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A Great Kings Downfall - The Book of 2 Chronicles · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and
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  Speaker 1: said unto him, It appeareth not unto thee, Uzziah, to
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  Speaker 1: burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the
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  Speaker 1: son of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense. Go
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  Speaker 1: out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, neither shall
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  Speaker 1: it be for thine honor from the Lord God. 2
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  Speaker 1: Chronicles 26 18 Lord, through all the stories of these
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  Speaker 1: great kings, one thing remains seen and heard through all
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  Speaker 1: of the Scriptures, the pride and the arrogance that can
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  Speaker 1: come with influence and increase. With this before me, I
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  Speaker 1: thank you, Lord, for protecting me against the arrogance that
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  Speaker 1: can come from hitting my goals and achieving success. May
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  Speaker 1: my heart remain steadfast and focused. on abiding in your
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  Speaker 1: presence and seeking your face. I confess that honor and
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  Speaker 1: respect will be major pillars when it comes to honoring
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  Speaker 1: you and those you've entrusted to carry out your way, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: Let me never walk around like King Uzziah, believing that
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  Speaker 1: I am better than others and that your word doesn't
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  Speaker 1: apply to me. Let my actions and intentions be in
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  Speaker 1: sync with your principles. I declare that my mind is
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  Speaker 1: alert and my eyes are open so that I will
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  Speaker 1: not fall but will rise when you open the door
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  Speaker 1: to increase and influence. In Jesus' name. Amen. Listening to
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  Speaker 1: these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing
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  Speaker 1: from the Lord by listening to today's A.
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  Speaker 2: Great King's Downfall In our last story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: the rule of Amaziah. He defeated a great threat, but
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  Speaker 2: grew arrogant and pompous. The Lord humbled Amaziah in the
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  Speaker 2: battle against Israel, He was shamed in front of his
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  Speaker 2: people and died in exile. Now we learn about one
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  Speaker 2: of the greatest kings Judah has ever known. This king
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  Speaker 2: mirrored many qualities that made David and Solomon great. He
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  Speaker 2: was inventive, courageous, and noble. However, his name grew too
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  Speaker 2: great for his own fragile heart to handle.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of 2 Chronicles.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous episode, we
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  Speaker 4: heard about King Amaziah's downfall. Though he at first sought
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  Speaker 4: to follow God and trust Him, his wavering faith opened
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  Speaker 4: the door to doubt, bitterness, and resentment. He stopped trusting
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  Speaker 4: in God's goodness and turned to idols and self-gratification. Ultimately,
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  Speaker 4: he died in defeat and with a heart filled with resentment.
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  Speaker 4: still clinging to the idols that had no real power
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  Speaker 4: and no comfort for him. Today, we'll learn of a
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  Speaker 4: truly great king, a man who exhibited many of the
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  Speaker 4: best traits of David and Solomon. But though he was
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  Speaker 4: one of the great kings of Judah, he was also
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  Speaker 4: a man prone to sin and filled with brokenness. Listen
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  Speaker 4: now to God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The people of God were desperate for a hero, a
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  Speaker 2: symbol of faithfulness and a pillar of strength. They craved
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  Speaker 2: a godly king. They longed for a man who would
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  Speaker 2: lead as David once did, a man with strength and humility,
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  Speaker 2: a man of courage and tact. They prayed desperately for
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  Speaker 2: this king to arise. They believed that king to be
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  Speaker 2: the young boy Uzziah. The son of Amaziah was sixteen
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  Speaker 2: when the elders came to him and anointed him as king.
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  Speaker 2: His father had met a shameful demise. But there was
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  Speaker 2: hope that Uzziah would be different. He was a bright
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  Speaker 2: young man. He was strong and had a good heart.
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  Speaker 2: His mother, Jecholiah, was wise and nurturing. Uzziah was made
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  Speaker 2: king at sixteen and immediately pursued God for wisdom and fortitude.
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  Speaker 2: King Uzziah did what was right in the sight of God.
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  Speaker 2: He thought through the will and purposes behind God's law.
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  Speaker 2: He studied kings before him and learned from their victories
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  Speaker 2: and failures. He also leaned on a great council of
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  Speaker 2: different men and women. He sought their guidance on all
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  Speaker 2: political and military matters. The man he leaned on most
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  Speaker 2: was Zechariah the prophet. He instructed the young king on
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  Speaker 2: how to fear and obey God. He guided him in
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  Speaker 2: matters of the heart and soul, and taught him how
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  Speaker 2: to seek.
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  Speaker 3: Wisdom and justice.
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  Speaker 2: As long as Uzziah sought the will of God, everything
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  Speaker 2: he did prospered. Uzziah was not interested in the petty
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  Speaker 2: rivalry with Israel his father started. He knew that the
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  Speaker 2: true threat was among the Philistines. They had been secretly
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  Speaker 2: amassing a great army to raid Judah. Uzziah waged war
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  Speaker 2: against the enemy nation. With the wisdom of many commanders
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  Speaker 2: behind him, he sent several attacks towards the walls of Gaith.
