Is it good to be the king? Personally, I don’t know, but from all indications, those who are in that position like it and fight tooth and nail to stay there. Webster’s dictionary throws out a few adjectives for the word king: majesty, royalty, ruler, supreme, noble, regal and the list gets longer. Power and politics haven’t changed all that much since the dawn of time. If anything; skullduggery has been elevated to an unprecedented lofty perch.
The old saying is still true: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Maybe this is a good time to remind ourselves what the Bible says about those in positions of power. The Old Testament Book of Daniel reminds us that God, and God alone, “Sets up kings and deposes them”.
Uzziah was King of Judah, formerly known as the Southern Kingdom when the nation split in two segments. He started out from a position of strength. As a leader of God's people, he was blessed by God above and beyond the call of duty. Uzziah was very successful in both war and peace, and he was head and shoulders above others in building and nurturing the country. Was it any wonder that God let him rule for over 50 years! But like they say in law and business; the devil was in the details.
Most of the giants showed their appreciation to God in sundry ways. Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, David, and countless others built altars to God, offered sacrifices to God, they sang songs to God, they gave their life to God, and thanked God for his abundant blessings. One little detail that may have gone unnoticed is that king Uzziah, an extremely successful king, was also an extremely self-centered king. He wanted people to know that he was responsible for the benefits they enjoyed. He started out as a tower of strength, and would have continued for who knows how many years except for one fatal flaw. Pride! His strength gradually eroded into weakness in a terrible fashion. Uzziah’s pride was rooted in his lack of thankfulness. There are no accounts of this king ever showing appreciation to God for the marvelous gifts he received. It’s true, our accomplishments may not rival or compare with Uzziah’s, but we still owe a debt of thanksgiving to God for our very lives. If God is not getting the credit for your successes, shouldn’t you start looking at your life differently?
Least we think ourselves above what God makes us, remember, Uzziah. His life can be closely examined in 2 Kings 15, and further in 2 Chronicles 26. Uzziah had forgotten not only how much God had given him, but also that God had certain roles for others that he needed to respect—but, didn’t. Even successful people must acknowledge the role God has for others in their lives. We are not in control!
No comments:
Post a Comment