In The Year King Uzziah Died
(Isaiah's Confession)

In a time, when under the mandate of God
Israel and Judah were brothers at odds
There arose one who stepped on the kingly stage
And assumed his father's throne at sixteen years of age
Of the people, Uzziah was his name ... called by them
Given by his mother, Jecoliah of Jeruselem
And his name spread, much like the sound of the lion that roared
So long as he did what was right in the sight of the Lord
For fifty two years, in his kingly office and presence
He ruled Judah and its inhabitants
And purposed to rule without a false backdrop or façade
And sought to do right in the sight of God
He took Godly counsel while ruling in his prime
Taking heed to the words of Zechariah, a prophet in that day and time
And God prospered Uzziah; His blessings from him were not hid
God kept him and blessed him in all that he did

Of his awareness of the affairs of state, he was not slack
Charged with defending a nation, he did not lack
For at his command, were mighty men of war
Some of whom served his father before
He stood fast with his army, in advancing battle lines
Fighting against the Arabians, and the Philistines
Fighting fiercely and forcefully to his enemy's defeat
Tasting of the sugar of victory ... man, was it sweet
Uzziah had made a name for himself, and it carried a weighted worth
The Egyptians even knew of this warrior king past their borders, to the north
A fighting man with intelligence, with a name widely known
Building towers to shoot arrows, and catapults to throw stones
I admired this man as did the people of Judah, and Benjamin
People all over, respected Uzziah, from outside of his kingdom, and from within
Far and abroad had the name of Uzziah gone
For he was marvelously helped, 'till he was strong

But when he was strong, Godly counsel he no longer sought
Uzziah proceeded to do things that he should not ought
Going against passed down, generational, God given word
Transgressing against God the Lord
He was already king, to say the least
But he assumed within himself to the job of the priest
Not discerning what he was doing, nor its relevance
Burning incense upon the alter of incense
Approached by the priest, fourscore and one on the scene
The High Priest and the others withstood the king
Confronting him on the matters of what was and what is
Telling him the duty of the priest were theirs ... not his
This angered Uzziah, and he got hot like sundrenched sand
Still holding the censer of incense in his had
And while he was yet mad at the priest, and angry words said
Uzziah was struck with leprosy on his forehead

Azahriah and the other priest looked upon the smitten king
Then thrust him out of their midst because of this thing
For it wasn't the priest, who of the fiery wrath of God would fan
For it was God Himself who had smitten this man
To be leprous, for anyone, was a sentence in itself
It meant being cut off from loved ones and everyone else
Uzziah knew this, as the priest had
Being punished this way by the Lord God, made Uzziah sad
Until balance of his days were due
He lived as a leper, watching life, in full view
Wondering if only he took heed to the right things he absorbed
He would not be cut off from the House of the Lord
Uzziah died as less than what he was
Brought low by the Lord God because...
He chose to do that which was right in his own eyes
And the people of his kingdom did likewise

Tears flowed down my cheeks ... I cried
In the Year that King Uzziah died
For he started out great, but sad to see
His lifes end was a tradgedy
For in being a leader, his actions not hid
The people he was over, did as he did
And when the time came, he fell away
As he did ... so did they
The hurting part of it all is, he didn't have to go that route
Here was a man who'd seen God bring him out
And could testify beyond a bleating yelp
That battles won, were won with God's help
It is a sad epitaph, a sad one, quite
His acts from first to last, did this son of Amoz write
He started out with God, taking heed to his word
His life ended being cut off from the house of the Lord

From my eyes fell the cataracts of pride
In the Year that King Uzziah died
And my maturity jumped to being complicatedly simple
My spiritual eyes saw the train of the Lord fill the temple
I saw six winged angels fly about slowly
One crying to another, "Holy, Holy"
"Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth full of His glory"
As I sat about gazing amazingly, yet sorely
The opening of door post, did the angels voice provoke
And the temple of the Lord filled with smoke
And my heart skips...
For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips
It was then that an angel with a live coal in his hand emerged
Put it to my lips and said my sins were purged
And I heard the voice of God ask who will I send, who will it be
Here I am Lord ... Send me

To another level in my walk did I abide
In the Year that King Uzziah died
And heeded to instruction, as I was to hear it
Absorbing all that God had to say to my spirit
For I heard the Lord say in command
Go and tell this people ... but they won't understand
Go and show the people ... but see they won't
Tell the people to do ... but do, they don't
This was the bidding of the Lord, and His will
I asked the Lord how long, and He said Until
Until the cities be wasted ... and the houses without man
And there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land
And although Gods wrath was towards a people bent
He was to preserve a tenth ... a remnant
As a demonstration of His mercy and love
The holy seed would be the substance thereof

Myself and my all, before the Lord I lied
In the Year that King Uzziah died
Marveling at how a once godly man who drank of waters
Turned from God, and now sleeps with his fathers
Giving my life, in depth and sure
Surrendering to God, as his messenger
To tell those who once looked up to a man
To now look up to God, or suffer violence in the land
People of unclean lips, I dwell among
Whose worth and pride will one day be made dung
By the words I give, that may not stir excitement
But when it is said and done, the words are an indictment
The people will say, when it is too late
If only I'd listen, and in Gods' will participate
But to clean house, chastening must happen... this I realized
In the Year that King Uzziah died

Written by: Charles
(c) 2001