Read 2 Chronicles chapter 26

• King Uzziah starts out as king of Judah at age 16 and replaces his father Amaziah (verse 1).
• He did what was right in the sight of God, following his father’s example (verse 2).
• God helps King Uzziah in battle against the Philistines, Arabians, and Meunites (verses 6-7).
• The Ammonites bring him tribute and his fame spreads to Egypt (verse 8).
• He built towers and dug many wells (verses 9-10).
• King Uzziah had a great army with 2,600 chief officers of mighty men of valor over 307,500 who made war with mighty power. These men were well equipped for any kind of battle of the time (verses 11-14). He also made devices for the towers and corners of the wall around Jerusalem to shoot arrows and large stones (verse 15).
• His fame spread far, because he was marvelously helped by God until he became strong (verse 15).
• When he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction (verse 16). The ESV reads“But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.” The NIV reads “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” The Hebrew word for lifted here is “gaw bah” which means to soar; to be lofty; to be haughty; exalt, be haughty, make higher, lift up, mount up, be proud, raise up great height, upward.His opinion of himself was one of pride and arrogance rather than of humility and thankfulness. This attitude led to his destruction by burning incense on the altar of incense (verse 16).
• Other examples of this type of behavior include Jeshuran (Deuteronomy 32:15-18), Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:17-28), and Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:24-26).
• Azariah the high priest along with another 80 priests of the Lord (valiant men) withstood King Uzziah saying that “You shall have no honor from the Lord”. The king was furious and then leprosy brook out on his forehead. The priests threw him out of the temple “because the Lord had struck him” (verses 17-20).
• King Uzziah was a leper until the day he died. This once great king dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper (verse 21). 

Lessons we can learn from this story of King Uzziah.

1. God blessed Uzziah when he did right in the sight of the Lord. God will bless Christians spiritually when we do what is right in His sight.

2. Instead of being humble and thankful for all the blessings God had granted him, King Uzziah lifted up his heart to transgress against the Lord his God (verse 16, 1 Timothy 6:17-19). Pride can do the same to us.

·        Pride can keep us from making our marriages what the Lord wants them to be.

·        Pride can keep us from having close loving relationships with our brethren.

·        Pride can keep us from following good advice of our parents and loved ones.

·        Pride can keep us from obeying God’s commandments.

·        Pride can keep us from asking God’s forgiveness when Christians sin.

·        Pride can keep us from becoming a Christian!

Do not let pride hurt your life on earth and keep you from eternal life in Heaven! “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:6, 10). King Uzziah wanted to lift himself up rather than let the Lord lift him up. Satan makes us think we can lift ourselves up. We may for a while, but we eventually fall. When we are thankful and humble, God lifts us up higher than we could ever imagine (Matthew 23:12)!

We all need to live thankful and humble lives. If you are not a Christian tonight, we encourage you to humble yourself to Jesus. He is God the Son and the Savior of the world. You need to believe in Him, confess that He is the Son of God, turn away from your sins, and be baptized in water so your sins can be washed away! Then He will lift you up as a new creation for His good works! We hope you will respond to the gospel call tonight! And we also hope to see you next time on “Speaking The Truth In Love”.