Here is a story of two men that we find standing in the holy ancient temple of Jerusalem. What each one did in the temple was different and also reflects our own attitudes. Which man best represents our actions, beliefs and attitudes? The two men were contemporaries. Both were famous, rich, and intelligent. Both were industrious and intimately involved with God’s people. We are talking about people not too terribly different from ourselves. In our time we might say of them that they were people who went to church, respected and read the Bible but their actions lead them down very different paths. The two men are Uzziah the King and Isaiah the prophet.
Uzziah ruled in Jerusalem from 783 BCE to 742 BCE. He came to power when he was 16. His story is told in 2 Chronicles 26. Uzziah was one of the most energetic and most successful kings of the Southern Kingdom. If he would have been a US president he would have campaigned not just for 1,000 points of light but 10,000 (see President George H. W. Bush). His political platform would have offered a host of improvements and expansions offering a better and happier life for everybody. And Uzziah would have delivered.
Early in his reign he took on the project of completely rebuilding the city of Eilat. That might not sound like much until you know that Eilat was like the Panama City of the ancient world. It was located on the Gulf of Aqaba where the weather is warm, the sea is beautiful and the sea life amazing. No doubt many upper class people in Jerusalem were grateful to Uzziah for giving them such a wonderful vacation spot. But Uzziah was not all fun and games.
Under Uzziah the boundaries of the country were expanded especially in the dry areas south and west. Uzziah conducted the first desert storm operation that included extensive rebuilding projects. He defeated those pesky Philistines and tore down the walls of their city. Some scholars have suggested that it was Uzziah that built a series of forts along the desert areas were Moses and the Hebrew people had wondered for 40 years. Because of this expansion Jerusalem now traded with the Arabs. The stores in Jerusalem suddenly had new textiles and wonderful smelling spices.
Regular camel caravans from the south east arrived with new items. It might not be like FedEx but the new trade routes worked nicely for Jerusalem. Uzziah was able to establish peace and prosperity in Jerusalem. Uzziah’s standing army had 26,000 officers and about 300,000 fighting soldiers. It was an effective fighting force. Part of the effectiveness of the army was its new weaponry. Engineers developed the first cruise missile that could throw a large stone over the walls of Jerusalem and into any enemy army. They developed the bow and arrow, metal armor along with spears and shields. Uzziah also built military installations surrounding the nation that functioned like an early warning system against an attack.
Because his nation was so well protected industry and agriculture flourished. Mining operations opened around the Dead Sea. Out in the countryside the word got around that Uzziah loved farming. Crews from Judah dug cisterns out in desert areas and vineyards grew where there once was only desert shrubs. Farmers raised their crops were wild animals once roamed.
The markets overflowed with grains, fruits, vegetables and meats. Walmart would have been envious of the effectiveness of the Judean food processing and delivery system under Uzziah. But perhaps the influence of Uzziah was most notable in the city of Jerusalem. Urban renew spread like wildfire with new construction all over.
There was just one problem (see 2 Chronicles 26:16). When King Uzziah became strong he grew arrogant. Pride and ego, without boundaries, can make us believe that we are the masters of the universe and lead us to create the kind of world that we want yet God might not desire. We can all be arrogant. Often arrogance leads to behaviors that harm others. In Isaiah 5 we read that the people who had privilege, power and wealth used their privilege, power and wealth to take away land from those without power and were living in poverty. The powerful were adding on to their already large homes and increasing their real estate portfolios because they were taking advantage of the poor and disenfranchised. Affluence went to their heads. Passion consumed their bodies.
Their affluence made them less aware of what God desired. Isaiah 3:16 tells us that the women of Jerusalem were a proud and uppity bunch. They wore gold on their ankles, heads, necks, and wrists. Rings graced their fingers and noses. They had the finest robes and beautiful gowns, fine handbags. They cared more about the latest fashion then the fashion in which justice was applied to their less fortunate neighbors.
Bankers could not keep up with the money that was flowing. Horses filled the streets and parking lots were full of chariots with licenses tags from every known country. New idols were set up in the parks. The people of Jerusalem worshiped trees. They planted scared gardens and all this was done with arrogance. They would import whatever gods and whatever goods and whatever practices they wanted. They seemed to have thought to themselves we are modern people look and at what we have done. We have built forts where Moses had tents. We have turned deserts into Edens. We have ended war with our series of forts and military weaponry. Look at our muscles! Look at our missiles! We are safe! We have arrived! Look at how our women dress! We have arrived! God saw it all and Isaiah 1:21 says “See how the faithful city has become a prostitute!”
Around the year 750 BCE Uzziah went down to the temple. He went through the outer courts and into the holy place of the temple itself. The priests tried to stop him. You are the King and we are the priests so let us do our work. Only priests can burn incense. Only priests can go in here. It is written in the law Uzziah! Stop Uzziah! You must not do this! Stop! But Uzziah would not stop. Uzziah took the incense burner in his hands and he started to offer incense to God as the priests screamed – Leave! Please leave!
They looked at the King in horror. His forehead began to blister and an ugly rash began to break out all over his face. And in a moment God had chastised him for his arrogance. Uzziah left the temple and went to his house. He was relieved of his duties. His son Jotham was put into his place. When Uzziah died local officials refused to place him in the royal tombs. They buried him in a separate part of the royal memorial park.
