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A Great Kings Downfall - The Book of 2 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and
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  Speaker 1: said unto him, It appeareth not unto thee, Uzziah, to
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  Speaker 1: burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the
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  Speaker 1: son of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense. Go
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  Speaker 1: out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, neither shall
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  Speaker 1: it be for thine honor from the Lord God. 2
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  Speaker 1: Chronicles 26.18 Lord, through all the stories of these great kings,
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  Speaker 1: one thing remains seen and heard through all of the Scriptures,
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  Speaker 1: the pride and the arrogance that can come with influence
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  Speaker 1: and increase. With this before me, I thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: for protecting me against the arrogance that can come from
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  Speaker 1: hitting my goals and achieving success. May my heart remain
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  Speaker 1: steadfast and focused. on abiding in your presence and seeking
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  Speaker 1: your face. I confess that honor and respect will be
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  Speaker 1: major pillars when it comes to honoring you and those
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  Speaker 1: you've entrusted to carry out your way, Lord. Let me
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  Speaker 1: never walk around like King Uzziah, believing that I am
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  Speaker 1: better than others and that your word doesn't apply to me.
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  Speaker 1: Let my actions and intentions be in sync with with
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  Speaker 1: your principles. I declare that my mind is alert and
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  Speaker 1: my eyes are open so that I will not fall
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  Speaker 1: but will rise when you open the door to increase
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  Speaker 1: and influence. In Jesus' name. Amen. Listening to these daily
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  Speaker 1: prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the
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  Speaker 1: Lord by listening to today's A.
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  Speaker 2: Great King's Downfall In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: the rule of Amaziah. He defeated a great threat, but
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  Speaker 2: grew arrogant and pompous. The Lord humbled Amaziah in the
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  Speaker 2: battle against Israel. He was shamed in front of his
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  Speaker 2: people and died in exile. Now we learn about one
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  Speaker 2: of the greatest kings Judah has ever known. This king
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  Speaker 2: mirrored many qualities that made David and Solomon great. He
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  Speaker 2: was inventive, courageous, and noble. However, his name grew too
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  Speaker 2: great for his own fragile heart to handle. Inspired by
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  Speaker 2: the book.
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  Speaker 3: Of 2 Chronicles. Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's
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  Speaker 3: episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. In our
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  Speaker 3: previous episode, we heard about King Amaziah's downfall. Though he
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  Speaker 3: at first sought to follow God and trust Him, his
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  Speaker 3: wavering faith opened the door to doubt, bitterness, and resentment.
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  Speaker 3: He stopped trusting in God's goodness and turned to idols
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  Speaker 3: and self-gratification. Ultimately, he died in defeat and with a
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  Speaker 3: heart filled with resentment. still clinging to the idols that
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  Speaker 3: had no real power and no comfort for him. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll learn of a truly great king, a man who
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  Speaker 3: exhibited many of the best traits of David and Solomon.
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  Speaker 3: But though he was one of the great kings of Judah,
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  Speaker 3: he was also a man prone to sin and filled
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  Speaker 3: with brokenness. Listen now to God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The people of God were desperate for a hero, a
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  Speaker 2: symbol of faithfulness and a pillar of strength They craved
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  Speaker 2: a godly king. They longed for a man who would
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  Speaker 2: lead as David once did, a man with strength and humility,
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  Speaker 2: a man of courage and tact. They prayed desperately for
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  Speaker 2: this king to arise. They believed that king to be
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  Speaker 2: the young boy Uzziah. The son of Amaziah was sixteen
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  Speaker 2: when the elders came to him and anointed him as king.
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  Speaker 2: His father had met a shameful demise. But there was
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  Speaker 2: hope that Uzziah would be different. He was a bright
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  Speaker 2: young man. He was strong and had a good heart.
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  Speaker 2: His mother, Jecholiah, was wise and nurturing. Uzziah was made
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  Speaker 2: king at sixteen and immediately pursued God for wisdom and fortitude.
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  Speaker 2: King Uzziah did what was right in the sight of God.
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  Speaker 2: He thought through the will and purposes behind God's law.
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  Speaker 2: He studied kings before him and learned from their victories
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  Speaker 2: and failures. He also leaned on a great council of
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  Speaker 2: different men and women. He sought their guidance on all
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  Speaker 2: political and military matters. The man he leaned on most
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  Speaker 2: was Zechariah the prophet. He instructed the young king on
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  Speaker 2: how to fear and obey God. He guided him in
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  Speaker 2: matters of the heart and soul, and taught him how
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  Speaker 2: to seek wisdom and justice. As long as Uzziah sought
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  Speaker 2: the will of God, everything he did prospered. Uzziah was
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  Speaker 2: not interested in the petty rivalry with Israel his father started.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that the true threat was among the Philistines.
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  Speaker 2: They had been secretly amassing a great army to raid Judah.
