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Sacramento Central SDA Church

Chris Buttery

The Death of King Uzziah

There was a time when I just having given my life to the Lord and understanding this Marvelous truth these marvelous truths of this church teaches from the Word of God.

I Felt like I was 1 of the last ones in perhaps you've had that experience as well.

And here we are 2014 and and the Lord hasn't come yet, but the Lord is still gonna come.

Of course, as we enter a brand new year, it gives us pause to reflect and think about and consider what 2013 was like, maybe looking back and considering how God led us and giving Him thanks and praise for the small and the large things He did for us.

Looking back over 2013 we can also take a look at how the what the conditions of the world were like and if we are truly moving toward the great consummation of all things the second coming of Jesus Christ.

1 of the fun things to do at the end of a year and maybe some of you do this, is to actually get online or pick up a book or whatever suits you, go to a website like babycenter.com and check out what the famous names of babies were for 2030.

I came across an article and it actually didn't talk about the most popular names but it talked about some of the most strange names of 2013.

Now of course you understand not everyone is happy and perhaps there are some here today that weren't happy with a name they were given when they were born but most names aren't really that bad but occasionally a child does have a reason to be upset.

In this particular website report, Baby Center, they released their annual baby name report which included a roundup of 2013's most strange names.

Upon first glance there are some that clearly stand out.

1 of their names, the names issued to some girls, Blip.

That's right, you heard it right, blip, like the blip on a screen, fairy, and then if you're a little hungry, kiwi.

And for the boys, there was bao, that is B-A-O, B-A-O, cheese, not sure which type of cheese, Danish, either someone likes Danes or someone likes to eat Danish, Egypt, Jag, Panda, and then I don't know why, someone would call their child by the name of Rocket.

Keep in mind that these are the kids of our future.

50 years from now we might have a president named Bow-Bow and or a Nobel Prize winner named Rocket.

Clearly, the parents wanted to provide their children with some early child or character-building opportunities.

Now, whereas in our past or in the most part, our children carry names, or we give our children names, they carry real no significance in our culture, generally speaking.

Names were given to children that reflected the parents' aspirations for that child.

Sometimes names were given to children that bore the hopes of that parent upon the shoulders of that child.

Other times, it reflected the child's temperament and character.

We just don't go about naming our children today like they did back then.

Consider with me just for a moment that a newly elected Pope of the Catholic Church when he takes office that he takes great thought and pains to consider what type of name he's going to select.

The name he chooses will be highly symbolic and oftentimes will reflect the type of ministry he desires to bring to his new appointment.

It was the same with certain ancient rulers.

Specifically, I wanna look at a man by the name of Tiglath-Pileser III.

Tiglath-Pileser III, he came into power as a usurper during a revolt in ancient Assyria.

He chose for his ruling name that of a great former empire builder.

He did this so that his ambitions and that his plans would be not misunderstood.

Like the great Tiglath-Pileser I, he systematically, Tiglath-Pileser III, systematically and persistently pursued the plan to re-establish the Assyrian Empire.

Now Tiglath-Pileser was a new breed of ruler for Assyria.

He ruled from 745 to 727 BC and was 1 among 1 of the most powerful rulers Assyria produced.

He revitalized his empire and this meant in effect the demise of the surrounding nations.

Through skill and might he re-established Assyrian power.

Now first he clarified, he had to first clarify the relationship Assyria had with Babylon and he did that by coming up with a very novel solution, uniting the states as equals under 1 leadership and the leadership of course would be Tiglath-Pileser III.

Then he conquered Syria after 3 long campaigns.

Damascus and Assyria were also defeated leaving Samaria, Israel's capital, as a semi-independent vassal state.

Now we read in the Bible, and we also read in royal Assyrian annals, that Manahem of Israel, 1 of the kings of Israel, paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III.

Also, Ahaz, king of Judah, also sought Tiglath-Pileser III's help against Samaria and Damascus and went to Damascus to be received as an Assyrian vassal and you can read about that in 2nd Kings chapter 16.

This is likely why Tiglath-Pileser is the first Assyrian king mentioned by name in the Bible.

Lastly, Tiglath-Pileser broke the power of Urartu, the great northern rival of Assyria.

With each conquest, Tiglath-Pileser introduced a policy that became a decisive...

