Greetings brothers of Steemchurch that the Lord be in your heart always.
I have learned an important principle of how we can prove more of God in the six chapter of Isaiah, where we read about a very strong experience of him with God. The Christian life is progressive (Pv.4: 18) and God wants us to give more and more of his presence. This experience of Isaiah was a moment in his life where he gauged another step in his relationship with God.
"In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and sublime throne, and the tabs of his garments filled the temple." Seraphim were above him, each had six wings: with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he flew, and they cried out to one another, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory, The foundations of the threshold were moved to the voice of I cried out, and the house was filled with smoke, and I said: Woe is me, I am lost, for I am a man with impure lips, I dwell in a people of impure lips, and my eyes saw the King, the Lord. Then one of the seraphim flew towards me, holding a live coal in his hand, which he took from the altar with a tongs, and with the coal he touched my mouth, and said, Behold, she touched your lips, your iniquity was taken away , and forgiven your sin After this he heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who shall I send, and what Who has to go for us? "I said:" Here I am, send me. " - Isaiah 6: 1-8
The impact on the prophet was the size he claimed to be a man with impure lips in the midst of a people with impure lips. Only when we read the five previous chapters of his book, we see a strong message against sin. We do not see this Isaiah with impure lips that he describes, only the Isaiah "prophet". But when we try more of God we go to see how much we still need the Lord and his treatment in our lives.
We all need this level of experience. It is not that the vision itself is going to repeat itself to each one of us, but we need to prove more of God about to see our misery and enter a new level in God. Isaiah received a purifying touch on his lips, because it was precisely there that he confessed to being a failure; and he came to have a new awareness of God's call to service (v.8).
In the year that King UZIAS died
On the occasion when God began to speak strongly to my heart through this text, I began to inquire what led the prophet to have such an experience. The Bible says that "everything that was written was written for our teaching" (Rom 15: 4). He also says that "these things came to him as examples, and they were written for our warning" (I Cor. 10: 11). Therefore, Isaiah's experience is not just a historical narrative, but a practical teaching for us today. And while he inquired about what led him to have such an experience, God vivified before my eyes the phrase: "in the year that King Uzziah died". I am sure that it was not just a chronological reference to the experience, but the symbolic description of its cause. Isaiah could only have said in what year of the reign of Jotham, son of Uzziah, this happened, because he began to reign before his father died. But it was not just a referential in the calendar, but an important figure in the teaching we would receive.
Isaiah prophesied during the reign of four kings. Uzziah was the first of them, which makes us conclude that at this time he was still very young. And as a young man, he was probably an admirer of King Uzziah, for he was one of the kings who gave Israel the most victories in its history; probably, as a war general, his fame was left behind only behind David. The nation respected and loved this man who had restored glory and prestige. The biblical account makes clear the success that this man enjoyed governing the nation:
"He went out and warred against the Philistines, and broke through the wall of Gate, the wall of Jabne, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities in the land of Ashdod, and among the Philistines: God helped him against the Philistines and against the lips that dwelt in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites, the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah, whose renown was extended to the entrance of Egypt, because he had become an extreme fortress, and Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem, at the Corner Gate, at the And he built towers in the wilderness, and dug many cisterns, because he had a lot of cattle, both in the valleys and in the countryside, he had tenants and vinedressers, in the mountains and in the mountains. fertile fields, because he was a friend of agriculture.There was also Uzziah an army of men skilled in arms, who went out to war in troops, according to the role made by the scribe Jeiel, and Maaseiah, officer, under the direction of Hananiah, or not of the princes of the king, the total number of heads of families, brave men, was two thousand and six hundred. Under his orders was a warrior army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men, who made war with great power, to help the king against the enemies. They were prepared Uzziah, for the whole army, shields, spears, helmets, armor and bows, and even casings to throw stones. He made machines in Jerusalem, inventing expert men, destined for the towers and walls, to throw arrows and large stones; his fame was divulged far away; for he was wonderfully helped, until he became strong. "- II Chronicles 26: 6-15 was two thousand and six hundred, and under his command there was a warrior army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men, who waged war with great power, to help the king against the enemies, Uzziah was prepared for the whole army, shields, spears, helmets, armor and bows, and even stones for throwing stones, and he made machines in Jerusalem, for the invention of expert men, for the towers and songs of the walls, to throw arrows and great stones, his fame was spread far, for he was wonderfully helped, until he became strong. " - II Chronicles 26: 6-15 was two thousand six hundred. Under his orders was a warrior army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men, who made war with great power, to help the king against the enemies. They were prepared Uzziah, for the whole army, shields, spears, helmets, armor and bows, and even casings to throw stones. He made machines in Jerusalem, inventing expert men, destined for the towers and walls, to throw arrows and large stones; his fame was divulged far away; for he was wonderfully helped, until he became strong. "- II Chronicles 26: 6-15 spears, helmets, breastplates and bows, and even casings for throwing stones He made machines in Jerusalem, of invention of expert men, destined for the towers and the songs of the walls, to throw arrows and great stones, his fame was spread far, for he was wonderfully helped, until he became strong. " - II Chronicles 26: 6-15 spears, helmets, breastplates and bows, and even casings to throw stones. He made machines in Jerusalem, inventing expert men, destined for the towers and walls, to throw arrows and large stones; his fame was divulged far away; for he was wonderfully helped, until he became strong. "- II Chronicles 26: 6-15
Uzziah was a respected and admired leader. And we can affirm with all certainty, that the young prophet admired him. But it was only when the natural, carnal king died that his eyes saw the King, the Lord of hosts. There is a spiritual principle here. Only when King Uzziah died did Isaiah's eyes open for the revelation of God as king. He saw the Lord sitting on a throne, the place of authority of kings. He saw the edges of his royal mantle filling the entire temple. But in order to see the spiritual king, the carnal had to die. This is a prophetic figure. If we want to see the King, entering into a new experience with God, first Uzias has to die in our lives.
