There Is No Other

II Chronicles 26:16–21

“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.” Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him. King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and banned from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.”

Pride consumes and it had devoured King Uzziah who thought himself worthy of God’s favour because of his successes when it’s the other way around. A sense of proud entitlement can be very dangerous for it demands of God rather than thanking Him. “For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not from the Father but from the world (I John 2:16).” Humility that pleases God says, like the virgin receiving an astounding news of a glorious miracle from God about to happen within her body, both a blessing and a solemn burden, in fact “a sword will pierce [her] very soul (Luke 2:35).” Her response, “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her (Luke 1:38).” Another instance, first of reluctance, of initial disdain, the very contrast of King Uzziah’s pride and punishment, one of Aram’s most successful generals had leprosy and had come to the prophet Elisha for healing, but had been met far from what he expected, “Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel… (II Kings 5:13–15).” Indeed friends, there is no God in all the world but one, The LORD and He has come in the flesh in humility, condescended, through a modest and righteous woman; He who, in His very essence God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:5–11).”