never before in Judah’s history did kings arm their soldiers and update their arsenal like Uzziah did. Slingstones were added to the conventional weapons of shield, spear and helmet, armor and bow. He was not only the first king to experiment with slingstones, he even experimented with machines for use on the towers and at its corners to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His expertise in warfare and investment in automation made his enemies sit up, think twice and back off.
The modern king was not all about war. One-dimensional he was not. He had a life apart from the palace. In fact, he was royalty and commoner. He was also into livestock and vineyards, not for the love of money but for the love of gardening (v 10). If he had the time, he could spend a whole day working the fields, investigating the crops, and checking for pests. No king knew more about fertile soil and parched lands than Uzziah did. The king had no vice, scandal, or corruption to his name; the farm, the garden, the land and the cultivating kept him occupied and straight for a long time. Cisterns were dug so that the cattle could roam and drink in the valleys or the plain. He found ways to pamper the happy cows he owned.
Be Obedient, And Not Obnoxious, After Achieving Success
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. 18 They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.” 19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. (2 Chron 26)
A man proudly announced to his wife that he’d been promoted to company vice president. "Big deal!" she responded. "Vice presidents are a dime a dozen. Why, the supermarket where we shop has so many vice presidents, they have one who’s just in charge of grocery bags."
The annoyed husband replied, "I’ll call your bluff. Let’s phone the store right now." He called up and asked to speak to the vice president in charge of bags.
A polite voice inquired, "Paper or plastic?" (R.J. Landseadel, Jr. in Rotarian, Reader’s Digest 6/95).
Uzziah also had his weaknesses. His pride was in the way. The king was extremely and extraordinarily arrogant, bigheaded and overconfident. In his mind, he was bigger than any person, priest or policy. At the height of his power he did an incredibly outrageous and unreasonable thing. Nothing anybody said could change his mind.
All through the centuries priests were expected to make sacrifices in the temple, but Uzziah not just wanted to have a say, he wanted to have a part. He had forgotten where his help had come from. The Hebrew word “help” occurs thrice in this chapter. Verse 7 says that God helped him against his enemies, verse 13 reveals he had his troop’s “support,” the same word for help in Hebrew, and verse 15 records that he was greatly helped. Nothing was worth bragging or crowing about, yet he was prideful, not just with regular pride but inconceivable and unimaginable pride. His pride was out of range and in stratospheric heights. This Hebrew word for pride means “raised to great heights.” The Bible used it for clouds in the sky (Job 35:5), for the heavens above the earth (Ps 103:11, Isa 55:9), and for the eagle making its nest among the stars (Job 39:27, Obad 4).
The NIV word “unfaithful” (v 16) is the lighter version; the severe translation “acted corruptly” (NASB). NIV’s “entered” is mild; the translation should be “trespass” or “transgress.” His sin was willful participation, not passive involvement. When he was confronted by the eighty-one priests (vv 16-17), he was so determined that he did not let go of the censer in his hand (v 19). He had made his way to the altar (v 19), where he raged and threatened all the priests who rose up to confront him. The words “anger” and “rage” (v 19) are the same in Hebrew, and this rare Hebrew word occurs only five times in the Bible (Gen 40:6, Prov 19:3, Dan 1:10), of which twice is used here. It means “boil up.” His temperature was steaming up, boiling over, and adding speed. Sadly leprosy was the only reason he left and he was the first king diagnosed with leprosy. His one behavior and act soured his reputation as a good king. Not only was he excluded from the temple, he was not buried in the tomb of his fathers, but only in the field of the tomb (v 23).
Conclusion: There is a difference between having pride and taking pride. Pride is as old as the devil himself. The hardest thing to deal with in life is the temptation of pride. Pride is God’s number one enemy, the root of man’s sins, strongest of all masters. Yes, harder to manage than money, power, and lust. It is the root of all sins. Pride is the most cunning temptation. Pride is the cause of disagreements (Prov 13:10), but the road to destruction (Prov 16:18, 29:23, Isa 2:17, Ezek 7:24), disgrace or shame (Prov 11:2), and deceit (Jer 49:16). Job says, “Pride reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds” (Job 20:6).
WHAT GOOD ARE YOU? (2 CHRONICLES 27:1-9)
Thomas J. Watson, Jr. had big shoes to fill. His father was the first president of IBM who built a worldwide industry during his 42 years at IBM. He was presented with honorary degrees by 27 colleges and universities in the United States and four abroad. The senior Watson was named chairman of IBM in September 1949. A month before his death in 1956, Watson handed over the reins of the company to the older son, Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
Being the son of IBM’s iron-willed chief weighed heavily on the younger Watson. In 1986 he told the Wall Street Journal, "The biggest motivation to me was fear and pride. Once I’d been around here a little while, I decided that my ambition was to prove to the world that I could run on the same race track as my dad. I liked the old gentleman; there was tremendous competition between us."