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah waged war against the enemy nation. With the wisdom
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  Speaker 2: of many commanders behind him, he sent several attacks towards
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  Speaker 2: the walls of Gaith. With each attack, the wall grew
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  Speaker 2: weaker and weaker. Uzziah sent men in with battering rams
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  Speaker 2: to slam against the walls. He would send archers to
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  Speaker 2: cover the men from enemy fire. Soon, the walls began
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  Speaker 2: to crumble. The earth quaked as the stones fell to
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  Speaker 2: the floor. The Philistines were exposed to Uzziah's final attack.
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  Speaker 2: against the city. God gave Uzziah favor and he crushed
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines before they could gather themselves. Uzziah's victory in
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  Speaker 2: battle gained him the respect and fear of other nations.
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  Speaker 2: The Ammonites gave Uzziah tribute and pledged their loyalty to
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  Speaker 2: him as king. His fame spread even to the distant
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  Speaker 2: nation of Egypt. Rumors of Uzziah crushing the walls of
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  Speaker 2: Gaith single-handedly spread like wildfire. Although they were just rumors,
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  Speaker 2: they hinted at a growing strength in the young king.
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  Speaker 2: But Uzziah knew it was the favor of God. After
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines were defeated, Uzziah moved on to his next concern,
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  Speaker 2: the defenses of Jerusalem. He erected towers at each gate
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  Speaker 2: along the wall. He also built towers in the wilderness
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  Speaker 2: beyond Jerusalem to protect farmland and villages. King Uzziah was
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  Speaker 2: becoming a great warrior, but his real passion, was for
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  Speaker 2: farming and tending to the livestock. So he took great
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  Speaker 2: care into making sure they were protected. Uzziah paid much
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  Speaker 2: attention to his commanders and secretaries. He made sure they
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  Speaker 2: were taken care of. In not much time, King Uzziah
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  Speaker 2: even gained the loyalty of many might men in the country.
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  Speaker 2: 2,600 mighty men followed Uzziah into battle, more so than
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  Speaker 2: King David himself. Under those men was an army of
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  Speaker 2: 307,500 soldiers. They were well-equipped and well-fed. The young king
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  Speaker 2: knew that in order to keep the nation safe, he
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  Speaker 2: had to keep his army strong. Even more important, they
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  Speaker 2: needed to love him. King Uzziah had an inquisitive mind.
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  Speaker 2: He tinkered with wood, steel, gears, and wheels. He gathered
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  Speaker 2: skillful men who knew mathematics and engineering. Together... They invented
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  Speaker 2: machines to be placed on every tower. These machines shot
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  Speaker 2: arrows and great stones at opposing forces. The technology was advanced.
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  Speaker 2: Another line of defense was Uzziah's reputation. Word of his weapons, armies,
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  Speaker 2: and towers spread. Uzziah designed a name for himself that
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  Speaker 2: would cause all of Judah's enemies to fear. This, he knew,
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  Speaker 2: was the greatest weapon of all. Stories of Uzziah's power
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  Speaker 2: spread throughout the land. His name was greatly feared, and
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  Speaker 2: his reputation painted him almost as a god. These stories
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  Speaker 2: began to seep into Uzziah's heart. As he grew stronger,
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  Speaker 2: so did his pride. Eventually, Uzziah saw himself above the law.
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  Speaker 2: One morning, Uzziah entered into the temple of God to worship. However,
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  Speaker 2: he went in without the priests. He strutted around the
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  Speaker 2: temple halls as if he had built it himself. The
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  Speaker 2: king entered into the temple and began to burn incense,
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  Speaker 2: a custom only meant for priests. Azariah walked in with
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  Speaker 2: eighty of his priests and saw what Uzziah was doing.
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  Speaker 2: They gasped at the king's arrogance. He knew that there
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  Speaker 2: was a checks and balance between the priests and king.
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  Speaker 2: The king was not to rule over the temple as well.
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  Speaker 2: You should not be doing this, Azariah exclaimed. You should
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  Speaker 2: leave here, now. Doing this will not bring you honor
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  Speaker 2: from God. Uzziah rolled his neck back as he listened
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  Speaker 2: to the priest. He was annoyed at them. He was
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  Speaker 2: about to respond in anger when a strange tingling emerged
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  Speaker 2: on his forehead. He felt lightheaded and feverish. He leaned
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  Speaker 2: against the altar, trying to regain balance. Uzziah grew fearful
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  Speaker 2: as he watched the priests step back from him. Confused,
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah grabbed a silver bowl and held it up at
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  Speaker 2: his face. Like a rising tide, Uzziah could see leprosy
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  Speaker 2: spreading across his forehead. The priests rushed him out and
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  Speaker 2: took him to his chambers. There the king began to rot.
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  Speaker 2: His skin peeled back from his face. His fingers and
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  Speaker 2: toes began to separate from his body. A sharp pain
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  Speaker 2: was replaced by a dull ache as his body decayed.
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  Speaker 2: For the rest of his days, Uzziah suffered as a leper.
