Turning Points

Turning Points

by Wayne Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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There's the time when a king passes away and God raises up another to follow in his place. In this case, it was King Amaziah who had passed away, and it was his son, Uzziah, who replaced him.

II Chronicles 26:1,2
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

This young man brings a lot of helpful lessons to us. We can also benefit from the lessons found in the things that happened to others in this account.

There are some people whom others look at and say they are a good man or a good woman. Yet, as one looks closer, they find they can't call everything about that person good.

II Chronicles 26:4
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.

The purpose of Uzziah's heart was to follow in the footsteps of his father, doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

Uzziah Sought the Lord

II Chronicles 26:5
And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

Uzziah sought the Lord in the days of Zechariah. If we take that verse and apply it in our lives, we will find it as true with us as it was with Uzziah: As long as he sought the Lord, the Lord made him to prosper. As long as he sought the Lord!

Are we in the habit of bringing everything to the Lord in prayer? Or do we let a lot of things just slide along, never taking time to pray about them?

Did we miss God somewhere? Why didn't this or that materialize? If we look for things to just happen as by themselves, we get dismayed.

I think it ought to be in our hearts that we would learn something here, wherein we would consider there are many things that might have been a whole lot different for us if we had but taken time to seek the Lord.

It is God who makes things happen. That's why seeking the Lord is so important. If we pray and seek His face, He will bring to light the things that pertain to us: so we're made aware, brought into a light where we can see and understand.

True Prosperity

King Uzziah needed to know things. And there was a faithful priest who had understanding in the visions of God.

God often visited kings with visions and dreams to lead them in their way. But the important point we can learn from here is not visions or dreams: The important point is that King Uzziah sought the Lord — and as long as he sought the Lord, he prospered.

Along life's journey we will have our ups and we will have our downs. We may be very spiritually minded while we're up — going to church, praying, reading the Word, loving and serving the Lord. We have such times, but there are also those other times when we have our downsittings.

During those times many slip back, draw back, and cease to pray. Then, in a little while, things begin to fall apart and fail, and things happen they can't seem to handle or deal with — all because they did something or, rather, didn't do something: They forgot how they used to seek the Lord, and how He had prospered them.

I believe prosperity is a gift of God. True prosperity is a matter that God would bless our daily walk — that He would bless what we lay our hand unto. This isn't a get-rich-quick prosperity. It's a matter of every day life.

So, seeking to do what God says always will turn to bring prosperity and blessing to us.

3 John 2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Uzziah's praying, his prospering, his seeking after God became evident. Now, how long did he seek God?

II Chronicles 26:6
And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.

The Philistines were enemies of Israel. Israel had been at war with them time after time, and many times Israel didn't win the war.

Right away, Uzziah goes after them to try to stop the battles and fightings. Here's where we would look to say he prospered when he sought the Lord:

II Chronicles 26:7
And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Mehunims.

So, looking at it in this light, Uzziah is seeking the Lord, wanting to prosper in the things of God; and when he set his mind to it, he found God was with him to help him.

It's like that in everyday life. We pray; we seek God: and we often find a response which is meaningful, with God giving us just what help we need in the circumstances and situations of life we find ourselves in. I'm glad we can know this: It pays to seek God, and it does bring us to prosper.

A Turning Point

II Chronicles 26:8
And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

So, this young king is getting built up with military power. Is this something he needs to do? Would this be something God would want him to do?

He certainly had a lot of enemies. There was always someone coming against him to fight with him . . . up to this point!

But, we find there were some things about the life of Uzziah that stand out in this realm. The Lord was what made the difference in his life . . . up to this point.

II Chronicles 26:9,10
Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.

In a lot of ways, Uzziah was a type of king Solomon. There were some things Solomon loved and put his heart into that he should have stayed miles away from, things that brought him down and put a taint on his life that he would never be able to shake off.

Solomon got himself in trouble because he had too many women in his life. He reached out in areas which God had forbidden — areas God had warned him about it — but he didn't want to altogether listen to God.

