Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 26-28
Poetry: Psalm 9
New Testament: 1 Timothy 5
I just realized something today. I’m getting kind of old. I know this comes as a shock to most of you who know how young I look (wink wink, nudge nudge). Seriously, I’ve been alive during all or part of the presidencies of 12 different US Presidents, from JFK to Joe Biden- and several of them served 2 terms. Yikes! To borrow from an old Clint Eastwood western, some of those presidents have been good, some have been bad and some have been ugly. As we read through Chronicles and see the history of the kings of Judah, we could make the same observations, some were good, some were bad and some were down right ugly when it comes to their faithfulness to God
Amaziah was one of the ugly ones. After defeating his enemies in battle he took their idols as plunder and brought them back and worshipped them. A major no-no. God really, really hates idolatry and gets very jealous when his people start worshipping other things as god or the ultimate in their lives. In fact, in 2 Chronicles 25 (see yesterday’s reading) God punished Amaziah by having him routed in war against Israel, and then his own people assassinated him. He was decisively rejected by both God and his kingdom.
In today’s reading from 2 Chronicles we see that Amaziah’s son Uzziah followed him as King. Uzziah was young, only 16 when he began to reign. He got a great start because he sought God. He found a godly teacher, Zechariah, to show him the way of God and he intentionally tried to do things God’s way as he ruled over Judah. Because of his faithfulness, God blessed Uzziah with a prosperous reign: “as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” 2 Chronicles 26:5
Today’s reading shows how successful Uzziah was while he followed God. His army grew more powerful, he defeated their enemies. He fortified his territory. His fame spread and other nations brought him gifts acknowledging his power and success. His country did well agriculturally as their herds and flocks grew and their vineyards were productive.
The blessings were really flowing for King Uzziah and he was on top of the world and felt really good about his accomplishments. He had not made the same terrible mistakes that his father Amaziah made, there was no hint of the worship of idols under Uzziah’s rule. But…unfortunately, as often happens in times of prosperity, Uzziah grew proud. He started thinking that he was “all that and a bag of chips.” (do they still say that or is that from 20 years ago… I’ve lost track). Anyway, he was FULL of himself.
Let me back up a minute. Going back to the time of Moses as leader of Israel there was a strict division of labor among God’s people. You had judges and later Kings, who did the political leading, and you had the priests who oversaw the religious rituals. Sometimes the lines got a little blurry and there was some overlap as with Samuel who was both a priest and a judge. But by the time Kings were instituted it was clear that the Priests were the only ones allowed to go into the temple and offer sacrifices. Offering sacrifices was a no go for the King. King Saul had previously gotten himself in hot water for offering sacrifices (See 1 Samuel 13 for more details). In short, Uzziah should have known better.
Unfortunately, King Uzziah let his success lead to pride which led to his downfall. “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” 2 Chronicles 26:16 Uzziah was doing what was forbidden for a king, to usurp the priestly role of burning incense on the altar of the temple.
The priests were horrified at what King Uzziah was doing and they stopped him (it took 80 of them). Uzziah became enraged that they challenged him. He was unwilling to stand down even with 80 priests telling him “no”. So then God intervened and instantly struck him down with leprosy. Leprosy was a skin disease that rendered the leper ceremonially unclean. Uzziah was instantly cut off from temple worship and was made an outcast. He had to leave his palace and remained an outcast until his death.
What a sad and tragic end to the reign of a king that had begun so well. Uzziah, as a young man had seen how bad his father had been as he pursued idols. Uzziah sought the Lord, was faithful, God blessed and prospered him and all was well, until he gave in to the deadly sin of pride.
Why is pride a sin? In the US June was just celebrated as Pride Month. I was reminded of this literally everywhere I went. When I turned on my computer at the hospital where I serve I was reminded that it was pride month. I watched a baseball game featuring the Baltimore Orioles hosting the Seattle Mariners and there were rainbows and pride flags on the field, in the stands and surrounding all of the player stats. Pride is celebrated in the world today as a wonderful and glorious thing. But the Bible hasn’t changed- Proverbs 16:18 still says: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”Proverbs 16:8. Whether it’s being proud to tell everyone that you are gay, or being proud of your accomplishments as king, pride is destructive.
Pride is a deadly sin because it causes us to focus on who we are and what we accomplish and take our eyes off of who God is and what he accomplishes. Pride is a subtle form of idolatry. Instead of worshipping another god in the form of a statue or object, pride is the worship of ourselves. Uzziah was full of pride so he thought he was above following God’s law that said only priests could go into the temple and offer sacrifices on the altar. Pride leads one to reject God’s laws and God’s authority to tell us what we can and what we cannot do which is ultimately a rejection of God as God. If, in my pride, I tell God that I don’t have to listen to him, he has no authority over an area of my life, then I’m turning myself into my own idol. That’s exactly what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. It’s what Uzziah did in the temple, it’s what we do whenever we say, “I know that God has said this is wrong, but I reject God’s authority to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body, my life.” Pride has caused the deaths of untold millions of people, including unborn babies. Pride has caused countless people to turn away from their faith in God and from following Jesus Christ in order for them to follow their own “truth” about who they are and what they think should be right.
Uzziah was punished by God with leprosy which caused him to lose his access to both worship and to his role as king. He died miserable and alone. That’s where pride usually leads. We need to avoid pride like the plague.
-Jeff Fletcher
Reflection Questions
- Why do you think God was so harsh and immediate in striking King Uzziah with leprosy. After all, he’d been pretty faithful up till that point in his life?
- What do you think of the ways that Pride has been exalted in our culture? Can you see any ways that pride could be leading toward societal destruction?
- What are the danger areas of pride in your own life? Is there an area where pride could be leading you away from God. Are there any areas where you reject God’s teaching in your life and you are proud of it?
Seek Grow Love 