Came to have a decisive effect on the latter history of Near East.

This made him stand out from every Assyrian leader and possibly every other king of every other nation before him.

After each conquest Tiglath-Pileser transplanted the native population to other parts of his empire.

This policy resulted in a large-scale migration, breaking the naturalistic or the nationalistic spirit of the various nations.

So this exchange of nations was intended to create an empire whose people no longer considered themselves to be citizens of Eratu or of Israel or of Syria.

When we read Old Testament scriptures and the history of Israel.

You understand Assyria is that great mighty kingdom that came in and broke up Israel, those 10 northern kingdoms, and scattered the people across the realm.

The reason he did this was to break the nationalistic spirit and to forestall any potential uprisings that may occur under his rule.

It was a terrific plan, you couldn't have come up with a better plan if you were a dictator and a despot.

But before Assyria became powerful under Tiglath-Pileser, it struggled to remain viable.

Egypt at that time as well was politically weak.

Under these conditions the northern kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II became prosperous and very powerful, and as did Judah under Azariah, also known as King Uzziah.

The 2 kingdoms combined possessed about the same land area in 750 BC as that which over David and Solomon had ruled.

This was the last period of Hebrew prosperity.

The accession of Tiglath-Pileser III 5 years later and the consequent rebirth of the Assyrian Empire marked the rapid decline in power of both Israel and Judah.

Turn with me there to the scripture reading that Joanna, so very well read there.

Uzziah, or Uzziah's reign, or Azariah, or Uzziah's reign in Judah, he reigned for 52 years and he began his rule when he was 16 years of age.

Uzziah's reign in Judah 52 years was described, is described in the Holy Bible as upright, successful and prosperous.

He promoted the economic development of his country.

You read about that, 2nd Chronicles 26 and verse 10, it says, 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.

He raised a large well-equipped army that you read about in verse 11 and on.

Moreover, Uzziah had a host of fighting men that went out to the war by bands according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeel, the scribe and Messiah, the ruler under the hand of Hananiah, 1 of the king's captains.

The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of Valor were 2, 600.

And under their hand was an army 307005 hundred that made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy and Isaiah prepared for them throughout all the host shields and spears and helmets and harbogens and bows and slings to cast stones verse 15 and he made in Jerusalem engines invented by cunning men to be on the towers and upon the bullocks and to shoot arrows and great stones with all.

And his name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped till he was, what friends?

This army enabled him to campaign against the Philistines and the Arabians and to recover Elath and some of the other Edomite territories that had been lost under previous rulers of Judah.

Under the rulership of Uzziah, Judah became powerful and a force to be reckoned with even while Assyria was rising to a prominent place on the world stage invading Babylon and engaging in tremendous campaigns in the West Tiglath-Pileser in his writings that can be can be can be read acknowledges the harsh resistance he received at the hand of King Uzziah of Judah.

Uzziah seems to have been the moving spirit in a major coalition of Western nations aimed at preventing Assyria from gaining control of the Mediterranean area.

Eventually Tiglath-Pileser would succeed, but it wouldn't happen before being pressed back by his formidable opponent, Uzziah.

Under the blessings of heaven, his armies regained some of the territories lost in previous years.

Cities were built and fortified, and the position of Judah around the nations was greatly improved.

And as we read in 2 Chronicles 26, verse 15, Uzziah's name spread far abroad for he was marvelously helped till he was strong.

In effect we could say that Uzziah was the hope of Judah at this time.

As long as Uzziah reigned, the people had nothing to fear from the surrounding nations.

As long as Uzziah was on his throne, the people did not need to worry about the threatenings of foreign nations wanting to do them harm.

As long as Uzziah lived, Judah would prosper, succeed, and extend its borders.

As long as Uzziah the king lived, all would be well.

King Uzziah wasn't well and he hadn't been well for a while.

He'd been struck with leprosy, a divine act of God for presumption, entering into the temple to offer up an offering or incense before the altar of incense and he was struck with leprosy.

He wasn't well in the midst of Tiglath-Pileser III's campaign against the West.

6 years into his reign as ruler of Assyria, Uzziah, at the age of 68, died.

It says, So Uzziah slept with his fathers, And they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial, which belonged to the kings.

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The Death of King Uzziah

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