Isaiah was born, raised and married in Jerusalem. Isaiah was a common figure among the upper crust. He would later be a counselor to Kings. Although he was part of the upper class he had a strikingly different perspective on life. Just like Uzziah, Isaiah, years later, went into the temple. Inside Isaiah looked and he saw the Lord.
Isaiah tells us that the presence of God was overwhelming and it filled the entire temple. It was an indescribable event. Isaiah saw six creatures that looked like they were on fire surrounding God. He could not see their faces because with two wings they covered their faces and with two wings they flew and with two other wings they covered their bodies as if to clothe their nakedness. They spoke in a song - a chant. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory.
The creatures shouting was so loud that the rocks used to construct the temple were rattling on top of each other. Huge limestone slabs on the floor were shaking. The door posts moved back and forth like a tornado was shaking the building. Smoke filled the air. Isaiah would never forget what he saw. Isaiah had one thing on his mind. One main concept. Sacred, awful, unspeakable, love, inexpressible, pure, presence. What Isaiah experienced was high voltage stuff that sent sparks flying around the room. Millions of volts of power were flowing through the temple. The amp meter broke. Isaiah’s mind cracked under the pressure. He was too close to the power source. His mind was blown with what he saw and experienced.
Isaiah's brain was like butter in a frying pan. With his ears and eyes aching and his mind roaring Isaiah fell to his knees and said “Woe unto me.”(Isa. 6:5) Isaiah knew enough about God that his sins would be like dirt on the window, like a stain on a clean white dress, like oil on the driveway. I am a man of unclean lips and live among unclean people.
Then in a dramatic act of forgiveness one of the flying creatures retrieved a red hot coal from the temple altar and placed it on Isaiah’s mouth. Rather than searing his tongue it cleansed his sin. Rather than receiving third degree burns he got first degree cleansing. Rather than pain he felt relief. Rather than anguish he felt contented. Rather than going into shock he was filled with joy.
Isaiah then hears a non-human voice. He hears the voice of a questioning, pondering and thinking God. Whom shall I send? And then, as if turning his head towards the flying creatures, Isaiah thought quickly. God is looking for someone. He needs a messenger. With no thought to his obligations or maintaining the things scheduled for the week. With no thought about sustaining his affluent life Isaiah said “Here I am send me.”(Isa. 6:8) Then the voice said “Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” (Isa. 6:9) Isaiah would soon learn how God's people listen yet don't hear and look yet don't see. He would come to learn how hard hearted God’s people can be. Jesus says the same thing to describe the unwillingness of God’s people to hear from God's spokesperson.
Two men enter the temple. Uzziah and Isaiah. Uzziah arrogance and selfishness. Isaiah humility and submission. In a sense Uzziah and Isaiah are figures that we continue to model. Some ignore the presence of God like Uzziah and attempt to create the world that they desire which often means justice and opportunity is not for everyone. Others seeking out what God desires in the spirit of Isaiah. Some follow Uzziah and only desire a continuation of their affluence life. They demand blessings without regard for others who have less. They don’t even knock on the temple door. They just enter without any sense of their own finatude.
Just like the people in Uzziah’s day we too can ignore God’s two fold concern. God wants good living and justice. He wants people lives to reflect the blessings, grace and mercy they have received. He wants his people to be the ones who demand fairness in their community. He wants his people to demand justice in their land. The Uzziahs of the world enter the temple demanding this and requesting that and wanting this. They ignore the cries of the priest who tried to remind them of their place and role. They march right up to God with their list of wants and needs without any concern for others and an inflated ego that sees no boundaries.
Others follow Isaiah. They come in the back door. They tremble at the thought of being on the same hilltop with God let alone in the same room. Their short comings, failures and wickedness seem so obvious to them. They hang their head as they bow their knees and lower their voice. Only reluctantly do they enter into the holy place where God is and only then for the confession of sin. They not only confess their sins but confess the sins of a whole generation and community. They make no demands. They praise God and stand in awe of him. They rejoice in the heat of his burning coal that is cool to the touch because it means transformation, restoration and being apart of something beyond themselves.
Some, like Uzziah, come to God with their own agenda. They outline their program to God. “I’ll do it my way” overcomes “Let him have his way with me.” Instead of wondering how they might answer Jesus' prayer of "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" they are concerned with their own version of heaven on earth. King Uzziah failed to make a critical shift when he passed over the temple threshold and demanded to see God.
Others enter like Isaiah. Whatever their education, status, role, title they left it next to the umbrella stand by the temple front door. They voice no demands and issue no commands. They raise no concerns and ask for no preference. Whatever God asked, wherever God wanted him to go, whatever mountain God wanted him to climb, whatever sea God needed someone to swim, whatever task God needed done, whatever words God needed spoken, whatever the request Isaiah responded with “Here I am Lord send me.”
Uzziah demonstrates one of the essential qualities of the human race - arrogance. Isaiah characterizes the essential quality that God seeks in each heart - humility. We want the spirit Isaiah yet we are stuck in the flesh of Uzziah. Both men went into the temple. One on his knees the other on his high horse.
2 Chronicles 26:16 "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall."
Isaiah 3:16 The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
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