He [Uzziah] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honoured by the LORD God.’
2 Chronicles 26:4-5, 16-18 (NIV)
Read: 2 Chronicles 26
Consider: Like so many kings before him Uzziah started well. He was willing to receive sound instruction and guidance. Finally, however, his pride led to his downfall. He had ruled well for many years, but, as he became more powerful, so his pride grew. It finally came to a head when he entered the temple to burn incense. This gave Azariah and his fellow priests a problem. Uzziah was the king, so should they ignore what he was doing? They knew that they risked their lives by confronting the king. Yet this is the action that they chose.
I like how Azahiah and the priests are described in 2 Chronicles 26 – Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. Knowing that something is wrong requires courage to confront it. It is likely that there were many other priests around that day who were fearful and chose not to confront the king.
The outcome was that when Uzziah was asked to leave the temple he became angry (another sign of his pride) and God punished him for his disobedience.
Pray: Lord, may we be courageous in confronting what is wrong in the world. Help us to see that our silence may be taken as tacit approval of things that are contrary to your Word. Amen
Every blessing
No Condemnation 