II Chronicles 26
Uzziah made kingverses 1-2
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah – who was sixteen years old
and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah
he built Eloth – and restored it to Judah
after that the king slept with his fathers
Zechariah taught Uzziahverses 3-5
Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign
and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem
his mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem
And he did that which was RIGHT in the sight of the LORD
according to all that his father Amaziah did
and he sought God in the days of Zechariah
who had understanding in the visions of God
and as long as he sought the LORD
God made him to prosper
Uzziah successful in warverses 6-8
And he went forth and warred against the Philistines
and broke down the wall of Gath – and the wall of Jabneh
and the wall of Ashdod – and built cities about Ashdod
and among the Philistines
And God helped him against the Philistines
and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal
and the Mehunims
And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah
and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt
for he strengthened himself exceedingly
Uzziah fortified Judahverses 9-10
Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate
at the valley gate – at the turning of the wall – and fortified them
Also 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 Carmal – for he loved husbandry
Uzziah had a well trained armyverses 11-13
Moreover Uzziah had a host of fighting men – that went out to war by bands
according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe
and Maaseiah the ruler – under the hand of Hananiah
one of the king’s captains
The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valor were
two thousand and six hundred – and under their hand was an army
three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred
that made war with might power
to help the king against the enemy
Uzziah fortified Jerusalemverses 14-15
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host – shields – spears
helmets – habergeons – bows – slings to cast stones
And he made in Jerusalem engines – invented by cunning men
to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks
to shoot arrows and great stones withal
And his name spread far abroad – for he was marvelously helped
till he was strong
Uzziah confronted by Azariah the priestsverses 16-18
BUT when he was strong – his heart was lifted up to his destruction
for he transgressed against the LORD his God
and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense
on the altar of incense
And Azariah the priest went in after him – and with him
fourscore priests of the LORD – that were valiant men
and they withstood Uzziah the king
and said to him
It appertains not to you Uzziah to burn incense to the LORD
but to the priests the sons of Aaron
that are consecrated to burn incense
Go out of the sanctuary – for you have trespassed
neither shall it be for your honor from the LORD God
Uzziah stricken with leprosyverses 19-21
Then Uzziah was wroth – and had a censer in his hand to burn incense
and while he was wroth with the priests
the leprosy even rose up
in his forehead before the priests
in the house of the LORD
from beside the incense altar
And Azariah the chief priest – and all the priests – looked on him
and BEHOLD – he was leprous in his forehead
and they thrust him out from thence
Yea – himself hasted also to go out
because the LORD had smitten him
And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death
and dwelt in a several house – being a leper
for he was cut off from the house of the LORD
And Jotham his son was over the king’s house
judging the people of the land
Record of Uzziah’s reign by prophet Isaiahverses 22-23
he rest of the acts of Uzziah – first and last
did Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz – write
So Uzziah slept with his fathers – and they buried him with his fathers
in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings
For they said
He is a leper – and Jotham his son reigned in his stead
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. (1875 “sought” [darash] means to seek with care, to try to get or reach something one desires, to resort to, to consult, enquire of, or learn information not previously known)
DEVOTION: Wise counselors are necessary for proper service to the LORD. We all need someone to help us understand what the LORD is doing in our life. Here we have Zechariah giving the king wise counsel regarding how he should act in the fear of the LORD. He allowed this guidance in his life and the LORD blessed him because of this action.
We are to look for someone to guide us during our young years in the faith. It is good if it is a parent or grandparent or a pastor. If these individuals love the LORD and have your interest at heart to see you grow in your knowledge of the workings of the LORD in the lives of believers you are blessed. Listen to the advice of this wise advisor.
Uzziah listened to Zechariah and received the blessings of the LORD during that part of his reign. When he took his eyes off the LORD later in his reign is when he had problems.
If we want success in the eyes of the LORD we have to pay attention to our actions each day. That means that we should not only have good human advisors but also that we should be going to the LORD in prayer and ask HIM to give us counsel regarding what actions we should take each day.
Remember that it is the LORD who opens doors and closes doors in our life. Our relationship with HIM helps us understand what doors are open each day for us to serve HIM. The Holy Spirit will guide us as we depend on our prayer life to see what should be happening in our service to the LORD.
