Uzziah: Power and Pride

2 Chronicles 26

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. DAVID. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

God’s story in the kings of Israel highlights the consequences of each leader’s strengths and weaknesses. Saul, Israel’s first king, was impatient, imprudent, and unrepentant. David, a man after God’s own heart, became the model for the kings who followed. Solomon allowed his love of pleasure and his divided heart to contribute to Israel’s eventual division into two separate kingdoms. 

At the end of Solomon’s reign, the kingdom was divided into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. While the kings of Israel did not follow Yahweh; many of Judah’s kings did. We have considered Asa, who began as a strong leader but lost his devotion near the end of his reign; Jehoshaphat who followed God inconsistently; and Joash, who seems never to have made his faith his own. 

Today we will consider Uzziah, one of the most capable leaders among all the kings of Judah. His life provides a fascinating study. 

Uzziah’s Rise to Power
After Joash, Amaziah became king and at first did “what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart” (2 Chron. 25:2). Though his outward actions appeared right, his devotion to the Lord was divided. Early in his reign, he achieved a stunning victory over Edom, but afterward he turned to worshiping Edomite gods, marking a serious spiritual decline. Soon after, Joash king of Israel invaded Jerusalem, looted the temple and palace, took hostages, and tore down six hundred feet of the city wall, leaving Jerusalem exposed and vulnerable.

The people of Judah united against Amaziah because he had turned away from the Lord. He fled to Lachish where he was killed. His son Uzziah was crowned king. 

Uzziah was a charismatic leader with a strong, appealing personality. He was sixteen years old when his reign began, and he remained on the throne for fifty-two years, providing much-needed stability. Uzziah “set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah,^[1] who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper” (2 Chron. 26:5). 

Uzziah became known for his many achievements. His father, Amaziah had captured the strategic city of Elath, located at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, near the Red Sea. Uzziah rebuilt the city, securing control over imports and exports from the East. He also won decisive victories over the Philistines (2 Chron. 26:6–7). The word was out: Don’t mess with Uzziah. His “fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong” (2 Chron. 26:8).

While Uzziah was expanding the kingdom outwardly, he was also strengthening Jerusalem from within. He protected the city by rebuilding the section of the wall that the northern kingdom had destroyed. During his reign, a major earthquake also struck the area (see Amos 1:1), so he likely had critical infrastructure to reinforce. 

His interests were varied, including a love for the soil, so he built towers and cisterns to protect and provide for his large herds and abundant crops (2 Chron. 26:10). He assembled a powerful military force that “could make war with mighty power” (2 Chron. 26:11–14). He even commissioned the research and design of machines “to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones” (2 Chron. 26:15). 

With his visionary leadership, Uzziah was the kind of man who would not take no for an answer—what we might call “a mover and a shaker.” He was industrious, energetic, and innovative. He was on God’s side, and God clearly blessed his efforts. Uzziah’s “fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong” (2 Chron. 26:15). However, “when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction” (2 Chron. 26:16). 

Uzziah began to believe his own press. Pride took hold of his heart. 

Uzziah’s Demise to Pride
One day Uzziah entered the temple to burn incense, a duty reserved exclusively for the priests. Azariah the priest, along with “eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor” confronted him at the risk of their lives (2 Chron. 26:17). Their conviction was forceful enough that they  declared, “Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God” (2 Chron. 26:18). 

Uzziah was enraged! How dare anyone tell him he had done wrong? Then God intervened. While the king was raging, leprosy appeared on his forehead, 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…” (2 Chron. 26:21). 

When pride rears its head, disobedience is never far behind. Pride lies at the root of every sin and every refusal to repent. It keeps a person from saying, “I was wrong. Please forgive me,” because those blinded by pride believe they are always right and convince themselves that the rules do not apply to them. 

So to all you movers and shakers—those who make things happen, who lead with purpose, authority, and power, who invent, innovate, and implement, and who are accustomed to success—especially if there isn’t anyone in your life willing to tell you that “the emperor has no clothes”—be cautious and discerning. Learn from Uzziah’s pitiful end, and remember the proverb: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on 2 Chronicles 26.  Who has permission to lovingly confront pride or other blind spots in your life?

Talking to God: Ask God to open your eyes to the blind spots and help you deal appropriately with pride.

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