Uzziah's Pride and Punishment

 

 

2 Chronicles 26:16-23

 

Augusta 17, 2023

 

Uzziah's Pride and Punishment

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.  But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor, 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. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.”  Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy^[a] broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, by the altar of incense.  And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out because the Lord had struck him.  And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the land. 

Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote.  And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Does God’s written word warn us about pride? 

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 16:5 “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

 

When one searches the Scriptures, pride is often, a person who is blind to the truth, they become arrogant and believe they are self-made and do not honor or acknowledge it was God who gave them the skills, knowledge, and mind to become the person they are.  That is a dangerous place to find oneself, it is often the Achilles heel for many in leadership, and out of leadership.

 

One would be very wise to acknowledge and praise God for all the blessings He has given us.  It is only the Fool that says there is no God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice