Incense & Anger


I have started reading through the book of Isaiah. King Uzziah has just died. He went from being a strong leader to a leper because he burnt incense in the Temple. The Priests confronted him in the act that this was a violation of Church and State. Only the Priests could burn incense in the Temple. As a King, he thought he made the rules. Not so, God does. Different roles, different rules. Different rulers. God's checks and balances.

Interesting that incensed also means anger and Uzziah was wroth (King James version) at the Priests for their audacity in calling him out. Anger is a concentrated and pungent emotion, full of smoke and fire. I can see the parallels. He soon learned that he had overstepped his power due to pride, and he spent the rest of his days banished from both the Throne and the Temple because of his leprosy. Men over-reach and do not only not get what they desired but also lose what they had. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "Godliness with contentment is great gain."      

When Uzziah died, Isaiah had a vision of the glory of God and he cried out that he was an unclean man among a nation of unclean people. Then, God cleansed him through a seraphim placing a hot coal on his lips. Uzziah became unclean because he thought himself able to perform religious duties not under his authority, Isaiah is declared clean essentially acting opposite in spirit to Uzziah. Uzziah reminds us that past success can lead to future failure if sin is not checked and confessed.  

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