SERIES: Enlightening Epitaphs of the Kings and Prophets
Uzziah: “His Pride Led to His Downfall.”
Introduction: What do these four individuals have in common: Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley, Pete Rose, and Jim Bakker?[i] Well, for one thing each one reached the pinnacle of his profession–politics for Nixon, musical entertainment for Presley, sports for Rose, and religious television for Bakker. In addition, each one bent the rules; I won’t go into that because I think all of you are aware of the serious mistakes they made. And sadly, each one saw their careers come to a shameful end.
I suggest to you that the fatal flaw in each of these men was PRIDE, which is probably best defined in biblical terms as “thinking more highly of oneself than one ought to think.” Webster’s uses the term “inordinate self-esteem.” We hear a lot these days about the problem of low self-esteem; in fact, one might be tempted to conclude from a lot of the psychological literature that most of the problems in the world today result from the fact that people don’t feel good about themselves. Unfortunately, we don’t hear nearly as much about inordinate self-esteem, or pride, which the Bible indicates is an even more destructive problem.
Today in our series on Enlightening Epitaphs from the Kings and Prophets, we come to Uzziah, King of Judah, who is a paradigm example of the tragic consequences of pride: “his pride led to his downfall.” (2 Chron 26:16). I want us to begin by reading his relatively brief story from 2 Chronicles 26:
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 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.
6 He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.
11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
16 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. 17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. 18 They confronted him 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 honored by the LORD God.”
19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
22 The other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.
Historical background
Last Lord’s Day, Kevin Hughes, our newest pastor (at least until tomorrow when Richard Schumacher begins his official duties), brought an excellent message on King Amaziah of Judah. Uzziah was his son and successor. Uzziah was only 16 years old when he became king, the second boy-king we have come across in our studies, Joash having reigned from age 7. He was on the throne a total of 52 years, from 790 B.C. to 739 B.C., though part of that time he was co-regent with his father and later co-regent with his son. Fifty-two years is an incredibly long time for a person to rule a country. The longest any President has served our country is exactly 1/4 of that–13 years, and then we passed a constitutional amendment to make sure it never happened again. Only Queen Elizabeth approaches Uzziah’s tenure in modern times, and, of course, she is a ruler in name only.
We’re going to consider Uzziah’s life in three parts:
His early spiritual credentials
His admirable achievements
His prideful rebellion
Then we will examine the anatomy of pride and conclude with some important biblical principles.
Uzziah’s early spiritual credentials
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but … Our text says of this king in verse 4 that “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done.” At first glance that looks like really good news, because Amaziah and Uzziah are both counted among the eight godly kings of Judah (out of 20). But we need to ask what those two words “just as,” mean. If Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done, how well did Amaziah do? In 25:2 it says, “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but notwholeheartedly.” And indeed, that’s what we find in Uzziah’s story–he followed the same pattern his father followed–halfhearted commitment to God.
How is your heart, friend? Several years ago I was given a little brass heart that I have since carried every single day in my pocket, along with my change. It reads on one side, “The Heart of a Leader,” and on the other side, “Proverbs 4:23: Above all else, guard your heart.” Why is that urged upon us? “For it is the wellspring of life.” Every time I dig in my pocket for money, out comes that reminder, “Guard your heart, Mike.” I need that, because it is so easy to have my heart drawn away from God to material things, evil things, and even good things that aren’t the best things.
Uzziah sought God, but … Verse 5 goes on to say, “He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God.” Two weeks ago we found a similar situation with Joash, who, we were told, “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, all the years of Jehoiada the priest.” We noted in that message that when spiritual fruit in a person’s life is only observable so long as a mentor or parent or pastor or friend is in the picture, that is an indication that the person has never made the faith his own, never come to real maturity. He has become dependent upon another human being rather than upon God. That seems to be the case also with Uzziah. So long as Zechariah was around, Uzziah sought the LORD. But the implication is that when Zechariah died, the king was left rudderless.
Is there someone in your life who is keeping you on the straight and narrow by virtue of their authority or influence or friendship, but you haven’t ever come to the point of taking a stand on your own. I suspect there are some husbands here today who are Christians by proxy. What I mean by that is you are here because your wife has a passionate relationship with Jesus, and you see what it’s done for her and you even like what her faith has done for your home. But you know in your heart that if something happened to her, you would bail, because her faith is not yours.
