2CO 26-28
Mamma. The next king was Uzziah; he was only sixteen when he was made king. He did what was right as far as his father had done; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. There was a good prophet in his time, named Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God. God helped Uzziah against the Philistines. And this king had many cattle, and vines in the mountains, for he was fond of tilling the ground. He also made engines to shoot arrows and stones off the high walls, they must have been something like cannons. God helped him greatly; but when he became strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he did a very daring wicked thing; he went into the temple to burn incense to the Lord.
Sophy. You said no one was owed to do that but the priests.
M. Just so, none but the sons Aaron, who were consecrated to touch the holy things. There were eighty priests all faithful men, and they followed the king into the temple, and ordered him to go out of the sanctuary; for he had trespassed against the Lord. Uzziah got very angry with the priests, and as he stood by the altar of incense with the censer in his hand, leprosy broke out upon his forehead; so that the priests drove him out of the temple, and he was glad enough to rush out of it himself; for he knew that the Lord had smitten him.
S. I wonder he was not afraid to do what was wrong in God's house.
M. It is true what Solomon said: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; but the fool rageth and is confident.
Uzziah was a leper till the day of his death. You know a leper was obliged to live alone, and to cry "Unclean, Unclean," if any one came near him. So his son Jotham was put over the king's house, and he judged the people till the king's death, Uzziah lived in a house by himself till he died, and then they buried, him in a place by himself, because he was a leper.
S. Why did he not go to the priest to be made clean?
M. I suppose he was not subject in heart and spirit; and did not judge himself for the evil he had done; or, perhaps he did not know what God had written in His word, about going to the priest and offering two birds for his cleansing. If he had done this, he would have confessed his sin. The first duty, of the king was to know the law of God. But the kings of Judah neglected this duty. We read that the priest gave the testimony into the hands of Joash, the child king. But if we do not obey the word of God—to have it in our hands, only increases our judgment. When Jotham became king he did right, and avoided the sins of his father. But the people were very wicked.
Yet God had to do with the king; and while he did right God blessed the nation.
S. Were the children of Israel as wicked as the tribe of Judah?
M. Yes, they were wholly given up to idolatry. From the time that Jeroboam made the golden calves, they became worse and worse; till God gave them up as we read in the Book of Kings. But God had long patience with Judah, for His servant David's sake. He would not turn away His face from His anointed. He sent them prophets again and again; and when there was any little turning to Him, they were wonderfully helped. But it is a very sad story of constant unfaithfulness.
The next king was Ahaz, Who did as wickedly as the kings of Israel; for he made images for Baalim.
S. Who was Baalim?
M. It is a name that was given to false gods. The Phœnicians had an idol called Baal, and Baalim means a great many Baals. He burnt incense to these Baalim, and even, offered his own children in sacrifice to them! A sin that was abominable in the sight of the Lord, when committed by the heathen, whom He cast out before the children of Israel. And how much worse when done by the king of Judah! For this the Lord allowed the king of Syria to come up and carry away a number of the people captive to Damascus. The king of Israel also conquered him, and carried away a great many captives, and brought them to Samaria with great spoil. But Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there, and went to the chief of the people, and told them not to add to their sins by making their brethren of Judah captives. And the chief of the people went out to meet those who came from the war, and they told them, not to bring their captives into their cities, because it would displease the Lord. So they fed and clothed the captives of Judah, with the spoil they had taken in battle and let them go home.
S. Did God make them kind to the captives because they belonged to Judah?
M. Yes. It is wonderful to see such grace to ungrateful man, and touching to see how the prophet knew the heart of God; and that He would not allow His people to be made bond servants, or slaves to their brethren. Because captives taken in war were always slaves or bondmen.
But nothing softened the heart of Ahaz. He sent to the king of Assyria to help him, because the Edomites rebelled against him; but the king of Assyria gave him no help, he only added to his troubles, and took away all his treasures. Ahaz gave him the treasures out of the house of the Lord. He shut up the doors of the temple and spoiled it, and set up an altar to the god of Damascus; he removed God's altar and put this one in its place; he had it made after the pattern of an altar he had seen there. For he said: They help the Syrians, perhaps they will help me.
S. How very silly to think that the idols of Damascus could help him!
M. When people get away from God they generally become superstitious, that is, they have a fear of something, they do not know what; like the people who worshipped the "unknown God." Many have even worshipped devils from a superstitious dread. The fear of the Lord is quite a different thing. It is a holy fear; it is a fear of sin; and a feeling at the eyes of the Lord run to and fro upon the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards Him. The Lord Jesus came to tell of the love of God; and His perfect love casts out our fear.
No wrath God's heart retaineth,
To us-ward who believe;
No dread in ours remaineth
As we His love receive.
Returning sons He kisses,
And with His robe invests;
His perfect love dismisses
All terror from our breasts.