The younger Watson pushed strongly to enter corporate computing. His father initially resisted the huge investment required to build plants and laboratories to create a new generation of products and to hire armies of people to sell them.
During his leadership, IBM grew from a medium-sized business to one of the dozen largest industrial corporations in the world. When Mr. Watson became CEO in 1956, IBM employed 72,500 people and had a gross income of $892 million, but when he stepped down in 1971, employees numbered more than 270,000 and gross revenue was $8.3 billion. Fortune magazine once called him "the greatest capitalist who ever lived."
http://www-1.ibm.com/press/PressServletForm.wss?MenuChoice=former&TemplateName=ShowFullCEOMain&SelectString=t1.docunid=166
Judah’s most overlooked and unassuming king was the greatest king of the southern Judah’s history, but he was almost history’s forgotten king. One is more likely to hear of the names of Asa, Josiah, Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah than of Jotham. One of our church members named his son Asa. My wife has a nephew named Josiah. My favorite king is Jehoshaphat and my wife’s is Hezekiah. Uzziah is unforgettable every time Isaiah’s “Holy, Holy, Holy” vision in his sixth chapter is preached. I read a sermon concerning Uzziah and his idolatrous father Amaziah, but did not find a sermon of Uzziah and his righteous son. Good guys like Jotham do not have compelling or dramatic stories, but they sure do a lot of good and helped a lot of people.
How does one improve on good? What is excellence like? Why is excellence not an unreachable goal?
Let Your Wisdom Do the Talking
27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the LORD. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices.
An irritated boss tells his new employee, “Integrity and wisdom are essential to success in every business. By integrity I mean when you promise a customer something you must keep that promise even if you lose money.” The puzzled new employee then asked, "And what is wisdom?” The boss replied, “Don’t make any such foolish promises.”
It’s strange that today’s society considers a person wise when they learn from their own mistakes. I can only say they are wiser. Some people are not wiser or profiting from their own mistake. Some are wiser, benefiting eventually from their own mistake, but that kind of wisdom is nothing to crow about. However, the truly wise people of the world learn from people’s mistakes, not one’s own mistakes. Not learning from one’s mistake is stupidity, learning from one’s mistake is experience, but learning from people’s mistake is wisdom.
People confuse being clever and being wise. For example, they think they are wise when they could get away with speeding; they are merely clever. Those truly wise would refrain from speeding and follow legal limits. It is absurd to think a person who is not addicted to alcohol, drugs, or smoking after trying them is wise; he is merely trying to be clever. Society has got it backwards; the one who refrains from trying is wise.
Jotham was a true learner; he could learn from history, people, family and himself. In today’s society Jotham would more likely be considered boring than sporting. He was as promising and capable even though he was never as popular or charismatic as his father. Unlike his precocious father Uzziah who was made king by the people when he was sixteen (2 Chron 26:1), Jotham never received such accolade, but he exceeded all expectations. Jotham was as outstanding, even though he was never as outlandish, as his father. He did not have a magnetic personality but he sure had a magnificent record. Unlike the father, the son was not known for having a well-trained army (2 Chron 26:11), organizing his soldiers to fight by divisions (2 Chron 26:13), or amassing the latest weapons of war (2 Chron 26:15), but he just went about doing his business and getting the job done.
Jotham’s low-key and down-to-earth attitude and approach were strengths, and not weaknesses. The incoming king was a rock, a tower and a beacon of a son. In fact, he had all his father’s strengths and never his father’s weaknesses. Given heaven for his courage, he still would never dare to trespass the temple, interfere in sacrifices, and threaten the priests, which his father did. Jotham would never assume he had authority over all or was above the law just because he was king. He would never take advantage of his privilege, position, or power. The newest king was ordinary but he was never average. Not only was he not the type to grant himself special status, rights and concessions, he demanded and expected more of himself.
Jotham’s wisdom was astounding. He was astute, discerning, and sensible. The king wisely determined in his heart not to repeat the mistake of his father. Never would he aspire to such grandiose, vain and ill thinking. He would never allow himself to be high on a pedestal and so out of range. Strange as it seemed, Jotham got on better with less fanfare and fuss, pomp and pageantry, things and people surrounding him. No hinge of scandal tailgated him, no skeleton was in his closet, and no stain smeared his good name. Sure, he was not perfect because the people still worshipped idols, but he was not short of trying and was not proud of that. It goes to show no one can do everything.
Let Your Work Do the Talking
3 Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the LORD and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. 4 He built towns in the Judean hills and forts and towers in the wooded areas. 5 Jotham made war on the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years.