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  Speaker 2: With each attack, the wall grew weaker and weaker. Uzziah
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  Speaker 2: sent men in with battering rams to slam against the walls.
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  Speaker 2: He would send archers to cover the men from enemy fire. Soon,
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  Speaker 2: the walls began to crumble. The earth quaked as the
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  Speaker 2: stones fell to the floor. The Philistines were exposed to
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah's final attack. against the city. God gave Uzziah favor
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  Speaker 2: and he crushed the Philistines before they could gather themselves.
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah's victory in battle gained him the respect and fear
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  Speaker 2: of other nations. The Ammonites gave Uzziah tribute and pledged
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  Speaker 2: their loyalty to him as king. His fame spread even
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  Speaker 2: to the distant nation of Egypt. Rumors of Uzziah crushing
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  Speaker 2: the walls of Gaith single-handedly spread like wildfire. Although they
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  Speaker 2: were just rumors, they hinted at a growing strength in
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  Speaker 2: the young king. But Uzziah knew it was the favor
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  Speaker 2: of God. After the Philistines were defeated, Uzziah moved on
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  Speaker 2: to his next concern, the defenses of Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 3: He erected towers.
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  Speaker 2: At each gate along the wall. He also built towers
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  Speaker 2: in the wilderness beyond Jerusalem to protect farmland and villages.
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  Speaker 2: King Uzziah was becoming a great warrior, but his real
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  Speaker 2: passion was was for farming and tending to the livestock.
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  Speaker 2: So he took great care into making sure they were protected.
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah paid much attention to his commanders and secretaries. He
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  Speaker 2: made sure they were taken care of. In not much time,
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  Speaker 2: King Uzziah even gained the loyalty of many might men
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  Speaker 2: in the country. 2,600 mighty men followed Uzziah into battle,
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  Speaker 2: more so than King David himself. Under those men was
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  Speaker 2: an army of 307,500 soldiers.
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  Speaker 3: They were well-equipped and well-fed.
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  Speaker 2: The young king knew that in order to keep the
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  Speaker 2: nation safe, he had to keep his army strong. Even
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  Speaker 2: more important, they needed to love him. King Uzziah had
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  Speaker 2: an inquisitive mind. He tinkered with wood, steel, gears, and wheels.
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  Speaker 2: He gathered skillful men who knew mathematics and engineering. Together...
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  Speaker 2: They invented machines to be placed on every tower. These
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  Speaker 2: machines shot arrows and great stones at opposing forces. The
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  Speaker 2: technology was advanced. Another line of defense was Uzziah's reputation.
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  Speaker 2: Word of his weapons, armies, and towers spread. Uzziah designed
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  Speaker 2: a name for himself that would cause all of Judah's
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  Speaker 2: enemies to fear. This, he knew, was the greatest weapon
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  Speaker 2: of all. Stories of Uzziah's power spread throughout the land.
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  Speaker 2: His name was greatly feared, and his reputation painted him
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  Speaker 2: almost as a god. These stories began to seep into
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah's heart. As he grew stronger, so did his pride. Eventually,
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah saw himself above the law. One morning, Uzziah entered
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  Speaker 2: into the temple of God to worship. However, he went
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  Speaker 2: in without the priests. He strutted around the temple halls
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  Speaker 2: as if he had built it himself. The king entered
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  Speaker 2: into the temple and began to burn incense, a custom
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  Speaker 2: only meant for priests. Azariah walked in with eighty of
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  Speaker 2: his priests and saw what Uzziah was doing. They gasped
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  Speaker 2: at the king's arrogance. He knew that there was a
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  Speaker 2: checks and balance between the priests and king. The king
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  Speaker 2: was not to rule over the temple as well. You
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  Speaker 2: should not be doing this, Azariah exclaimed. You should leave here, now!
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  Speaker 2: Doing this will not bring you honor from God. Uzziah
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  Speaker 2: rolled his neck back as he listened to the priest.
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  Speaker 3: He was annoyed at them.
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  Speaker 2: He was about to respond in anger when a strange
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  Speaker 2: tingling emerged on his forehead. He felt lightheaded and feverish.
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  Speaker 2: He leaned against the altar, trying to regain balance. Uzziah
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  Speaker 2: grew fearful as he watched the priests step back from him. Confused,
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  Speaker 2: Uzziah grabbed a silver bowl and held it up at
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  Speaker 2: his face. Like a rising tide, Uzziah could see leprosy
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  Speaker 2: spreading across his forehead. The priests rushed him out and
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  Speaker 2: took him to his chambers. There the king began to rot.
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  Speaker 2: His skin peeled back from his face. His fingers and
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  Speaker 2: toes began to separate from his body. A sharp pain
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  Speaker 2: was replaced by a dull ache as his body decayed.
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  Speaker 3: For the rest of.
