Proud Kings, Humble Hearts

Long before the disciples argued about greatness, God showed His people what happens to a proud heart. King Uzziah of Judah is one example.

A young king. Uzziah became king when he was sixteen years old, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:3-4).

Seeking God. Uzziah sought God in the days of a man named Zechariah, who understood the visions of God. As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God helped him do well (2 Chronicles 26:5).

Strong and famous. God helped Uzziah win his battles. He built towers, dug wells and loved farming. Machines on his towers shot arrows and large stones, and his fame spread far and wide. He was wonderfully helped until he became strong (2 Chronicles 26:7-15).

Then his heart changed. But when Uzziah was strong, his heart was lifted up (2 Chronicles 26:16). A heart lifted up is a proud heart. Pride grew in him until he did something God had not allowed.

Into the temple. Uzziah went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. God had given that job only to the priests, the sons of Aaron (2 Chronicles 26:16-18).

The priests stood up to him. Azariah the priest and eighty brave priests went in after the king. They told him that burning incense was not his job, and that he must leave the holy place (2 Chronicles 26:17-18).

Angry at the priests. Uzziah was holding the incense pan, and he became furious with the priests. While he was angry, leprosy, a skin disease, broke out on his forehead (2 Chronicles 26:19).

Brought low. The priests hurried him out, and he hurried to leave too, because the Lord had struck him. He had leprosy until he died, lived in a separate house and could never again go into the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:20-21).

Not every sickness. This was God's judgment on a king who broke God's command in His own temple. Not every sickness is a punishment, and being sick does not mean God is angry with you. Jesus said a man's blindness was not because of his sin or his parents' sin (John 9:3).

The true King. In the year King Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah had a vision. He said, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1). Uzziah's heart was lifted up in pride. Only the Lord is truly high and lifted up.

Pride before a fall. “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). That is what happened to Uzziah. Jesus went the other way: He humbled Himself, died for our sins and rose again, so that proud people like us can be forgiven and come to God through Him.

What to do. Pride often grows when life is going well. When God helps you, thank Him and give Him the credit. Keep seeking Him, the way Uzziah did when he was young.

Uzziah was brought low by God. Other kings humbled themselves before God, and God heard them. Two of them were King Hezekiah and his son, King Manasseh.

Hezekiah's prayer. King Hezekiah trusted God. Once he was so sick he nearly died, and when he prayed, the Lord answered him (2 Chronicles 32:24).

A heart lifted up. But Hezekiah did not thank God for His kindness the way he should have, because his heart was lifted up in pride. God's anger was coming against him and against Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:25).

He humbled himself. Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, and so did the people of Jerusalem. God's anger did not come on them while Hezekiah was alive (2 Chronicles 32:26).

A very bad king. Hezekiah's son Manasseh became king when he was twelve, and he ruled for fifty-five years. He did terrible evil. He built altars to false gods, practiced witchcraft and even set up an idol in God's house (2 Chronicles 33:1-7).

He would not listen. Manasseh led the people of Judah to do even more evil than the nations God had driven out. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen (2 Chronicles 33:9-10).

Carried away. So the Lord brought the army of the king of Assyria against Judah. They captured Manasseh, bound him with bronze chains and carried him off to Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11).

In trouble. In his trouble, Manasseh begged the Lord his God for help. He humbled himself greatly before God and prayed to Him (2 Chronicles 33:12).

God heard him. God listened to Manasseh's prayer and brought him back to Jerusalem to be king again. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God (2 Chronicles 33:13).

A changed king. Manasseh took the false gods and the idol out of God's house. He repaired the altar of the Lord and told the people of Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel (2 Chronicles 33:15-16).

No one too far. Manasseh had done terrible evil for years, yet God heard him when he humbled himself. No one is too far gone for God's mercy.

Jesus came for sinners. Paul wrote that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Jesus never sinned, yet He humbled Himself all the way to the cross. He died for proud sinners like us and rose again.

What to do. When you know you have done wrong, do not hide it or argue. Humble yourself and tell God. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).