“And Uzziah . . . when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him,” 2 Chronicles 26:14, 16-20.
Paul wrote, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,” Romans 15:4. There is much to be learned from the verses from 2 Chronicles 26 which I have quoted above. I read them on the Lord’s Day, 22nd December.
How very relevant they are for the Free Presbyterian Church today!
The first thing I would have you notice in the verses is that:
I. GOOD MEN CAN MAKE VERY SERIOUS MISTAKES!
1. Without a shadow of doubt, Uzziah was a good man, a great man! We can take God’s word on that!
“Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper,” 2 Chronicles 26:3-5.
2. Yet despite his undoubted regeneration by the grace of God, he committed a dreadful sin. We are told the ‘source’ of his sin. “And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction,” verses 15-16. That phrase simply means that when his kingdom became wonderfully strong for the Lord “marvellously helped” him, he became proud and haughty, and that to his “destruction”.
3. No matter what we may have accomplished for the Lord, wrongdoing will not be excused or overlooked! A sinful nature abides and continues to work within every child of God. Holy Paul said: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:18-24.
Success in the work of God presents any who enjoy such with a strong temptation to take the credit for what the Lord has done though them and take to themselves the glory that belongs to God alone!
As we commonly say: ‘We get too big for our boots’!
It happens to Christians all too often. Elders, preachers — those who hold office in the house God — they can be infected with the spirit that led Uzziah astray. There can be an evaluation of ourselves and what it is we can do which is an offence to God and results in a sharp bringing of us down!
II. SOME MISTAKES HAVE VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
1. The sin which Uzziah committed was most offensive to the Lord. What Uzziah did in his pride was:
1. He acted in disobedience to God’s Word. “He transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense,” verse 16. He decided that he had the power to take upon himself the duty which the Lord has ascribed to the priests alone. Now, he undoubtedly would have been seeking to honour the Lord by seeking to “to burn incense upon the altar of incense.” But we cannot of ourselves decide how best to serve the Lord and show Him honour. We must do that in the manner the Lord sets down in His Word. The Bible is our ‘Book of ordinance and order” and we must live and worship in accordance with what is plainly and repeatedly stated there for our learning!
2. He not only did that which was forbidden him but he went where he was forbidden to go. He ”went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.” That means he went to the into “the holy place” where only the priests were permitted to go and tried to do that which only the priests were permitted to do.
Such actions have been committed by innumerable men throughout the ages who, as Uzziah, took upon themselves to alter how the Lord is to be worshipped. Uzziah ignored the Word of God and invented to himself a ‘NEW’ way of honouring the Lord that was pleasing to his own thinking!
Many places of worship, where the Lord is professed to be honoured and glorified, have within them rituals and ceremonies and all sorts of man-invented gestures and movements and utterances which men has concluded would all help in the worship of God IRRESPECTIVE of nothing of the sort being commanded by God in His Word!
This can happen in the most fundamental of denominations! There is a controversy at present with the ranks of our own church regarding hymns of modern composition and music, which it is believed will appeal to young people and those who want to see a ‘more modern’ image given to the ‘Church of Christ’.
2. But where is the authority for such changes? Doubtless Uzziah had heard how the kings of the other nations all acted as priests and he, with his swollen notion of his own importance, thought it perfectly proper to take on such a role for himself, irrespective of what the Word of God had to say!
The arrogance of Nebuchadnezzar, who ‘dedicated’ his golden image in utter defiance of the Second Commandment, was of the same ilk as that which possessed the heart and mind of Uzziah and, I might add, those who feel they can abandon the God-honoured Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs used in worship by His people for centuries, and replace them with that which bears all the marks of conformity to the ways of the world today!
The spirit of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 16:1-35) is that which is abroad today.
3. However casual some may be about altering that which God has commanded and honoured, He most certainly is not! “Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar,” 2 Chronicles 26:19.
How little we know of the wrath of God, even against His own. How quickly and without due attention we read over verses such as those in 1 Corinthians 11. “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world,” verses 27-32.
It is not light thing to offend God!
III. IT IS THE DUTY OF GOD’S SERVANTS TO ACT SO AS TO PREVENT THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD BEING DEFIED AND THE HOUSE OF GOD DEFILED.
Here we come to the title of our article. In every age, the Church of God needs men like Azariah the priest and the fourscore priests of the LORD who with him stood up against the king!
1. It takes special courage and devotion to the Lord to stand up to a Uzziah who goes astray. The king could call many to aid him and deal with the priests harshly. It is evident that he was about to unleash upon the faithful priest his wrath. “Then Uzziah was wroth.” Kingly wrath is awe-inspiring! I will always remember the verses which Dr Paisley preached upon at my ordination, the 57th anniversary of which is drawing near.
“For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee,” Jeremiah 1:18-19.
Now I have never had to confront kings. But I have confronted some who thought themselves kings and who could therefore do as they pleased! God’s help is needed on such occasions! There is a need for the outspken courage and defiant conviction of the apostles who replied to their leaders question: “Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him,” Acts 5L28-32. Of course, we should be ready for the possible response of evil men! “When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them,” verse 33.
2. The actions of godly men can anger those whom they seek to hinder in their wrongdoing. Uzziah was not unique in his reaction to the rebuke of the priests! Many faithful servants of God have suffered at the hands of men to whom they offered in kindness God’s warning message.
Here are but two examples.
“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time,” 2 Chronicles 16:7-10.
“Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand? And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel,” 2 Chronicles 25:14-16.
As Paul exhorted Timothy, so must we take heed. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,” 2 Timothy 2:3.
3. What a model of behaviour these priests set before every servant of God in this day of defiance and apostasy. “And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God,” verses 17-18. Doubtless, there would have been the suggestion come up before them to just ignore the king, let others deal with the matter, just don’t get involved, your future wellbeing could very well suffer greatly!
Those notions are floating about within the Free Presbyterian Church today as there is an attempt to tamper with and alter the order God has ordained.
Only ‘valiant’ men will ignore such cowardly whims!
4. God’s hand of affliction upon Uzziah was immediate and most severe! “And while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD,” verse 19. He was tumbled from his throne by the finger of God. He ceased to be king in truth and lived out his days in isolation.
Men who act in the fashion of Uzziah and go beyond that which has been ordained of God, and who resist the proper efforts to stop their folly, will be banished from all earthly service henceforth!
May the Lord give us all grace to learn this lesson amidst today’s increasing controversies!
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
1st January 2025