I suspect there are some young people who are here today because their parents come. And in a few weeks you’re going off to college. Your stated intentions are to connect with a campus ministry or a local church, but I’ll tell you, those intentions will go nowhere unless you have a faith of your own. The peer pressure of the frat house or sorority to party late on Saturday night will overcome any intentions that aren’t grounded in a genuine relationship with Christ. Uzziah and Joash largely had a second-hand faith. That’s not good enough when temptations rise and the going gets tough.
Nevertheless, despite these danger signals, King Uzziah started off pretty well and accomplished some pretty incredible things, and the reason is clearly stated in principle form at the end of verse 5:
Uzziah’s admirable achievements
Principle: “As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.” That, I believe, is a timeless principle that is just as good today as it was in 750 B.C. In fact, I do not believe there are any exceptions to it. As long as, but only as long as, we seek the Lord, God will give us success. Of course, to maintain that position, we have to define “success” correctly. Clearly there are people who have sought the LORD but who have not achieved financial success, or athletic success, or musical success, or business success, as the culture views these things. Success must be defined in biblical terms, and I would like to take a stab at that. Success, I would say, is achieving the highest purpose for which God created us individually. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He created us and He gifted us. When we use our gifts and talents for the purpose for which He designed us, then we find success, along with fulfillment and joy.
I know some very successful people in God’s eyes who would not be judged particularly successful by many of their peers. I will share just one example–one I know very well. I have a brother who has been a pastor of a small Free Church in the little farming community of Martensdale, Iowa for the past 34+ years. He went there the day he graduated from seminary and still lives in the parsonage he and his family moved into in 1968. That church has never been over 350 people. He doesn’t have a doctorate, he’s never been elected to denominational office, and he doesn’t receive invitations to speak at conferences. I have often invited him to come and speak here at First Free, but he has always declined because we’re too big and that’s not his thing.
But my brother has been the most successful pastor I think I have ever met. He was created and gifted for that community and for that ministry. He has not aspired to anything greater (in God’s eyes I’m not sure there is anything greater). His success is seen in the fact that he has raised three godly children, adopted four neighbor children whose mother died and who are now adults walking with God, and brought countless foreign exchange students into his home–winning many of them to Christ; he has evangelized and discipled hundreds; he has spun off churches that are now much larger than his own; and he has mentored literally dozens of young men who are now pastors of churches all over the country. His secret: He has continually sought the Lord, and God has given him success. I sincerely wish I were the pastor he is.
The key is to realize that God doesn’t promise to give us success as long as we work hard, or earn advanced degrees, or marry well, or eat right. But He does promise to give us success as long as we seek Him. And a large part of what that means is being obedient to this Book. Listen carefully to what the Lord said to Joshua in Joshua 1:7-8:
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Early in his reign young king Uzziah sought the Lord, and the Lord gave him success. For the next several paragraphs we read about some of his admirable achievements. He was on his way to becoming not just a good king but a great one. First, we note some of his military accomplishments:
Military. He went to war and God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs, and the Meunites. The Ammonites wanted nothing to do with fighting him, so they sent tribute to buy him off. We read in verse 11 of his army, which was well-trained, well-organized, and well-equipped. He provided them with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingshots. Furthermore, he even had engineers design and build weapons systems that were very advanced for that day–catapults to shoot arrows and hurl large stones on his enemies.
Building construction. In the opening paragraph of chapter 26 we are told that he rebuilt the town of Elath and restored it to Judah. Then in verse 9 it says he built towers in Jerusalem and fortified them. He also built towers in the desert, presumably to provide protection for travelers and perhaps serve as outposts for the military.
Agriculture. In verse 10 we read that Uzziah “dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.” I like that, because I, too, am one who loves the soil. My favorite uncle owned a farm in southern Minnesota, and I spent many of my summers as a teenager working on that farm. To this day whenever I am in Minneapolis I will drive down to Northfield and go out to that farm. Though the relatives are all gone, the land is still there, and the memories.
This man Uzziah’s achievements were really significant, and they are summarized in verse 8: “His fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful,” and again in verse 15: “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.” Clearly the principle that “as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success” was fulfilled in the life of Uzziah, king of Judah.
But then we come to a third chapter in Uzziah’s life, a sad chapter. I call it . . .
Uzziah’s prideful rebellion
Here, too, a statement is made that turns out to be a timeless and profound principle:
Principle: “After he became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” You know, the Scriptures leave no doubt about the dangers of pride and the tragic results of it in a person’s life. For example, in Proverbs 6:16 we read, “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him.” And the first one mentioned is haughty eyes, which is simply a symbolic way of referring to pride. Of all the things God hates, pride is number one. In Proverbs 11:3 we read, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” In 16:18 we find that well-known proverb: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” And in 29:23, “A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.” Nor is this a topic addressed only by the book of Proverbs.
