2 Chronicles 26
McGee2 Chronicles 26:1
UZZIAH’S REIGNNow the son of Amaziah, Uzziah, came to the throne when he was only a teenager. Uzziah was a good king but not an outstanding one. There was no revival during his reign. It was during this period, by the way, that Isaiah began his ministry. He was commissioned at the death of Uzziah, as Isaiah tells us in Isa_6:1. As we have seen, the northern kingdom did not have a good king, not one. In the southern kingdom there were a few good kings.
Five of them could be considered exceptional because during their reign there was revival and reformation. Uzziah’s reign did not produce revival, but he was a good king. The denominational seminary from which I graduated was quite liberal, but it did have a Bible course, although it was very fragmentary. One of the questions that had been asked from time immemorial was to name the kings of Israel and Judah and briefly describe the reign of each. Some ingenious freshman of days gone by had discovered that if you would write after each one of them, “A bad king,” you couldn’t make less than ninety five percentand what freshman wants to make more than that? So what we all did was memorize the kings and write after each one of them, “A bad king.” Now when we wrote, “Bad king” after Uzziah’s name, we were wrong; Uzziah was not exceptional, but he was a good king.
2 Chronicles 26:6
UZZIAH’S SUCCESSESGath was one of the strongholds of the Philistines. I visited Ashdod some time ago. It is experiencing a tremendous business boom today because they have made a harbor there. In the old days the ancient ships could come to Caesarea but not to Ashdod. Now there is a wonderful man-made harbor there, and I suppose it receives more of the goods that are being shipped in and out of Israel than any other port. It is the place where the oil pipe lines come from the Red Sea. The oil is piped, put into the tankers, and carried from there. There is building going on everywhere. Now this entire area is what Uzziah took. All of this was Philistine country. But that wasn’t all:
2 Chronicles 26:8
We are told that he “loved husbandry"he was a farmer at heart, a farmer and a rancher. Down in that area from Ashdod and Ashkelon and Gath, all the way down to Beer-sheba, is great pasture land. It is today a great place for raising cattle and sheep, which is what Uzziah did. Then on up toward Carmel is the valley of Esdraelon, and that is great fruit country, especially vineyards. We are told that King Uzziah loved that sort of thing.
2 Chronicles 26:11
The southern kingdom of Judah was strong militarily at this time.
2 Chronicles 26:14
In ancient warfare they had certain kinds of machines that would hurl rocks. Also they could fix bows that would shoot arrows without being pulled by human power. And they were able to build bows of tremendous size that would shoot arrows a great distance. It is interesting to note that this man Uzziah was responsible for this new method of warfare. Now Uzziahas we have seen with all the kings, even the good oneshas a chink in his armor. Each has a weakness; each has his Achilles’ heel. That is man even today. Regardless of what man he is, there is a weak spot in him.
2 Chronicles 26:16
UZZIAH’S WEAKNESSSometimes success is the worst thing that can happen to any of us, because we become lifted up with pride. Pride was Uzziah’s downfall. He went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. Wasn’t that all right? No, it was all wrong for him. Why?
2 Chronicles 26:17
The priests could actually resist the king in this matter. The king was usurping the priest’s office; he was doing what was strictly forbidden for anyone to do except the sons of Aaron. Only the priests of the line of Aaron could enter into the holy placethe golden lampstand and the altar of incense were there.
2 Chronicles 26:19
This was instant judgment from God upon Uzziah.
2 Chronicles 26:20
The son of Uzziah had to take over the affairs of state, because Uzziah was in quarantine for the rest of his life.
2 Chronicles 26:22
In the prophecy of Isaiah, we read that Isaiah began his ministry at the death of Uzziah (Isa_6:1).
2 Chronicles 26:23
Uzziah’s funeral could almost be called a happy funeral. Death for a Christian should not be a dread. Paul could say to the Thessalonian believers, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1Th_4:13). Also to the Corinthian Christians he said, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1Co_15:55). Funerals are not always as sad as they seem.
The funeral of Uzziah was not sad. Why not? He was a leper. Uzziah had been a good king, but God records his son also. He had intruded into the priest’s office. That was the spot on the apple.
His sin was the sin of presumption. There are still people today who sin by presumption. They attempt to approach God by man’s way and not by God’s way. God has told us that we must come to him in His way. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Joh_14:6). Uzziah had tried to come to God in his own way, and he had become a leper.
This was a terrible disease. It was an awful disease physically, it was an awful disease psychologically, and it was an awful disease in every way. It entailed a great deal of suffering. Death for Uzziah was a sweet release. Uzziah was God’s man in spite of his sin, and God judged him for his sin. Remember that Paul wrote to the believers, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1Co_11:31).
Uzziah was judged of God down here, but he went to Paradise as God’s man. There are multitudes of believers who are helpless and hopeless in a frail and feeble body. One of these days there will be a sweet release for them. What a wonderful and joyful thing it is to go into the presence of Christ! There is nothing to sorrow about in a case like that. I imagine Jotham was dry-eyed at the funeral of his father. I’m sure he loved his father, and he understood that his father was a saved man.