The divided kingdom · 2 Chronicles 26
King Uzziah’s Pride
Uzziah becomes king of Judah at sixteen and reigns fifty-two years in Jerusalem. As long as he seeks the LORD, God makes him prosper: he defeats the Philistines, builds towers in Jerusalem, digs cisterns in the wilderness, and raises an army of 307,500 soldiers equipped with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows, and slings. His fame spreads as far as the border of Egypt. But “when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction”: he goes into the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense, a right reserved for the priests, the sons of Aaron. Azariah the priest and eighty other priests stand against him: “Go out of the sanctuary!” Furious, a censer in his hand, Uzziah sees leprosy break out on his forehead. He lives in isolation until his death, while his son Jotham governs.
What happens
- King at sixteen, Uzziah seeks God and prospers 2 Chronicles 26:3–5
- An army of 307,500 men and war machines on the towers 2 Chronicles 26:13–15
- “His heart was lifted up to his destruction”: he enters the temple 2 Chronicles 26:16
- Azariah and eighty priests confront the king 2 Chronicles 26:17–18
- Leprosy breaks out on his forehead beside the altar of incense 2 Chronicles 26:19
- A leper until his death, Uzziah lives apart; Jotham governs 2 Chronicles 26:21
Who is in this story
The lesson
Prosperity comes from God, and pride that forgets him hastens a fall: Uzziah, strong because God upheld him, tried to take a place that was not his. We approach God with humility and according to his will, not on our own terms.
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
Quick quiz on this story
How old is Uzziah when he becomes king?
All the people of Judah took him and made him king in place of his father Amaziah: “Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem.” 2 Chronicles 26:3
What disease strikes Uzziah when he becomes angry with the priests?
Uzziah had a censer in his hand and was angry with the priests: “the leprosy even rose up in his forehead,” in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 2 Chronicles 26:19
What was Uzziah trying to do in the temple when the priests confronted him?
Uzziah went into the temple “to burn incense upon the altar of incense,” a right that belonged to the priests, the sons of Aaron, who were consecrated for it. 2 Chronicles 26:16–18
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start your free trial.