In Scripture passage after Scripture passage, New Testament and Old, from Satan’s rebellion against God before the Garden of Eden to the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation, we see the tragic consequences of human pride. C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity,
The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison; it was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to every other vice; it is the complete anti-God state of mind…. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.[ii]
Look at what happened to Uzziah as a result of his pride.
He became unfaithful to the Lord, violating God’s clear commandment. It says in verse 16: “He was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” Now we may not think of burning incense in the temple as a particularly heinous sin, but the issue is not what we think. God had made it explicitly clear that only priests were to burn incense. In Numbers 16 we have the story of Korah’s rebellion against Moses, when God caused the earth to open up and swallow 250 men who were offering incense to the Lord in opposition to Moses and Aaron. And we are told in 16:40 that “no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.” That’s a pretty clear warning, and Uzziah was aware of it. But he thought because he was king, he could make his own rules. Worse than that,…
He persisted in his disobedience even after being warned. You remember the story. Azariah the priest stepped forward with 80 other courageous priests of the Lord and followed Uzziah into the temple. We read in verse 18, “They confronted him 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 honored by the LORD God.’”
It took some serious fortitude for these priests to confront the king. In a day and time when the divine right of kings was taken for granted and it was not unusual at all for a king to execute anyone who disagreed with him, these men of God stood up for the truth, no matter the consequences. But Uzziah persisted in his disobedience, becoming angry with the priests. In fact, he went into a rage. After all, what right did these puny priests have to challenge him, the king? Well, they had no power, for sure, but God did.
God judged him with leprosy. It says, “While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.” This, of course, was a stunning blow, because leprosy was tantamount to a slow death sentence. And because it was so contagious, the priests hurried him out of the temple. That wasn’t hard to do, for he himself, we are told, “was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.” He couldn’t wait to get out of there, worried that something worse might happen to him.
Uzziah experienced isolation, exclusion, loss of power, and shame in death. He was forced to abandon the palace and live in isolation in a separate house, apart from his wife and children, his friends, his advisors, and even the servants who made a king’s life so pleasant. He was also excluded from the temple of the LORD. He effectively lost his power, for Jotham his son was put in charge of the palace and began to govern the people. And he died a shameful death. At age 68 Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field that belonged to the kings. He couldn’t be buried with them, but only near them, because “he had leprosy.”
Now I want us to turn our attention to the anatomy of pride.
How and why does pride lead to a person’s downfall?
1. Pride begins with accomplishment, whether perceived or real. Losers are not usually afflicted with pride. It’s winners, or at least people who perceive of themselves as winners, who struggle with pride. I’ll never forget a story my dad told about a woman who came to her pastor confessing the sin of pride. She said to him, “I spend hours looking in a mirror and admiring myself.” The pastor said to her, “Ma’am, yours is not the sin of pride, it’s the sin of imagination.” But even perceived accomplishment can produce pride.
As we discussed this issue of pride in Men’s Fraternity on Wednesday morning, we agreed that men are most susceptible to pride in the area of their work, position, and wealth, while women are probably more tempted toward pride in regard to their looks, their relationships, their homes, and their children. But for both, pride begins with accomplishing something significant, being noticed, reaching a goal.
2. Pride takes root when we forget where our success comes from. Success comes from God. We know that, but we forget it. I think that’s why the Psalmist speaks to himself and to us with those striking words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). I have increasing trouble with my memory, which is probably due in fairly equal parts to a brain injury and old age. I forget people’s name, I forget where I left things, I forget appointments, and I forget conversations. But the worst possible thing to forget is God’s benefits, forget to thank Him for His blessings, and forget to give Him the honor He is due.
In Deuteronomy 8 Moses warns the people of Israel about the dangers of forgetting God’s benefits. He writes,
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you …. He brought you water …. He gave you manna …. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. (Deuteronomy 8:10-20).
Pride takes root when we forget where our success comes from.
3. Pride causes us to do things we would never do otherwise. Pride caused Uzziah to take risks, to become reckless, to assume authority he was never given. It always does that. As I have watched the news accounts of CEO’s who have looted their companies and the pocketbooks of their stockholders, I see men who have become bigger than life in their own eyes. They have become a law unto themselves, reckless in their wheeling and dealing and cheating and looting.
