But when he was strong, his heart was
lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and
went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And
Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the
LORD, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto
him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but
to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out
of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine
honour from the LORD God.
2 Chronicles 26:16-18
Uzziah,
king of Judah, was certainly a breath of fresh air for a time, for the
Scripture says that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord (cf 2
Chron 26:4). He was a contemporary of the prophet Zechariah, and verse 5 tells
us, as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper (cf. 2 Chron
26:5). The above passage gives us a proper example of what is not seeking the
Lord.
How
does King Uzziah, who overall was good, honorable, and successful, end up dying
in quarantine (cf. 2 Chron 26:21)? The Word tells us that his strength and his
heart were lifted up to his destruction. This is where sin begins with most,
but especially amongst those who would be leaders. Uzziah became convinced he
was able to do something which he never was qualified to do. The Word says this
was sin. This is not the first attempt of unauthorized worship in the Old
Testament, nor will it be the last. However, notice how someone who was doing
so great was punished for a great sin. He was struck with leprosy.
Sin,
even amongst good brethren, is still sin and will be dealt with. The priests
understood this, and they withstood Uzziah. They spoke truth to power. They
obviously knew their own history and that King Saul had priests executed (cf 1
Samuel 22:6-21). However, surely they remembered the Lord struck down Nadab and
Abihu, the sons of Aaron the high priest, over unauthorized fire (Lev.
10:1-2). Out of love these priests were
trying to save the king’s life.
This
offering was isolated to the priests, and no matter what power Uzziah thought
he had, he still had no right. Innovations
destroyed the remaining days of a good king; they can cost you your soul. We
must always return to the pattern that God has established for all the things
we do. If we do not keep to the commandments of the Lord, I hope there are
strong members of this royal priesthood that will be willing to withstand us in
our day of folly.
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
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