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  Speaker 2: He died humbled by the sovereignty of God. Uzziah died shamefully,
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  Speaker 2: as did his father. However, his son Jotham would not
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  Speaker 2: make the same mistakes. Jotham was 25 years old when
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  Speaker 2: he took the throne after his father. He pursued God
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  Speaker 2: from beginning to end. For 16 years, Jotham tore down idols,
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  Speaker 2: built defenses, and made allies. He grew into a mighty
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  Speaker 2: warrior and defeated the Ammonites in battle. They paid tribute
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  Speaker 2: to him every second and third year. Jotham set a
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  Speaker 2: strong and godly example for the rest of Judah. The
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  Speaker 2: nation loved Uzziah, but his son Jotham was the one
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  Speaker 2: to truly finish well.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, Judah is without a king.
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  Speaker 3: Amaziah had fled in disgrace to die in exile. The
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  Speaker 3: elders looked then to his son Uzziah, who was merely
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  Speaker 3: a boy at age 16. Yet despite his youth, Uzziah
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  Speaker 3: possessed a desire for wisdom and a humility to seek
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  Speaker 3: guidance from those who sought God. Uzziah set immediately about
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  Speaker 3: doing the Lord's business and leaned often on the prophet
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  Speaker 3: Zechariah for God's guidance. It was a remarkable display of
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  Speaker 3: maturity from one so young. Youth does not necessarily disqualify
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  Speaker 3: someone from service, especially when a young person is mature
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  Speaker 3: in the Lord and earnestly desires to seek God and
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  Speaker 3: to know His ways. And because of Uzziah's dedication to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord, God prospered him. He gave the king victories
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  Speaker 3: over the Philistines, the Arabians, and the Meunites. His renown
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  Speaker 3: grew not only in Judah, but as far away as Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: Prosperity was granted to Judah under King Uzziah, and his
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  Speaker 3: military grew stronger and stronger. It seemed like everything the
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  Speaker 3: king did was successful. Judah was functioning in many ways
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  Speaker 3: as God had always intended, bringing glory to God throughout
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  Speaker 3: the region. But today's passage then reminded us that when
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  Speaker 3: success is at the greatest, evil is around the corner.
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  Speaker 3: And it often takes the form of pride. Listen to
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  Speaker 3: what we read in 2 Chronicles 26, verse 16. But
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  Speaker 3: when he was strong, he grew proud to his destruction. Pride.
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  Speaker 3: It will take us out every time. Pride causes us
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  Speaker 3: to believe that we are responsible for our success rather
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  Speaker 3: than God, that we are self-sufficient, and that we are
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  Speaker 3: even above correction, and that we live with entitlement. The
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  Speaker 3: Bible says God will not share his glory with another,
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  Speaker 3: and pride takes away the glory that belongs to God
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  Speaker 3: and God alone. In his pride, Uzziah made a fateful error.
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  Speaker 3: He entered the temple to the altar of incense. It
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  Speaker 3: was a holy place reserved for the priest. Even the
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  Speaker 3: king was not allowed to enter, and Uzziah knew this.
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  Speaker 3: It wasn't an accident or an innocent mistake. This was
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  Speaker 3: willful disregard for God's law. To make matters worse, When
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  Speaker 3: Azariah the priest went in and rebuked him, telling him
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  Speaker 3: to leave lest he face God's judgment, Uzziah did not repent. Instead,
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  Speaker 3: he became indignant. How dare this priest tell him what
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  Speaker 3: to do? God's judgment was swift. And there in the temple,
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  Speaker 3: leprosy broke out all over the king's forehead. He had
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  Speaker 3: lost his sensitivity to the Lord's leading and to God's law,
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  Speaker 3: and the numb, leprous skin was a visual reminder of
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  Speaker 3: this terrible fact. He lived as a leper for the
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  Speaker 3: rest of his days, unable to enter the Lord's house
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  Speaker 3: because he was now unclean. Though he had been a
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  Speaker 3: great king and brought glory to God for many years,
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  Speaker 3: he did not finish his race well. He failed at
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  Speaker 3: the end and marred a legacy that could have been
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  Speaker 3: truly remarkable. Uzziah was succeeded by his son Jotham, who
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  Speaker 3: reigned with righteousness, seeking God all his days. Unlike his father,
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  Speaker 3: Jotham served God faithfully from start to finish. God, we
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  Speaker 3: thank you for so many who have joined us on
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  Speaker 3: our journey through the Bible. And we thank you for
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  Speaker 3: every story. We thank you for the truth of what
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  Speaker 3: you say in your word, that it is always true.
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  Speaker 3: May we learn the lessons well that you are teaching
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  Speaker 3: us as we continue to pursue you and your will
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  Speaker 3: for our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage you to
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  Speaker 3: download the Pray.com app and always make Bible reading and
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  Speaker 3: Bible study a priority in your life, along with prayer.
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  Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love.
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  Speaker 3: Let someone know, because by sharing this podcast, you can
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  Speaker 3: truly make a difference in someone's life. And if you
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  Speaker 3: want more resources from me, Jack Graham, as to how
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  Speaker 3: you can grow in your Christian life, then go to jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgraham.org. God bless you.