2 Chronicles 26:1-23
Uzziah became king at 16, and to his credit, he did right in the Lord’s eyes. He set his heart on seeking God, and the Lord blessed him with a faithful teacher, Zacharias. As long as he sought the Lord, the Lord blessed his reign and caused him to prosper. He will do same for us, as we seek Him earnestly, with our whole hearts.
All was well and good till Uzziah got too strong and powerful for his own good. The Bible says he became unfaithful to the Lord. Unfaithful means not adhering to promises, obligations or allegiances. It means being disloyal. It means not honouring an agreement.
Uzziah had probably forgotten how he’d become so successful. He’d probably forgotten how earnestly he sought and feared the Lord during the early days of his reign. He’d forgotten that God was obliged to bless him because he had a right heart. He no longer minded his obligations to the Lord. His obligation to fear, serve and honour the Lord. I think Uzzy may have gotten to the point where he felt even as powerful as God and that he could do anything literally.
Uzziah’s life ended in disgrace, for God struck him with leprosy. This is a very humbling story. Its food for thought really. God takes our covenant with Him seriously, and will not honour unfaithfulness. Lord you have to help us here. Keep us humble and faithful, in plenty and in poverty. Let neither success nor failure make us turn our backs on you. Keep us humble and grounded O Lord.
‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen (Romans 8:38-39)
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