Uzziah the Pariah

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. - Proverbs 11:2.

Most Kids Would be happy just to have clear skin and a driver's license when they reach the age of sixteen. But Uzziah got to be king. Cool, huh? And he handled it pretty well for a while.

Then one day something got into Uzziah. He knew that burning incense and offering sacrifices to God in the temple could only be done by the priests, but he was king and figured he could pretty much do what he wanted. Maybe he thought he could do a better job than the priests. Or maybe he just thought, Hey, nobody can tell ME what to do-not even God!

Anyway, Uzziah decided he was going to break the rules and show those priests who was boss, so he headed to the temple. The priests (about eighty of them) heard he was coming and found out what he intended to do. The Bible says that "they followed him in." Several hundred people clogged the streets, whispering that the king wanted to burn incense in the temple. Priests tried to talk him out of it, guards tried to guard him, advisors tried to advise him, and Uzziah ignored all of them. He picked up the incense burner; the protests of the priests became louder and louder. Uzziah got angry. He turned and started yelling at the priests.

"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? I should have your heads cut off!" While he raged, the Bible says God got his attention. Suddenly the skin on his forehead started to bubble and flake, and within seconds his face was covered with scaly white patches-the telltale signs of leprosy!

The showdown ended, and the priests rushed Uzziah out of the temple. He returned to the palace a leper. He had to live in a separate house the rest of his life. He never again got to enter the temple, and his son took over his throne. Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He was even buried in a separate graveyard from the rest of his family because of his leprosy.

All that happened because, "when [Uzziah] had become powerful, he also became proud" (2 Chronicles 26:16). Pride can make a mess of things. It can really mess up your judgment and make you do stupid things. It can ruin friendships. It can make you look silly. Being prideful never earned honor, respect, or friendship for anyone. In fact, it most often destroys those things-just like it did for Uzziah.

REFLECT: Do you think Uzziah could have taken pleasure in his accomplishments without being sinful? If not, why not? If so, how? Can you take pleasure in your abilities and accomplishments without being prideful? If not, why not? If so, how?

PRAYER:"Almighty and our Loving Father God, I don't want to be ruined by pride. Help me to remember that no matter how well I do, I can still be humble and should always be grateful to you for any success I enjoy. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."

El Camino Real - The King's Highway

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight."'" - Matthew 3:2-3 (NKJV).

At the memorial service remembering the anniversary of the terrible abduction and murder of young Samantha Runnion, Bradley Scott, aged 4, had a question for Sheriff Mike Carona—the sheriff who was so emotionally involved in the capture of Samantha's killer. Bradley asked the sheriff how he could go to heaven without dying.

"That's an incredible question, pal," Carona replied. "Sorry, I don't have an answer."

I can vividly remember as a kid how I believed the way to heaven was by being good. I figured that if I did enough good things to outweigh the bad things I did, that would satisfy God and I would go to heaven.

Wrong. In today's Scripture we read how John the Baptist was warning the people of ancient Israel that the long-promised Messiah (Jesus the Christ) was coming and to prepare El Camino Real (Spanish for the King's highway or the Highway of the King) for him. This was all about Jesus' first coming to die for our sins and that only through accepting him as our Savior and receiving his forgiveness could we get to heaven.

Today we, too, need to prepare El Camino Real for Jesus Christ's second coming to earth. Jesus himself promised his disciples and followers that if he went away (back to Heaven), which he did, that he would return for all his true followers. One of these days, the heavenly trumpet will sound announcing the climax of mankind's history with the coming again of Jesus, the Messiah, to take all his true followers to be with him in Heaven forever and ever.

I trust, dear reader, that you are safely on the heavenly Camino Real—the King's Highway—knowing without a shadow of doubt that when Jesus comes, you will not be left behind, but on your way to Heaven to be with God for all eternity. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 (NIV).

Prayer:"Our Loving Heavenly Father, thank you that you have provided the Camino Real as mankind's only way to Heaven which is via the cross of Jesus who died to save me from my sins. Help me to know without a shadow of doubt that I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and am safely on the Highway of the King, bound for Heaven. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."