The Contrasts: Pride & Humility

2Chron 26 Pride goeth before the fall.

Uzziah started with glowing statements of following God, but like Joash, who was faithful only as long as his mentor Jehoiada the priest was alive.  Uzziah, similarly, was only faithful during the lifetime of the priest Zechariah, who had faithfully taught him how to honor God.  Both Joash and Uzziah are, as Romans 1:20 says, “without excuse.”  God always provides what we need to be faithful, but it is our choice, and for both Joash and Uzziah, the lack of repentance came at a cost.  Uzziah had a faithful façade, but behind that was an insatiable desire for power, leading to his downfall.  Listen again to the Proverbs, “a proud and arrogant person, whose name is scoffer acts with overbearing pride.” [Prov 21:24] King Uzziah lived that verse at the most critical point in his life; when he became powerful.  

How then can we master this enemy of pride?  Interestingly, the Proverbs writer again counsels us: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  [Prov 9:10] As sinful people, we do not naturally seek to fear and honor God.  It goes against our nature because we want to be God, like our arch-enemy, Satan.  We must cultivate a reverent fear of the holiness and majesty of God, so we are not caught in the sin of pride like Uzziah.