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WHAT YOU NEEDED SYMBOLIZES
King Uzziah depicts this behavior that we have denounced from the first chapter of this book, of wanting to use God as a springboard to receive what is desired, without a strong sense of commitment, of covenant with God. He started correctly, but later he demonstrated what was in fact in his heart.
"He did what was right before the Lord, according to all that he had done to Amaziah, his father, and he set out to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who was understood in the visions of God, in the days when he sought Lord, God made him prosper. " - II Chronicles 26: 4,5
The biblical text says that "he was wonderfully helped (by the Lord) UNTIL he became strong" (v.15). This expression "until" shows us that from then on God was no longer necessary for him, since he had already arrived where he wanted. Uzziah is the portrait of the feeling in the hearts of all those who seek the Lord out of interest, only to achieve what they want. As soon as Uzziah became successful, God became disposable to him. And there are so many who say they are Christians! I know what I'm talking about. In these last years of grazing I have perceived how much this happens in the middle of the herd.
It is only the time of the vestibular and the woman becomes "converted." After they enter the university they forget that they served God and run after sin. When they want to fall in love and need the "blessing of God" then, they do not even speak! But after they were "blessed" to turn their backs on the Lord and vain
to bed with the "blessing" they received.
I have seen people come to church because they needed family restoration and, when this happened, there was no shadow or shadow. Others needed financial restoration, others of healing, and so on ... And when they received what they wanted, God was not so important anymore. This happens because the human being is selfish by nature. His flesh leads him to think only of himself.
If we do not teach these truths, we will fail and see many others failing too. It is necessary to confront the heart with the truth of the Word. And be broken before God. See Uzias behavior:
"But having been strengthened, his heart was exalted to his own ruin, and he committed transgressions against the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense." - II Chronicles 26:16
symbol and an image of King Ozias' self-sufficiency, pride and lack of commitment to God. It represents that kind of person for whom God is only an amulet. It represents that type of believer who does not correspond to God and his interventions, because he is selfish and only thinks about himself.
Uzziah has to die if we want to see the glory of the Lord and enter into a deeper dimension of intimacy with him. Only when Uzziah dies (and I speak of leaving this attitude he had) is that we will see the King, the Lord of Hosts. This uncompromising attitude and interest in what refers to miracles has prevented us from trying a greater visit by the Lord. It is time to repent before God and assume a new position, a new mentality. Uzziah has to die! But how does this happen?
UZIAS AS TO DIE
The Scriptures show us how King Uzziah died. Let's examine the biblical text to extract practical principles from it. So Uzziah entered the temple of God, the priests resisted him, leaving us an example:
"But the priest Azariah went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord, men of the greatest strength, and they resisted King Uzziah, and said to him, Unto you, Uzziah, it is not for burning incense before the Lord, but for the priests, Aaron's sons, who are consecrated to this man, he goes out of the sanctuary, because you transgressed, nor will it be to your honor from the Lord God. "Then Uzziah became angry, he had the censer in his hand to burn incense, and he was indignant. against the priests, the leprosy came out on his forehead before the priests, in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. "Then Azariah the high priest and all the priests turned to him, and behold, he was leprous on the forehead and they hastened him and cast him out, until he himself hastened out, for the Lord had wounded him: so King Uzziah was leprous until the day of his death, and he lived, because he was a leper, in a separate house, because he was excluded of the house of the Lord, and Joton, his son, had charge of the king's house, judging the people of the land. - II Chronicles 26: 17-21
The Bible clearly shows that the Lord Himself wounded Uzziah with leprosy. But it only happened after the priests resisted him. When we perceive this attitude of Uzziah in our lives, we must strongly oppose it. We can not accept or tolerate this in us. We are the sanctuary of God and also the priesthood instituted to take care of the sanctuary. We must take a position contrary to this kind of attitude. God is not an amulet for us to use only to get what we want. It is not disposable. But our flesh leads us to a selfish life and we must recognize and confront this attitude.
When we allow ourselves to be taken by the fear of God and face this kind of attitude in prayer and fear, the Lord will strike Uzziah to death. There is no instant death for him. It is a process. Leprosy killed him little by little. And in our lives it will be like that too. It is not enough to make a single sentence and think that everything will be resolved. Uzziah was kept away (by the priests) from the house of the Lord until his death. And we, as priests of God, must keep it away from the sanctuary (which is us). We must continually oppose him until he dies and there is no more influence on us. And when this happens, our eyes see the King, the Lord of hosts!
There is a whole process of brokenness, surrender, and continued humiliation before the Lord until this happens. It is not automatic. But is it worth it. The possibility of seeing the King, and knowing him on a new level, should motivate us to this.