King Uzziah
2 Chronicles 26:1-23

Uzziah Rules in Judah

2 Chronicles 26:1-15

• In Kings, Uzziah is known as Azariah.
• Uzziah is the last of the kings who is judged as being partly faithful and partly unfaithful.
• Little is know about Uzziah. Perhaps the most noted event is his death, which is used as an anchor point to date the call of Isaiah (see Isaiah 6:1). It is surprising so little is known about Uzziah because his reign was fifty-two years. This is a period of relative stability for both Judah and Israel.
• After Amaziah's death, his sixteen-year-old son Uzziah was made king and reigned for fifty-two years. (v. 1-3)
• Uzziah did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. (v. 4)
• Uzziah's mentor was Zechariah, who is not otherwise known. Zechariah was probably a very common name. (v. 5)
• Uzziah declared war upon and was victorious against the Philistines. (v. 6)
• Uzziah was successful because the Lord was with him. (v. 7-8)
• Uzziah fortified his kingdom and expanded the farming. (v. 9-10)
• Uzziah had a well-trained and well-armed army. (v. 11-15)

Uzziah's Sin and Punishment

2 Chronicles 16-23

• When Uzziah became very powerful, he also became very proud. And it was his pride that led to his downfall. (v. 16)
• Uzziah defiled the temple by burning incense at the alter, a job which was reserved for the priests (see Exodus 30:7ff). (v. 16)
• Azariah the high priest and other priests confronted Uzziah and told him to stop what he was doing, warning him that the Lord will not honor him for his sin. (v. 17-18)
• Uzziah refused to set down the incense burner and was stricken with leprosy. (v. 19)
• From that point on, Uzziah suffered from leprosy until he died. He lived in isolation and was excluded from the Temple. His son Jotham was put in charge of the palace. (v. 20-21)
• When Uzziah died, he was buried in a nearby burial field because he had leprosy. (v. 22-23)
• Uzziah's sin was a sin of presumption. He tried to approach God in his own way, instead of approaching God in God's prescribed way. As Christians, there is a lesson here for us. We must be attentive to shape our lives to God's pattern instead of trying to shape our God to our lives.
• On the whole, we are left with a feeling of piety related to Uzziah's reign, in spite of his shortcomings.