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“Lesson 9 - How Satan Deceived Uzziah”
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Lesson 9 - How Satan Deceived Uzziah
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Introduction
The story of Uzziah is recorded in two accounts: 2 Kings 15.1-7 and 2 Chronicles 26. His name means “Yahweh is strong.” In 2 Kings, Uzziah is known as Azariah. This name means “Yahweh helps.” It is believed that Uzziah was his “throne name” and that Azariah was his personal name.?1 His reign started off very well. He was dedicated to God. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper, 2 Chronicles 26.5. Verse 15 also speaks of Uzziah being marvelously helped. These verses serve as bookends on the great success in Uzziah’s early years.
First, God gave him victory over the Philistines. Destroying Gath, Ashdod, and Jabnah were no small thing. God also granted Judah victory over the Arabians and Ammonites. Uzziah’s military victories caused his fame to spread, 26.8. At home, he continually strengthened defenses in and around Jerusalem. He built an exceedingly large and strong army - which stood ready to go to war at a moments notice. The whole number of the heads of fathers’ houses of mighty men of valor was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500, who could make war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy, 2 Chronicles 26.12-13.
During these years, Judah had a very strong economy - perhaps the strongest since the days of Solomon. Generally speaking, times were very good. The prophet Amos gives us a vivid detail of life during the reigns of Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah of Judah, shedding light on the political, social, and economic vitality of the people. Rest from war and being recognized on the stage of world politics, it was a time when the wealthy increased their riches on the back of the poor. The sophisticated ones in society lived in large, luxurious palaces, filled with soft couches and silk cushions. Indulgence in wine, fine music, and high culture were enjoyed by many. Amos 6:1-7 tells us the people were at ease, sleeping on beds of ivory, feeling secure while banqueting on fine food and anointing themselves with precious oils.
Unfortunately for Uzziah, the success went to his head. Pride filled his heart which led to his downfall. His is a tragic story, one that is most certainly worthy of consideration for a 21st century audience. How did Satan deceive Uzziah?
Uzziah’s Downfall
As Uzziah grew older, he began to take personal credit for what God did for him. But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction, 2 Chronicles 26.16. Through the avenue of pride, darkness began to enter his life. Darkness will destroy a person through self exaltation. Uzziah placed himself above God. “If he had only remembered the message of his names, that he was powerful because of the Lord’s help, he would not have fallen.”?2
Darkness worked through pride to deceive Uzziah into thinking the law did not apply to him. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense, 2 Chronicles 26.16b. When confronted by the priest, Azariah, Uzziah became angry and his forehead broke out with leprosy, 26.19. Mosaic law only permitted priests to offer incense in the temple, Exodus 30.1-10. See also Numbers 3.10, 38; 16.40; 18.1-7. Kings were allowed, however, to offer sacrifices on the altar in the temple courtyard, just like every other Israelite.
Uzziah’s sin was the height of presumptuousness. It did not matter what the high priest as well as eighty other priests said. He was determined to have it his way. He knew better. God would understand, he was the king. He forgot or ignored the fact that God’s law applied to him - just as it did everyone else. His strong leadership personality and success had given way to a “headstrong, I-can-do-nothing-wrong attitude. It was precisely his strength that blinded him to the effrontery of his action.?3” Uzziah was forced to learn a very hard lesson. His leprosy would now prevent him from worshipping in the temple. And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD, 2 Chronicles 26.21.
21st Century Application
May we be fully aware of the dangers of pride. Solomon said, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall, Proverbs 16.18. Darkness blinds. Darkness deceives. Darkness influences us to unwittingly move into its trap. Pride moves us to willingly believe its deception. But, our desires are not the standard. We are not the judge of what is right or wrong. No matter what darkness says, God’s law is the standard. It tells us what is right and wrong, good and bad, true and false. God’s thoughts are clear. God does the talking. He is in charge and in control. We are expected to understand and comply with His wishes. Walk as children of light and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord,….Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, Ephesians 5.8b, 10, 17. God’s Word is the unalterable standard. We have no right to change or modify it, Revelation 22.18-19.
Darkness told Uzziah that he should get what he deserved. What he wanted was his right. Darkness pushed him to ignore God’s influence in his life and forget where his blessings came from. Self became the god that knocked the one, true God off the throne of his heart.
Darkness makes you forget where you’ve come from. Our strength and success comes from God. He is the one from whom all blessings flow. He is the one who enables us to withstand temptation. He is the one who supplies us with everything we need. And finally, He is the one who brought us up out of filthiness and a hopeless existence and has given us life. We must constantly battle the subtleness of darkness that seeks to convince us that our blessings originate from some other source. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change, James 1.16-17. Never forget from where you’ve come, Who has granted you success, and Whose strength you stand in, Ephesians 6.10.
What happened to Uzziah can happen to us. We must never view God’s law as an inconvenience. It is not our enemy. We must always possess the type of heart that humbly submits to God out of reverence and respect. We must respond with respect and reverence. The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him, Habakkuk 2.20.
Questions for Discussion
- What was the source of Uzziah’s success?
- Do you see any parallels between our culture and the one of Uzziah’s day? If so, what? Why is this important to consider?
- What problems can be created because of personal success or success as a nation?
- Why do you think Uzziah became angry at Azariah’s warning?
- Read 2 Chronicles 26.16-21. Did God give Uzziah a chance to repent? When did Uzziah become leprous?
- What is a key tactic that darkness uses to deceive us?
- What makes it so tempting to change or ignore God’s law?
- What are some ways that darkness could tempt you to look at God’s law as an inconvenience?
- How can we build humility inside our heart?
- Why is it so important to remember from where we’ve come?
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1 Constable, T. (2012). “Notes on 2 Chronicles” Retrieved 01/28/2012 from http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/2chronicles.pdf
2 Thompson, J.A. (1994). Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles. Nashville: B & H Publishing. p. 300.
3 Thompson.
- Lesson_09_-_How_Satan_Deceived_Uzziah.pdf (257.12 kB)