But let’s bring it a little closer to home. In what ways does pride cause us to take unnecessary risks or to assume authority that hasn’t been delegated to us? Many of the affairs I have handled in my counseling with men have had pride at their root. A guy gets a few promotions at work, he earns more money, he discovers that money is power, he begins to believe his own press clippings, and pretty soon he becomes extremely vulnerable. His wife still treats him the way she always did, because she knows he still puts his pants on one leg at a time. But some woman at the office begins to treat him like a little god. Believe me, he’s headed for serious trouble.
What kind of behavior is pride producing in you, behavior that you wouldn’t have considered possible before?
4. Pride demonstrates itself in angry confrontation. What happened to Uzziah with the priests is not unusual at all when a person becomes consumed with pride. The telltale sign of a prideful person is that he doesn’t listen to those who warn him; instead, he becomes angry at their audacity to question him. Time and again in the corporate scandals in the news, we have heard of individuals who questioned the illegal practices of CFO’s or accountants. What happened to them? Most were fired or demoted or ridiculed.
I think it is a fair rule of thumb that when a person gets very angry upon being confronted, you’re dealing with either a very insecure person or a very proud person or both. Humble people can get angry, too; after all, Jesus did. But their anger is generally righteous indignation, anger because the innocent are hurt and justice is skewed. They don’t get angry when they are themselves attacked. Instead, they either acknowledge their mistakes and apologize, or they explain themselves and leave it with God. But the proud person lashes back even when he knows in his heart that he is wrong.
5. Pride results in destruction and shame. Uzziah reached a sad and tragic end, but it is qualitatively no different than many today who in their pride decide to go it alone without God. Friends, pride always results in a fall. That fall may be just a disciplinary action to bring you back to your senses. But it could also result in eternal judgment. If you persist in your pride and disobedience, you will miss out on your only opportunity to receive salvation and spend eternity with God, for that privilege is given only to those who bow the knee to Jesus Christ.
Concluding principles[iii]:
1. Genuine success in life is always a gift from God. James tells us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” And he means “every.”
2. The Lord who blesses us also disciplines us. There are many today who view God as good and kind; in fact, they look at Him almost as the great Santa Claus in the sky. But God is more than that–much more. He is holy and just. He cannot ignore sin, especially in the lives of His children. So, He disciplines us. Hebrews 12 is a powerful passage and brings together the love and discipline of God and essentially tells us one cannot have the one without the other. Listen to 12:9-11:
We have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
If you are undergoing discipline today, humble yourself now while there is opportunity for repentance and restoration.
3. The test of prosperity is even more difficult than the test of adversity. This is a truth my mother drilled into my head. We were very poor as I was growing up. When I was in Junior High our family of seven lived in a $75 a month rental house on North Elm in Webster Groves–on the wrong side of the tracks. We had nothing beyond the essential. Most of our furniture had been giveaways and virtually all my clothes were hand-me-downs from my older brother, who had received them as hand-me-downs from Buz and Wid Andrews.
But then in 1958 a wealthy real estate man in St. Louis who was a good friend of my father died leaving no heirs. In his will he specified that our family was to move into his house and enjoy everything in it. He lived at 23 Arundel Place, one of the private streets in Clayton off of Skinker next to Forest Park. In his four-bedroom home he had genuine Persian rugs, solid mahogany furniture, crystal, silver, paintings, a television (which we had never had), a virtually new car in the garage, and everything else you can imagine. We basically abandoned our old stuff and moved into Clayton and I began to attend Clayton High School. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
After about a year in that home I remember my mother saying one day, “The test of prosperity is more difficult than the test of adversity.” What she meant was that through the first several decades of their marriage, when my folks had virtually nothing by the world’s standards, they had to rely on the Lord because there were no other options. Time and again I remember how God came through for us in miraculous ways. But now there were other options. For the first time trust could be put in material possessions.
I have always been proud of my parents that they didn’t allow that to happen. I believe they passed the test of prosperity. I’m not sure I have always passed it. How about you? Those of us gathered here this morning are surely in the top 5% of the wealthy people in the world today. How are we doing with the test of prosperity?
Friends, what is God saying to you today through the life of Uzziah, king of Judah? Whatever else you learn, don’t let it be said of you that “after you became powerful or popular or wealthy or famous, pride led to your downfall and you were unfaithful to the Lord your God.”
DATE: August 4, 2002
Tags:
Agriculture
Pride
Anger
Discipline
Test of Prosperity
[i] This concept was adapted from an anonymous sermon found at www.rogersvillecoc.org/sermons/uzziah.htm.
[ii] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, as found in A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis, ed. Clyde S. Kilby, 115.
[iii] These concluding principles are adapted from an outline by Charles Swindoll, “Uzziah: The King Who Became a Leper.”