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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
tention to his army and military equip ment. The “ engines” of verse 15 were great bows set in wooden framework for throwing darts and heavy stones. This is the earliest mention in history of machines for throwing projectiles. God’s purpose, in blessing Uzziah was to call the attention of surrounding heathen nations to the fact that the true God would bless those who trusted and obeyed Him. It was Uzziah’s op portunity to proclaim the true God to the world. TUESDAY, April IS. 2 Chron. 26:11- 21 . Pride and Punishment. Uzziah’s fate shows the peril of pros perity. He became proud and inde pendent, losing sight of his great mis sion and forgetting God. He would be chief in all things and usurped the functions of the priesthood, thus re peating the sin of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.. He was smitten with the curse of leprosy for his sacrilege and went into quarantine for the rest of his life. Pride and presumption go to gether and both are followed by pun ishment. God is jealous of the place where His glory dwelleth, and any act that robs Him of His glory and disre-. gards His express commands meets with sure and speedy retribution. Every challenge to Heaven is soon followed by a hand-writing on the wall. Dan. 5:23. WEDNESDAY, April 19. Prov. 16:18-25 The Peril of Pride. The 18th verse is not the product of conjecture, but the outcome of experi ence. It was pride that thrust Adam out of Eden, that drowned Pharaoh in the Red Sea, that robbed Saul of his kingdom, that dethroned Nebuchadnez zar and banished him from the haunts of men, that hanged Haman on the gal lows he had made for another, and that cast Lucifer out of Heaven. Among the seven things that God is said to hate, a proud look heads the list. Prov. 6:17. There is nothing more offensive in the sight of God and man than pride. One may be proud of. his ignorance and another proud of his learning. One may be proud of his poverty and- another proud of his wealth. One may be proud of his plebeian origin and another of his patrician pedigree. One may even be proud of his humility and one has well said that when the consciousness of hu mility comes into the soul, the grace of humility goes out.
need. He never allows us to be In His debt. If Peter lends Him a boat for a pulpit, He fills it afterward with fish. Luke 5:3-6. If we give Him time He makes up for what we have lost. _If we give Him money He returns princi pal and interest. If we seek the king dom of God and His righteousness first of all, He adds all necessary things. Matt. 6:33. At the same time He works no needless miracle. He could have created fish as easily as He built the fire, but He says, “ Bring of the fish that ye have now caught.” The natural and supernatural dovetail into one another with marvellous adjustment. Happy are those to whom Jesus says, “ Come and dine.” Rev. 3:20. “ Feed me till I want no more.” SUNDAY, April 16. Psalm 16:1-11. “ Thou wilt not leave my soul in hades.” Jesus died as He lived, in faith. Ap pearances were against Him. Instead of being crowned on David’s throne as the Messiah, He was dying a felon’s death. He was forsaken by His disci ples and by His God. From the human standpoint His life seemed an utter failure. Would He not die and turn to dust even as other men? The prom ises of God were a soft pillow on which He leaned His dying head. In that try ing hour He would have fainted unless He had believed. “ Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy! Though I fall, I shall arise. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, thou wilt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Thus He bowed His head and died. Faith had triumphed over death. How could God help honoring and vindicating faith like this? In three days, therefore, God raised Him from the dead, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that He should be holden of it. His resurrection was a Scriptural and a spiritual necessity. MONDAY, April 17. 2 Chron. 26:1-10. A Godly 'King. Uzziah reigned ionger than any king of Israel and longer than any other king of Judah except Manasseh. The key to his prosperity ds found in the fact that “ he sought God,” and “ did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” He carried on a successful warfare against the enemies of Israel and defeated them in their own strongholds. He developed the resources of the country until the land became very rich in cattle and the production of fruits. He gave much at
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