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All Scriptures is inspired by God…God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. —2 Timothy 3

Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the LORD, and now he has abandoned you!” —2 Chronicles 24:20

#4 – King Uzziah

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. —2 Chronicles 26:3

  • We get his mom this time (with King Jehoshaphat we focused on his dad). So again, the influence of parents & family can’t be over looked.

Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success. —2 Chronicles 26:5

  • King Uzziah sought God and was taught “to fear God.”
  • Fear of the Lord = an awareness that we are in the presence of a Holy and Mighty God.
  • To truly fear the Lord is to live with the reality that God is so awesome, powerful and mighty that you wouldn’t dare run away from Him, only towards Him, even in times of weakness!
  • “As long as the King sought guidance from the Lord, God have Him success.”
  • Prayer, worship are important; but He sought guidance (ask for the purpose of follow)

Great Success!

  • V.6-8 - Success in times of war. He won some great victories
  • V.9-15 – built towers, forts in the wilderness, dug water cisterns, livestock, man of the soil and he developed well trained warriors!
  • God is looking for people who will seek Him, worship Him, and allow Him to guide them in their life. He does have plans to prosper you–to give you hope and a future!

But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. —2 Chronicles 26:16

Pride = inflate with self; high minded, above others; attitude that self can achieve and has achieved success without the help of others; Consider oneself in no need of instruction, guidance or counsel. To come to the conclusion that I am who I am and where I am solely because of my efforts.

Practical Results

  • The soul is drained of gratefulness; thankfulness and appreciation for others
  • Lose any notion of cherishing people; replaced with only a tolerance for them.
  • You always have to be the teacher, leader, listened to; instead of being taught & trained.
  • You become short with rules, regulations, decisions you don’t like.

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. —James 4:6

  • Humble (humility) = recognizing you need God’s help, as well as the help of others. It is being comfortable with who you are in Jesus, seeking to build up others not yourself. Bend the knee.

Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. —Matthew 11:29

What happened to the king?

But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!”

Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. But as he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the high priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy, they rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him. So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land. —2 Chronicles 26:16-21

  • King Uzziah thought he was above God’s prescribed instructions on how to worship Him.
  • When confronted with God’s Way, He became furious. Leprosy, lived in isolation, couldn’t finish

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. —2 Chronicles 7:14