Building Himself Up

Well, here we find Uzziah is moving on here in building up his kingdom. Everything looks fine . . . up to this point.

II Chronicles 26:11
Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.

So, here he is fighting wars. This is what kings do, isn't it? They fight wars.

If I were a king, I think I'd like to have peace; but it isn't always easy to have peace when you've got enemies who are invading countries, enemies who are thieves and robbers, out to take what they can get. If you're not prepared to resist them, they'll take everything you have!

Uzziah is in this place where he's trying to get built up.

II Chronicles 26:12,13
The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

Notice that phrase: to help the king against the enemy. This was a common thing.

We experience something like that, too, don't we? We're ever trying to help someone else because they're having trouble with the enemy.

Who is our enemy? The devil. He certainly is an enemy, isn't he? Is there really a devil, or is he merely a figment of the imagination?

We've been taught to put on the whole armour of God, that we might stand against the wiles of Satan (see Ephesians 6:10-18).

Standing! Being in that place where we realize there is an enemy. All of us would do well to realize this.

We each have to do something about the enemy of our soul. We've got to put ourselves in the place where we realize there is an enemy. If we're not watchful and careful, we'll find ourselves getting the wool pulled over our eyes again and again. Yes, we've got to learn and know who our enemy really is, that we might seek the hand of God through prayer and supplication, and find His help to fight against the enemy.

Here we find them fighting against the king's enemy. Who was the king's enemy?

II Chronicles 26:14
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.

He's getting his army equipped. I wonder if he's going to find some rockets to use! He was preparing his army with the best tools there were back in those days to go into the fight with. But as we look further into his life, we will see where he made one of the greatest blunders that anyone would want to make.

II Chronicles 26:15
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

Pride Took a Hold

This brings us to a place in the king's life where there's a turning point.

He became a king and started out by seeking God and doing as his father had done. His father had some good points about his life. And, up to now, I believe God was pleased with Uzziah. God's blessing was upon him. I don't believe all these inventions just came. I believe he was praying and seeking God.

Now, we need to be on guard, or we may find the same problem King Uzziah found a little further on when he came to a turning point!

II Chronicles 26:16
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

Up to this point, the Bible spoke well of Uzziah; but now we see that when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.

This wasn't an enemy he could shoot arrows at or throw spears at. It wasn't an enemy he could shoot stones at. It was an enemy that would have to be defeated by prayer and supplication, and by continuing to seek after God: getting back into the place of seeking God and putting God first in his life, getting back to that place where he would see things in their proper light.

He was strong, but there was a day . . .

We could come to such a day where we feel we're strong, we feel blessed, we feel we have everything.

Uzziah looked and saw he was strong, but he allowed his heart to be lifted up with pride. He looked at himself as a successful man and was lifted up over it.

This is the area in our lives we want to be on guard against. There is a subtle enemy who would try to find the opportunity to make an inroad and bring us down. We could easily get lifted up with pride, feeling that our success is something special — that nobody else is quite as blessed.

We've got to watch for that subtle enemy coming along to lift us up: exalting us, wanting to lead us down the wrong road.

We can learn a lesson right here: Though we may be successful, God is still over us — even if we became a king!

God is still in that place where He is God, and we should be giving our heart and life to Him, not allowing our hearts to be lifted up to our own destruction.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: See how that subtle thing snuck in through doing what appeared to be good, through someone seemingly doing what he thought was of God.

Uzziah is in the position where he looks at his life and sees how successful he is. He's lifted up over his progress: "Just look at the nation since I've become king!"

And, being king, he felt he could do just anything he wanted to do. But when he was strong . . .

Pride Goes Before Destruction

II Chronicles 26:16
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

It tells us what he did here: He transgressed against the Lord his God. Why did he do this? He was strong now and was lifted up in his heart — to his destruction.

II Chronicles 26:19
Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.

Uzziah started out as a good king. He started out as a godly king, with the makings of a great king, until . . .

As long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. As long as he sought the Lord!

Job 5:8
I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause

Psalm 9:10
And they that know Thy name will put their trust in thee: for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.