King Uzziah (II Kings 14:17-15:7; II Chronicles 26)

Uzziah became king at the age of 16 years. That’s so young!! Yet, he started strong. He was all about strength (even his name connects him to the might of Yahweh.) He was strong militarily, both domestically and abroad. He set up a port city, Elath, to add to the strength of Judah. He conquered Philistine cities and dominated other nations. He sustained troops at home (over 300,000!!) with armaments for each of them. He built towers around Jerusalem, and created fortresses in the desert for protection. He was also strong in wealth, as he had much livestock throughout the land. The Lord favored him.

But he made a fatal error. It was one of those moments that I would imagine that he spent the rest of his life regretting. I would have.

One day, Uzziah entered the temple with the intention of making an offering of incense to the Lord. But, offering incense was NOT his place. Offering incense was a rite reserved for the priests alone. The priests stood in his way, attempting to persuade him against what he was about to do. While the verbal conflict was taking place, the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy. LEPROSY!! He remained a leper for the REST of his life. He was forced to separate himself from other people, his son performed the duties of the judge of the people, and he was not buried amongst the other kings, but in a field … all because he was unclean. What a shameful end to his strong years of rule.

We all make choices on a daily basis. We all have to live with the consequences of our choices, whether good or bad. I find that I often create situations for myself, based on my emotions, in which I then have to make a choice. Then, whether I like the consequences or not, I have to live with those consequences. I wonder what Uzziah’s heart was telling him that fateful morning. I wonder what he was thinking as he decided to enter the temple, as he decided to pick up the censer. Did he have that jabbing in his heart, that ache in his stomach, telling him that he was doing the wrong thing? What was it that made him decide to get up from his palace, approach the temple, enter the temple, pick up the censer, and approach the incense? At each step, was the Lord whispering in his ear, “No!” … or had he hardened his heart? Had his pride taken over … throughout the days preceding … throughout the weeks preceding … throughout the months preceding … throughout the years preceding? How long does it take for a pride like this to accumulate? Did it begin the day the sixteen-year-old took the throne? Or did it begin the day of his first military victory? Or did it begin much later, after the strengths began to pile up.

Worship. Wasn’t he merely attempting to worship the Lord? Matthew Henry points out (II Chronicles 26) that some of Uzziah’s predecessors sinned by forsaking the worship of the true God, Yahweh. There is a fine line here, as Uzziah sinned in the opposite direction. He went to worship Yahweh, in the temple of Yahweh, but not on Yahweh’s terms. He took into his own hands a job that was not his. Was he being pretentious? Was he attempting to exercise practices that were too high for him? Clearly there was a pride issue here.

Do I do this? I certainly know that pride is one of my biggest issues. I certainly don’t forsake worship, nor do I worship other gods. I am actively involved in the worship at my church. But is my pride an issue? I have felt that urging in my heart for years now. Have I ignored it? Have I grown at all in that area? My worship is far from pure. I would normally attribute that problem to two things: (1) my pride, in that I love listening to myself produce music … how arrogant; and, (2) my inability to concentrate on any one thing for any length of time.

Pride. The Lord strengthened Uzziah. The Lord gave him his military strength. The Lord gave him a strong rule. The Lord gave him his wealth. The Lord gave him victory after victory. Yet, again, according to Matthew Henry, Uzziah lifted up his own heart instead of lifting up the name of the Lord.

Again, do I do this? Do I truly acknowledge the Lord for the strengths that He has given me? Do I lift up my own heart in lieu of His name?

Leprosy is a very shameful disease to have. Lepers are ugly to look at. Lepers must be separated from the normal population. The disease itself eats away at the body. It is the antithesis of strength. And Uzziah wasn’t merely struck with leprosy for a period of time. It was for the remainder of his life. And he was even dishonored in the burial of his disease-ravaged body, and not buried with his fathers.

So, do I motivate myself to purify my worship and to rid my heart from pride by reminding myself of Uzziah’s shame? Should I avoid sin because of its negative consequences? Or should I see my sin as an offense against the Lord who IS my might. Lord, help me to give you the place you deserve in my heart … rid me of the pride that lifts up myself and purify the worship that I offer you whether at church or outside of that building.