When the Fall Comes

God has blessed us with a few days off and I finally get a chance to record a few thoughts. This morning I was drawn quickly to a topic that I am all too familiar with. It is not just because we sat around the table discussing this last night after dinner. It's not just because my reading in 2nd Chronicles dealt with this topic, but it is also because I have experienced this bitter taste in my mouth first hand. It is mornings like this that I am reminded that God's word is not archaic and irrelevant, but like Hebrews says it is "...living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword...able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

In the line of Judah's kings, there lived a man named Uzziah. Now in the grand scheme of things. Uzziah was a great king. So, great that his death marked a time of dispair that the prophet Isaiah alluded to it in his famous heavenly encounter with the Lord, "In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..."(Isaiah 1:6) There was great reform and victory under Uzziah's leadership. I even noticed that Uzziah was credited with inventing a war machine for shooting multiple arrows and large stones! (cf. 2 Chron. 26:15).

However, one of the most powerful words in the Bible follows this verse: "But." The word "but" is a conjunction which creates a contrast. Simply put, it is a word that tells you something is about to change. What is about to change is what happens all too often especially amongst those in leadership in God's church. What happens is what, all too often, has caused many to fall by the wayside. What happens is what causes many to doubt the truth of the gospel. What happens is the primary example why God tells us that those in positions of leadership and teaching will be judged with a harsher judgement. "But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly...". Proverbs 16:18 says it best, "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. "

Uzziah thought because he had done so much good stuff, he didn't need to follow God's laws for worship etiquette. He arrogantly went into the temple to burn incense before the Lord, and that wasn't his job. The result was that he was struck with leprosy, and had to live out the remainder of his life in isolation.

Pride is a dangerous thing. It can give us a sense of accomplishment when we have worked hard for something and the results are excellence. However, when pride turns into arrogance and self-reliance, the results can disastrous, especially when it happens to a leader in the church. I heard someone once say that the true test of a man's heart is success. There is a tendency to begin trusting in our own ability rather than God's grace and mercy. I think over the times in my life that I fell the hardest it occurred when I, "got too big for my britches." Everything that we are, have or do is a result not of our own ability, but rather God's goodness and lovingkindness. Don't think so, I don't recommend trying God on this one. Everything we have and are can be taken away with one bad decision, an accident, or a tragedy.

We have been created with the purpose of bringing honor and glory to God. When we become center stage or think that we are indespensible, God always has a way of reminding us otherwise. I made this mistake, and it resulted in several years of God reminding me that I was not as important as I thought I was. Sometimes, I still find myself slipping into that mindset, but I catch myself before I go down that path again. I do not want to go there again. I am still paying for it, and my family is still paying for it.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones."
-Proverbs 3:5-8