The LORD knows where we are in our growth cycle with HIM. HE will not give a baby believer more than he can handle. HE will not give a young man more than he can handle. HE also will not give a father more than he can handle at his stage of maturity. This is all according to the epistle of I John.
You should know what stage you are at and make sure that if you are still a baby in the LORD you don’t try to act like a father and start giving advice to other baby believers. Maturity is needed to give good advice to those with less maturity.
CHALLENGE: Be a good learner no matter what stage of maturity you are presently in. Listen!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. (6743 “prosper” [tsaleach] means to push forward, break out, be good, be profitable, or go over)
DEVOTION: Power can be the downfall of many people. There are individuals who were raised poor and succeeded in life with money and power. These individuals can go in either of two directions. They can abuse their power and money or use it for the glory of God. There is no middle grown. The loved of money is the root of all evil according the New Testament. Money is not bad but the abuse of its use is bad. Power isn’t bad in itself but the abuse of it is bad.
Here we find that Uzziah became king of Judah. He had to strengthen the kingdom. He had to work hard to organize the kingdom. He built up the defenses of the kingdom. He prospered in all that he did. He even had people who built special devices for war.
However, once he was successful pride entered into his life. He thought he could do anything. He thought he could do any job. He thought he could be a priest. WRONG!!! He overstepped his authority.
The high priest found him in the Temple with a censer in his hand ready to burn incense on the altar. The priests tried to stop him but he got mad at them. Just then, the LORD struck him with leprosy. The priests rushed him out of the Temple. He was a leper for the rest of his life.
Most people want to prosper in this life. Uzziah followed the LORD. Uzziah did what was right in the sight of the LORD. Uzziah sought the LORD in the days of the prophet Zechariah. The LORD helped him in battles. The LORD allowed him to strengthen himself exceedingly. He strengthened the defenses of Jerusalem. BUT THEN!! His heart was lifted up to the point that he thought he could do anything.
We realize that the LORD does bless those who are right in HIS eyes. The only time we are right is when we are walking with HIM. Only those who have made a personal choice to follow the LORD are HIS children. We have been chosen before the foundation of the earth.
However, our daily walk is something that we need to work on each day. Are we working out our salvation with fear and trembling? Is the LORD pushing us forward toward maturity and blessing us at the same time? What is our attitude toward this place of blessing? Are we sharing our blessings with those around us?
CHALLENGE: Watch your heart!!! Once the LORD blesses us, the enemy comes in to tell us that we did it all ourselves. It is a LIE!!! Don’t believe the lie if the LORD give you great power. Use it for HIS Glory to help those who are powerless.
: 7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabiansthat dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Mehunims. (5826 “helped” [‘azar] means assist, to give assistance, be of service, succor, aid, add to, or support.)
DEVOTION: Victories are what are promised to those who are obedient to the LORD. When we have a lot of victories in our life people notice that something is happening in our life that is good.
Here we find that the other nations challenged Uzziah and lost their battles to him. Those other nations around took notice that he was winning all his battles and that his power was growing because of his obedience to the LORD. They didn’t want to come and fight against him because of this power the LORD was giving him.
If we are having victories in our life people will notice and talk about how the LORD is using us for HIS glory in our world. We should be happy that the LORD is willing to give us victory over our enemies and our temptations of pride. We need to be a thankful person if the LORD is blessing us with victories over the enemies we face on a daily basis.
We can have victory only as long as we stay obedient and humble before the LORD. If we allow pride in our life it will cause us to stop having victories and give an enemy a foothold in our life and ministry.
The help of the LORD is necessary in our life for us to have victory and we need to keep this in the forefront of our minds each day when we go out to battle with the whole armor of God. Once we put on Jesus Christ in the morning we can face all the temptations of the devil and his angels.
Again our prayer life is key to our having victories over all of our enemies. Remember that there are three areas of temptation: the world, the flesh and the devil. Each one poses a new threat each day. Turn to the LORD for victory over each of these enemies we face.
