“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”

“In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. 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 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."  2 Chronicles 26:3-5, 15-21

Uzziah was King of Judah for 52 years from 792 to 740. He began well, as he walked in concert with the prophet Zechariah, but he finished in arrogance and exile.

UZZIAH'S HERITAGE:

• Joash (grandfather) who was king for 40 years. Joash’s mentor’s son confronted him and his disobedience and the king commanded that the prophet be stoned to death.
• Amaziah (father) reigned 29 years as king. A prophet of the Lord asked him the obvious question, “Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” (2 Chronicles 25:15) The king did not listen and eventually died in exile.
• Uzziah was king 52 years.

THE PATHS:

• The path of prospering (2 Chronicles 26:5)

To flourish means to succeed, to be strong, to be effective.

"And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered."  2 Chronicles 31:21

"He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers."
Psalm 1:3

The path of proposing for Uzziah involved Godly instruction regarding the character of God and our response to his rule, the seeking of the God who will bless his people, and the understanding that God prospers those who seek him (Hebrews 11:12).

• The path of destruction (v. 16) 

Destruction means to live in such a way that we experience ruin and our lives are laid waste.

Uzziah became strong, and his strength led to arrogance, which led to his destruction. 

Repentance is the emotive change of mind which is evidenced by a change of behavior that leads to a life of joy and usefulness. 

Impenitence/Disobedience is the willful hardening of our attitude towards the reality of God and His Word which shows itself in arrogance, which leads to destruction and ultimate shame.

Q: What is the church?
A: God chooses and preserves for himself a community elected for eternal life and united by faith, who love, follow, learn from, and worship God together. God sends out this community to proclaim the gospel and prefigure Christ’s kingdom by the quality of their life together and their love for one another. New City Catechism, Question 48

God has given us the local church to equip, encourage, and strengthen in order that we may impact our neighbor and culture.

QUESTIONS:

1. Who are your teachers and “2am Waffle House friends”?

2. How can success/strength either lead us to humility or arrogance?

3. Do we understand the destructive nature of disobedience and the hardening of heart?

4. What are some family sins of which you should be aware and familial patterns that need to be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit?

5. How did bad advisors play a key role in the thinking of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and the destruction of WWI?