There was once a rabbi in a small Jewish village in Russia who vanished every Friday morning for several hours. The devoted villagers boasted that during these hours their rabbi ascended to heaven to talk with God.
A skeptical newcomer arrived in town, determined to discover where the rabbi really went. One Friday morning the newcomer hid near the rabbi’s house, watched him rise, say his prayers and put on the clothes of a peasant. He saw him take an axe and go into the forest, chop down a tree and gather a large bundle of wood. Next the rabbi proceeded to a shack in the poorest section of the village in which there lived an old woman and her sick son. He left them the wood which was enough for the week. The rabbi then quietly returned to his own house.
The story concludes that the newcomer stayed in the village and became a disciple of the rabbi. And whenever he hears one of his fellow villagers say, "On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way to heaven," the newcomer quietly adds, "If not higher."
Uzziah was one of the greatest kings in Judah’s history. No king was deemed “very powerful” as Jotham’s father was (2 Chron 26:8), but his greatness was always for himself and seldom for the people. Sometimes his greatness was for the wrong reason. Uzziah was unmatched in warfare, known for farming and gardening (2 Chron 26:10). With all the wealth (2 Chron 26:5), power, and time on hand – he reigned fifty-two years (2 Chron 26:3), he never did anything directly or purposefully for God. He never did anything for the temple except trespassing the temple. All he ever did for the temple were to make himself at home, mess with sacrifices, and make himself look good and the priests look bad.
One significant thing Jotham did God looked kindly at was rebuilding the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord. Sure, Uzziah rebuilt towers and gates too (2 Chron 26:9), but only for an advantage in warfare. Uzziah rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines, but who wanted to live in fear among the Philistines? Jotham, on the other hand, built towns in the Judean hills for the people to live, forts and towers to provide security. Jotham’s heart was in the right place. He cared for his people’s safety and never gave them loaded incentives, tax credits and free housing to woo them to live in Philistine country.
However, don’t think for a moment Jotham was too nice and innocent and sheltered for his own good. He was sensitive but not soft, a gentleman but not a geek, and nice but not nerdy. He could fight with the best of them, and he would to teach a lesson and to prove a point. Unlike his father, he fought the old-fashioned way without machines and slingstones (2 Chron 26:15). His fighting skills, wise strategy and ruthless spirit were at full display upon those who crossed him. He did to the Ammonites (v 5) what his father did to the Philistines and the Arabs (2 Chron 26:7). Like his father, Jotham did damage, but only on the wicked and for the good. The new king was also as hardworking, as visionary and as driven as his father. He did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel (v 3).
Let Your Walk Do the Talking
6 Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God. 7 The other events in Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. 9 Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.
At a church meeting a very wealthy man rose to tell the rest of those present about his Christian faith. "I’m a millionaire," he said, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life. I remember that turning point in my faith. I had just earned my first dollar bill and had to either give it all to God’s work or nothing at all. So at that moment I decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today."
He finished and there was an awed silence at his testimony as he moved toward his seat. As he sat down a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said to him: "I dare you to do it again." (James Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited)
The last thing we know about Jotham is that he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God. The Hebrew text has “he prepared his walk before the Lord his God.” The word “prepare” means establish, ascertain, fix, ready. The eight good kings of the southern Judah are introduced by the phrase “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” As readers by now know, even that includes good kings who turned idolatrous such as Amaziah or who turned killer such as Joash the priest and faithful kings such as Jehoshaphat and Jotham. Where is the dividing line between good kings who are below average, good kings who are average and good kings who are excellent? The commentary “prepared” marks a gold standard. The word is sometimes translated as “set”
So far this word is used to describe three kings’ direction and destiny. The first official Judah king Rehoboam did not prepare or set his heart to seek the Lord; so he was a bad king (2 Chron 12:14). God commended Jehoshaphat, my favorite king, for setting his heart on seeking God (2 Chron. 19:3).
Jotham was up there with the best of the good kings. What separated him from the other excellent king – Jehoshaphat – was that Jehoshaphat set his heart on seeking God, but Jotham set his walk, or walked steadfastly, before the Lord his God. Jehoshaphat was concerned with getting his heart right with God, but Jotham was more concerned with getting his walk right. However, that does not mean Jotham has no personal relationship with God; he does. The Lord was his God (v 6).
Conclusion: A lot of people buy into the “throw caution to the wind” mentality and risk all that they for a moment of glory and in the name of fun. Some consider themselves daredevils, bold enough to try everything, but others consider them brave fools for not applying the brakes before or sooner. We should err on the side of caution, vigilance, and watchfulness.
Are you progressing or digressing in your walk with God? Are you developing or deteriorating in your relationship with God?
Victor Yap
http://epreaching.blogspot.com/
www.riversidecma.org
www.preachchrist.com (Chinese sermons)