CHALLENGE: Never be afraid to ask for help from the LORD. It is when we don’t ask for help that we get into trouble in our life.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. (1361 “lifted up” [gabahh] means exalt, haughty, proud, to be or become overly confident in one’s abilities, greatness, or worth, elevated, pride, arrogance, or to be high on oneself.)
DEVOTION: Here is a king that honored the LORD to begin his reign over Judah. He had everything going for himself but he forgot one things – He had to answer to the LORD for his actions.
He went into the Temple and offered incense himself and was confronted by the high priest for his actions. He got mad that the priests that confronted him in the Temple for this action that only the priests were allowed to do under the Law of Moses.
So while he was angry at the priests in the Temple the LORD struck him with leprosy on his forehead that all the priest saw happen. They immediately removed him from the Temple because leprosy was one form of uncleanness according to the Law.
He was never able to enter the Temple again and he was unclean with leprosy the rest of his reign in Judah. He had to have his son take over any function that had to deal with Temple worship.
Pride comes before the fall is what the Bible teaches and this is what happened to Uzziah. His pride over what the LORD had allowed during his reign make him think that he could do anything he wanted. He was wrong.
Today we find that some of the leaders of our churches think these thoughts as well. It would be good if the LORD would deal with pride today the same way HE dealt with Uzziah.
There are people in the pews who think that they are better than other believers and their pride shows when they talk about how they don’t sin like other believers. They claim that they are more faithful than other believers and because of this they should have more authority over those believers that are less faithful. This is the same sin that Satan had before he fell from heaven. This is the same sin the Pharisees had in the New Testament when the LORD Jesus Christ condemned them for their improper attitude toward others. Even the disciples would fall into this trap at times in their attitude.
We have to watch that we don’t fall into this attitude and that our actions become like those who think they are better than anyone else. Pride does come before a fall either here or before the Throne of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: If the LORD blesses you with great victories don’t think you can out step what the LORD will allow in your life. Each of us is called to use our gift or gifts for the LORD.
: 18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, I appertains nto to you, Uzziah to burn incense to the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for you have trespassed, neither shall it be for you honor from the LORD God. (5975 “withstood” [‘amad] means to go up before, take one’s stand, to hold one’s ground, maintain a position, be steadfast or upright, endure or be in a standing attitude.)
DEVOTION: It is not always easy to hold your ground when it seems that those in power want to do something that is wrong in the eyes of the LORD. Here we have a king of a nation doing something that the LORD didn’t want him to do but he thought he had the power to do anything he wanted and didn’t seem to care about what others who are supposed to do it wanted him to stop.
So here we have a king confronted by the religious leaders of the land. He had the power to kill them. He had the power to put them in jail. He had the power to make their lives miserable.
They didn’t care what he had the power to do. He needed to be confronted and they did that and didn’t worry about what he could do to them. They were doing what the LORD wanted them to do.
Here we are living in a time period when the world seems to be going in a different direction and in the process not caring what the Bible says or what the Biblical preachers have to say.
The king and many of the people today are on a power trip and they thought they could get away with it. The king learned that he couldn’t once the LORD stroke him with leperosy.
What will it take for those in our world who don’t want to listen to the Word of God to make them aware that they are in danger of judgment? There are many churches that are not preaching the gospel of salvation the Bible teaches us to preach.
The message is always one of repentance and honoring the LORD with our actions. If we fail to do this we will be judged. If we fail to warn others we will have to answer to the LORD for our actions.
The priests stood up to the king and we need to stand up to those who are not honoring the LORD in our churches.
CHALLENGE: Are we willing to preach the Word without worrying about the consequences?
