The Penalty of Disobedient Pride

2 Chronicles 26:1-23 

   1 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.  3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 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 prosper.

    6 Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. 8 Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.

    9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. 10 Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.

    11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. 12 The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. 13 And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.

    16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God."

    19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him.

    21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.  22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz wrote. 23 So Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a leper." Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Uzziah followed the LORD along the same pattern as his father and king Amaziah.  He started out doing what was right and pleasing to God, but ended up falling away in the end.  He began well, reigning fifty-two years in Jerusalem, prosperous as long as he listened to the prophet Zechariah who brought God's word to be followed.  He had great victories, loved farming and raising livestock, and in battle invented what seems to have been a catapult; war machines from which men hurled projectiles in defense of the city. According to the ESV commentary, there were murals found from the siege of Lachish in 701 B.C. showing defenders on the city walls shooting arrows and hurling stones from behind wooden frames armored with shields.  God gave him wisdom and success as he listened and followed His word.  Uzziah was well known far and wide as he increased in strength, but then the pride seemed to make him reason that all this was somehow his own accomplishment instead of the LORD’s grace.  This culminated in the arrogance of assuming the work of the priests by going to the temple of God to burn incense with his own hand, a responsibility only assigned by the LORD to His chosen priests.  This pride and sin did not honor God and took away any honor which God had given him.  His heart was lifted up and he fell, just as the Deceiver led Eve and Adam astray, and just as the Adversary himself was leveled by the pride of self importance and self worship (Isaiah 14:12-14, Luke 10:18, 1 Timothy 3:6).  Because Uzziah refused to repent and was angry at the priests who stood against him and for the LORD, he was made a leper by God as punishment.  He ended badly after beginning well because of pride overwhelming his sinful disobedience.   This is a lesson for us as well, not to allow our pride to keep us from repentance and following the Lord with a humble heart in the bounds of His word, both as the role and callings we have, as well as in the submission to the Lord and those He puts over us accordingly to His word.  Remember the disobedient pride of Uzziah, the other flawed kings of old, and the Devil himself, and rather submit humbly and obediently to God’s hand (1 Peter 5:6-8) in following the principles, commands, and good examples in the scriptures.