| 2 Chronicles 26:5,16,20 – “When Uzziah was obeying the Lord, God gave him success…When Uzziah became strong, his pride caused him to be destroyed. He was not faithful to the Lord his God… the Lord punished him.” |
The Old Testament was given to us as a teacher of the law and to give us insight into the mind of God.
Let’s look at the story in II Chronicles 26, that gives us some insight to the mind of God.
Uzziah became king at the age of 16. When he was obeying the Lord, God gave him success. As long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. He built towers, dug many wells, had plenty of livestock all over the land. He had farmers in the mountains and on the flat land where growth was good! He also had men that took care of the fields of grapes. He loved farming! Why wouldn’t he? The land was fertile soil!
Uzziah had an army of well-trained soldiers that made war with a mighty power, to help the king against his enemy. Uzziah outfitted his entire army with shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and he made machines in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones.
Uzziah’s fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.
STOP HERE! When things are going well for us, haven’t we all fallen into the trap of forgetting who gave us everything we have? Do we forget to thank God daily for what He has provided for us? Take a moment now to thank the Lord for the blessings He has provided you. Don’t take the risk of becoming arrogant.
When Uzziah became strong, his pride caused him to be destroyed. He was not faithful to the Lord his God.
Uzziah became so prideful that he went into The Most Holy Place in the temple to burn incense on the altar! He actually attempted to usurp the role of the priest, who were the only ones trained for this holy service to burn incense. Azariah and the 80 brave priests who served the Lord, followed Uzziah into the temple and told him that he was wrong, and to get out. They told him that he was not being faithful to God, and in turn, the Lord God will not honor him for this. Uzziah was furious with the priests; and while he was holding a bowl in his hand for burning incense, he broke out with leprosy on his forehead in front of them. They immediately thrust him out of the temple, and he had to live in isolation until the day he died.
I can see how this correlates with our life. The Bible is replete with examples of people who took a great fall, after becoming prideful. We must not be fooled, and remember that every good and perfect gift comes from God. God prospers the faithful, as He sees through to fruition the plans He made for each one of us. Our successes are to be used for His glory.
–Vicki Rance