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Temple of the LORDverse 16
Azariah – priestverses 17, 20
Went with 80 other priests to confront
Uzziah
Thrust Uzziah out of temple
Aaronverse 18
House of the LORDverses 19, 21
Incense altarverse 19
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Zechariah – the prophetverse 5
Isaiah – the prophetverse 22
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 4, 5, 16, 7-21
Sight of the LORDverse 4
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)verses 5, 7, 16, 18
Visions of Godverse 5
LORD his Godverse 16
Temple of the LORDverse 16
Priests of the LORDverse 17
LORD Godverse 18
House of the LORDverses 19, 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Philistinesverses 6, 7
Wall of Gath, Jabney, Ashdod broken down
Arabiansverse 7
Mehunimsverse 7
Ammonitesverse 8
Egyptiansverse 8
Enemyverse 13
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Heart lifted upverse 16
Transgressedverse 16
Burned incense (only for priests)verses 16, 18
Trespassedverse 18
Unrighteous angerverse 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Right in the sight of the LORDverse 4
Listen to a prophet – Zechariahverse 5
Sought the LORDverse 5
Understandingverse 5
Prosperverse 5
Helpverses 7, 15
Strengthverse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Uzziah – king of Judahverses 1-23
Began reign at age 16
Reigned 52 years
Began doing right in the eyes of the LORD
Built towers in Jerusalem
Built towers in the desert
Built engines in towers of Jerusalem
Lifted up heart to his destruction
Entered temple to burn incense
Mad at priests
Leprosy on forehead
Leper to the day of his death
Rest of acts written by Isaiah
Zechariah – prophet verse 5
Had understanding of visions of God
Jerusalemverses 9, 15
Jeiel – scribeverse 11
Maaseiahverse 11
Hananiah – one of king’s captainsverse 11
Number of mighty men – 2,600verses 12, 13
307,500 army
Judgment on Uzziah = leprosyverses 19, 20, 23
Jotham – co-regent with fatherverses 21, 23
Judging the people of the land
Isaish the prophetverse 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
26:16 The word translated “became powerful” provides the link to the previous section. It also gives an insight regarding the character of Uzziah and of all strong leaders. He had always been a strong leader, and this had enabled him to do great works. He had not been one of the weak kings of Judah who was easily swayed by others (like Jehoshaphat) or too open and accommodating with the leaders in the north. But as is often the case with strong leaders, this virtue gave way to a headstrong, I-can-do-no-wrong attitude. It was precisely his strength that blinded him to the effrontery of his action. Uzziah’s pride was expressed in usurping the role of the priest. The verb translated “was unfaithful” (maʿal) is used frequently in Chronicles (1 Chr 2:7; 5:25; 2 Chr 28:19–25; 29:6; 36:14) for various serious violations of covenant loyalty and responsibilities. Only the priests were to burn incense (Exod 30:1–10; Num 16:40; 18:1–7). (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 331). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
26:16–18 Uzziah attempted to usurp the role of the priest, which is forbidden in the Levitical code (cf. Nu 3:10; 18:7). Proverbs 16:18 indicates that pride precipitates a fall, and it did in his case. Even the king could not live above God’s law. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ch 26:16–18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
26:16–20. Uzziah’s great power led to pride, which proved to be his downfall (cf. Prov. 16:18; 18:12). Apparently he began to depend on men and weapons rather than on the Lord. He even presumed to offer incense in the temple, a sacrilege for which Azariah the priest and 80 other … priests roundly condemned him. He was unfaithful to the Law (2 Chron. 26:16–18), which limited this function to the priest (Ex. 30:7–8). Uzziah responded in rage but the propriety of the priests’ rebuke was immediately evident when the king’s forehead broke out with leprosy. This rendered the king ceremonially unclean so that he had to leave the temple at once (2 Chron. 26:19–20; cf. Lev. 13). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 2 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 640). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
gabah (גָּבָהּ, 1362), “to be high, exalted, lofty.” This verb, which occurs 38 times in the Bible, has cognates in Akkadian, Aramaic, and Arabic. Its meanings parallel those of the adjective. It may mean “to be high, lofty.” In this sense, it is used of trees (Ezek. 19:11), the heavens (Job 35:5), and a man (1 Sam. 10:23). It may mean “to be exalted” in dignity and honor (Job 36:7). Or it may simply mean “to be lofty,” used in the positive sense of “being encouraged” (2 Chron. 17:6) or in the negative sense of “being haughty or proud” (2 Chron. 26:16). (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
