2 Chronicles 25-28

May 16

2 Chronicles 25-28

Uzziah was a good king. He reigned for 52 years. He began when he was 15 and was king until he was 67. He developed agriculture in Judah and developed modern warfare of the time. Judah prospered under Uzziah, but his pride led to his downfall.

Uzziah decided that he would go into the temple and burn the incense that only the priest and the descendants of Aaron were to burn. The priest ran in to stop Uzziah, but it was too late. God struck Uzziah with leprosy. When he realized what had happened he was eager to get out of the temple, but for the final years of his reign, he had to live in a separate house and was not able to enter the temple of the Lord because of his leprosy.

Pride has led to the downfall of many leaders. When a person believes they are better than others and can do as they please, disaster is awaiting them. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2, NIV)  In biblical days, as it is today, many great leaders fell from grace because of their pride. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”" (1 Peter 5:5b, NIV)

Pride can sneak up on us if we are not careful. We can be proud that we are not proud. Continual interaction with God and serving people helps us find our balance. Good friends who have permission to speak truth into our lives can keep us in check when we get thinking too highly of ourselves. Pride focuses on what we can do or have done, humility realizes that God is the source and other people make our actions possible.