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  Speaker 2: His days, Uzziah suffered as a leper. He died humbled
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  Speaker 2: by the sovereignty of God. Uzziah died shamefully, as did
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  Speaker 2: his father. However, his son Jotham would not make the
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  Speaker 2: same mistakes. Jotham was 25 years old when he took
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  Speaker 2: the throne after his father. He pursued God from beginning
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  Speaker 2: to end. For 16 years, Jotham tore down idols, built defenses,
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  Speaker 2: and made allies. He grew into a mighty warrior and
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  Speaker 2: defeated the Ammonites in battle. They paid tribute to him
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  Speaker 2: every second and third year. Jotham set a strong and
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  Speaker 2: godly example for the rest of Judah. The nation loved Uzziah,
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  Speaker 2: but his son Jotham was the one to truly finish well.
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  Speaker 4: As we begin today's reading, Judah is without a king.
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  Speaker 4: Amaziah had fled in disgrace to die in exile. The
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  Speaker 4: elders looked then to his son Uzziah, who was merely
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  Speaker 4: a boy at age 16. Yet despite his youth, Uzziah
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  Speaker 4: possessed a desire for wisdom and a humility to seek
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  Speaker 4: guidance from those who sought God. Uzziah set immediately about
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  Speaker 4: doing the Lord's business and leaned often on the prophet
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  Speaker 4: Zechariah for God's guidance. It was a remarkable display of
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  Speaker 4: maturity from one so young. Youth does not necessarily disqualify
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  Speaker 4: someone from service, especially when a young person is mature
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  Speaker 4: in the Lord and earnestly desires to seek God and
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  Speaker 4: to know His ways. And because of Uzziah's dedication to
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  Speaker 4: the Lord, God prospered him. He gave the king victories
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  Speaker 4: over the Philistines, the Arabians, and the Meunites. His renown
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  Speaker 4: grew not only in Judah, but as far away as Egypt.
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  Speaker 4: Prosperity was granted to Judah under King Uzziah, and his
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  Speaker 4: military grew stronger and stronger. It seemed like everything the
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  Speaker 4: king did was successful. Judah was functioning in many ways
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  Speaker 4: as God had always intended, bringing glory to God throughout
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  Speaker 4: the region. But today's passage then reminded us that when
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  Speaker 4: success is at the greatest, evil is around the corner.
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  Speaker 4: And it often takes the form of pride. Listen to
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  Speaker 4: what we read in 2 Chronicles 26, verse 16. But
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  Speaker 4: when he was strong, he grew proud to his destruction. Pride.
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  Speaker 4: It will take us out every time. Pride causes us
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  Speaker 4: to believe that we are responsible for our success rather
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  Speaker 4: than God, that we are self-sufficient, and that we are
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  Speaker 4: even above correction, and that we live with entitlement. The
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  Speaker 4: Bible says God will not share his glory with another,
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  Speaker 4: and pride takes away the glory that belongs to God
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  Speaker 4: and God alone. In his pride, Uzziah made a fateful error.
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  Speaker 4: He entered the temple to the altar of incense. It
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  Speaker 4: was a holy place reserved for the priest. Even the
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  Speaker 4: king was not allowed to enter, and Uzziah knew this.
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  Speaker 4: It wasn't an accident or an innocent mistake. This was
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  Speaker 4: willful disregard for God's law. To make matters worse, When
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  Speaker 4: Azariah the priest went in and rebuked him, telling him
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  Speaker 4: to leave lest he face God's judgment, Uzziah did not repent. Instead,
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  Speaker 4: he became indignant. How dare this priest tell him what
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  Speaker 4: to do? God's judgment was swift. And there in the temple,
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  Speaker 4: leprosy broke out all over the king's forehead. He had
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  Speaker 4: lost his sensitivity to the Lord's leading and to God's law,
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  Speaker 4: and the numb, leprous skin was a visual reminder of
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  Speaker 4: this terrible fact. He lived as a leper for the
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  Speaker 4: rest of his days, unable to enter the Lord's house
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  Speaker 4: because he was now unclean. Though he had been a
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  Speaker 4: great king and brought glory to God for many years,
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  Speaker 4: he did not finish his race well. He failed at
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  Speaker 4: the end and marred a legacy that could have been
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  Speaker 4: truly remarkable. Uzziah was succeeded by his son Jotham, who
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  Speaker 4: reigned with righteousness, seeking God all his days. Unlike his father,
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  Speaker 4: Jotham served God faithfully from start to finish. God, we
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  Speaker 4: thank you for so many who have joined us on
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  Speaker 4: our journey through the Bible. And we thank you for
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  Speaker 4: every story. We thank you for the truth of what
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  Speaker 4: you say in your word, that it is always true.
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  Speaker 4: May we learn the lessons well that you are teaching
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  Speaker 4: us as we continue to pursue you and your will
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  Speaker 4: for our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 4: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 4: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage you to
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  Speaker 4: download the Pray.com app and always make Bible reading and
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  Speaker 4: Bible study a priority in your life, along with prayer.
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  Speaker 4: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love.
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  Speaker 4: Let someone know, because by sharing this podcast, you can
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  Speaker 4: truly make a difference in someone's life. And if you
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  Speaker 4: want more resources from me, Jack Graham, as to how
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  Speaker 4: you can grow in your Christian life, then go to jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 4: That's jackgraham.org. God bless you.