16 In the chapter’s latter section, on Uzziah’s religious deviation (vv.16–23), his sin in entering the temple to burn incense consisted not simply in usurping what was an exclusively priestly prerogative (v.18; Exod 30:7–8; cf. Num 18:7), but perhaps also in arrogating to himself a Canaanitish type of office, of semidivine priest-king (see Gen 14:18; cf. Num 12:10). (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 522). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Ver. 16. When he was strong, &c.] Became great and powerful, through his victories, the enlargement of his dominions, and having a numerous army, and these well accoutred, and many fortified cities and towers: his heart was lifted up to his destruction; he grew vain and proud, elated with his flourishing circumstances, which issued in his ruin: for he transgressed against the Lord his God; who had helped him, and made him so great, and had bestowed so many favours upon him; the Targum is, “the Word of the Lord his God;” what his transgression was, follows: and went into the temple of the Lord; the holy place, into which none but the priests might enter: to burn incense upon the altar of incense; which stood there. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 80). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
On-the-Job Training
Marriage is to be held in honor among all. HEBREWS 13:4 When a buffet restaurant offered a free Valentine’s Day lunch to any couple who’s been married for 50 years or more, over 300 people showed up. At a gathering like that, you get a lot more than a good time and good food; you also learn some good advice on what it takes to make a marriage last:
•”If I want anything fairly expensive, I’ll talk it over with him, and he’ll do the same with me.”•”When you go to bed, always kiss good-night. We always kiss good-bye when we leave each other.”•”I’m the boss. I make sure that everything she wants gets done.”
•”Treat each other with kindness, love and respect. Just work it out together. Don’t fuss. We stay mad an hour or two, but that’s it . . . and it’s fun to make up.”
•”Look at things in different ways and concentrate on the ‘good’ in your relationship. I always say, ‘This too shall pass,’ and it usually does.”•”You do a lot of counting to 10 . . . or 20, if necessary.”
•”We were always taught, ‘Till death do you part.’ Divorce was never discussed in our house.”
•”When he was young, he was high-tempered, so I usually didn’t say much. But when you don’t say anything, you don’t have to take anything back.”
•”When we said ‘I do,’ we didn’t say it was just for tomorrow. You’ve got to tie the knot where it can’t be untied.” Spoken like real pros.
(Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE WORK OF CHRIST
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12
The Holy Spirit not only reveals the person He also reveals the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The preaching of Christ, says Paul, is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23). These so-called wise men frequently stumble at the cross especially. You see, the preaching of the first disciples was not only that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, but that He came into the world in order to deal with the problem of sin. They taught that the meaning of His death upon the cross was not merely that He was arrested by the Romans at the instigation of the Pharisees and put to death by crucifixion. No; they taught also that God had made Him to be sin for us it was a great transaction between the Father and the Son. To the philosophers this was nonsense. They did not understand because they did not receive the Holy Spirit. But we, says Paul again to the Corinthians, have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God (1 Corinthians 2:12).
I want to ask a simple question here: Have you understood this matter of the atonement? Are you clear about the work of Christ? Do you see and know that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sins upon Himself and has died for them on the tree? If you are in difficulty, it is because you have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The only way you can come to know this is not to try to understand it intellectually, but to ask God to enlighten you by the Spirit and to enable you to see and receive this truth as the Spirit unfolds the work of Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Ask God to enlighten you by the Spirit. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 89-90., by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Fruit-Bearing Christians As Christ emphasized in His parable of the vine and the branches, it is vitally important for a Christian to bear fruit. There are, in fact, many types of spiritual fruit mentioned in Scripture. Perhaps the most important fruit, produced in one’s life by the Holy Spirit, is that of a Christlike character. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9). Holiness—the seal of a life dedicated to God—is a particular spiritual fruit. “Being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness” (Romans 6:22) and are “filled with the fruits of righteousness” (Philippians 1:11). This entails also the fruit of good works performed in the name of Christ, “that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work” (Colossians 1:10). The habit of giving thanks and praise rather than complaint and criticism is a valuable Christian fruit. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15). Generosity is another important fruit. Paul commended the sacrificial giving of the Philippians, “not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account” (Philippians 4:17). Finally, one vital fruit of a Christian witness is fruit borne in other Christians’ lives. Paul’s great desire was “that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles” (Romans 1:13). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research) |
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