2 Chronicles 26:16

14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones.

15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by ^askillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.

The Penalty for Uzziah’s Pride

16 But ^awhen he was strong his heart was ^blifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God ^cby entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

17 So ^aAzariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men.

18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It ^ais not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the ^bpriests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.”

19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, ^aleprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar.

20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also ^ahurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.

21 ^aKing Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an ^bisolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, ^athe prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz wrote.

23 ^aSo Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< 2 Chronicles 26:15

2 Chronicles 26:17 >>

What Does 2 Chronicles 26:16 Mean?

2 Chronicles 26:16

Uzziah presumptuously disregarded God's Word, which says that only the priests were to do this responsibility. Success after success had spoiled his character. He became arrogant, conceited, filled with inordinate self-esteem. His heart was lifted up with pride, and he tried to emulate the Oriental kings around him and become a priest also.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Why Three Kings Are Missing From Matthew 1

2 Chronicles 26:16-21

What is God's reaction to presumptuous sin? There is no mercy! He immediately struck Uzziah with leprosy, and the man was cut off. It sounds like he was cut off from just about everything for the rest of his life. He pretty much lost his crown—lost everything. He certainly lost his health, all because he sinned presumptuously.

Ambition is not a trait that impresses God—certainly not presumptuous ambition. He is looking for a humble man who will stay where God has put him and do what God tells him to do. Uzziah was king over God's people Israel. Was that enough? No! To Uzziah, he wanted to be a priest as well.

It was his strength (verse 16), his pride, that drove him to do this presumptuous act. His heart was lifted up within him to make him think that he was worthy of more than what God had given him. He became discontent with his place. He was dissatisfied with what God had given him (his position as king); and he took to himself a position that was somebody else's.

God would never give him the authority to be a priest: He was a Jew, and the law says that only a son of Aaron could be a priest—a Levite. Uzziah knew that! But in spite of all the warnings, all of what God says, and in spite of what the priests themselves told him—he did it anyway.

Is it not interesting that he was struck with leprosy in his forehead? That should tell us something. What does leprosy stand for? What is it a symbol of? Defilement! It is a symbol of uncleanness—of being impure. Remember in the Pentateuch, all those rules about if somebody had a spot then they were to remain outside the camp? And they were to wash and do all various things. What they were looking for was leprosy. All the things that they had to do—all the washings, all the inspections, and everything else—were to certify whether the person was clean or unclean.

God put this uncleanness—this mark of defilement—right on Uzziah's forehead, where he could not hide it. What is right behind the forehead? The mind is the seat of intellect, as well as the seat of our character. The mind is where it is all being stored. That is where we think. God put this mark on this man's forehead to show that his character had been defiled—by presumptuousness, by this overweening pride that he was greater than what God had made him.

This is why presumptuousness is such a terrible, damnable sin—because it defiles character that has been built. It ruins it, to the point that God cannot work with it any more. He says that person shall be cut off from His people. There is no sacrifice for this kind of sin. That is how serious presumptuousness is.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Presumptuousness

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 2 Chronicles 26:16:

2 Kings 15:2-5
2 Kings 15:2-5
2 Chronicles 26:4

<< 2 Chronicles 26:15

2 Chronicles 26:17 >>

Join 137,180+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

The Penalty for Uzziah’s Pride

What Does 2 Chronicles 26:16 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning