Uzziah, who was also called Azariah, was the ninth king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The general summary of his reign is that "he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD" (2 Kings 15:3). Yet, the Bible record further states, "And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death" (15:5). What’s that all about?

The reason for Uzziah being struck with leprosy is not recorded in 2 Kings. However, 2 Chronicles 26:16-20 provides this information:

Uzziah made a big mistake, didn’t he? Because this is recorded in our Bibles for our learning (Romans 15:4), let us consider some lessons from this tragic incident in the life of this king-turned-leper.

(1) In order to get "the whole picture" about any Bible subject, it is necessary to read all that the Bible says about that particular topic. In the case of Uzziah, 2 Kings mentions the fact that God smote him with leprosy, but that book does not give the reason or details. The account in 2 Chronicles 26 supplies the reason for his leprosy, plus some of the details surrounding that occasion. What 2 Chronicles records is not a contradiction to what is stated in 2 Kings 15. Rather, it is simply supplementary information that is in complete harmony with what we read in 2 Kings 15.

Sometimes when people read the Bible, they read only one verse or one small section of the Scriptures, then make a conclusion based only on that one portion without giving any consideration to what is stated elsewhere in the Bible. This is a grave mistake! Whether the topic is the salvation of the soul, the worship of the church, or anything else, we must be careful and draw our final conclusions only after we have given due consideration to all that the Bible says about the matter at hand.

(2) Uzziah’s problem was a heart problem. Uzziah suffered from an enlarged heart – not physically, but mentally. He went into a place that he had no right to enter, and there did something that was wrong. It all started with his heart. "But when he was strong, he heart was lifted up to his destruction" (2 Chronicles 26:16). That statement calls to mind the message of Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

When a person "lifts up" his heart in pride, destruction is sure to come. We see that in the life of Haman (Esther 3-7) and King Herod, who refused to give glory to God (Acts 12:21-23). Jesus declared, "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ["humbled," NKJV]; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Luke 14:11). Let us always strive to keep our heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23), not allowing pride to dwell in it.

(3) There is such a thing as unauthorized worship. 2 Chronicles 26:16 states that Uzziah "went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense." By so doing, he "transgressed against the LORD his God" (26:16). As the priest of Jehovah told Uzziah, the work of offering sacrifices or burning incense was the authorized work of the sons of Aaron (26:18). Only the priests of the Lord had the right to enter the temple to offer incense. By God’s decree all priests must be from the tribe of Levi (Deuteronomy 18:1; 21:5). Uzziah was of the tribe of Judah (as were all the other kings of the Southern Kingdom). Thus he had no authority to try and act as a priest.

Uzziah may have been extremely sincere and zealous when he marched into the temple to burn incense. The bottom line, however, is that such conduct was unauthorized, and thus unlawful. He sinned. Anyone that has the idea that just any old kind of worship is acceptable to Jehovah needs to think again. Such was not the case in the Old Testament era, neither is it so under the covenant of the Christ. Jesus taught that the worship of His followers is to be "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Our actions must be in the name of the Christ, i.e., by His authority (Colossians 3:17).

(4) Uzziah received a much-needed rebuke from the priest Azariah. When the king trotted himself right into the temple, the priest and eighty other priests "went in after him" (26:16) and "they withstood Uzziah the king" (26:18). Good for them! It would, no doubt, have been easier and perhaps safer (from the standpoint of their physical lives – you oppose a king and anything can happen!) for them to just keep silent. Hear their mighty words of rebuke to the rebellious king: "It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD . . . go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed . . ." (26:18). That’s telling it like it is, and no crown on a king’s head gave/gives him the right to disregard the commands of the Almighty!

Just what did Uzziah need to hear under the circumstances? Answer: Exactly what the priests told him. It would have done nobody any good whatsoever for the priests to try to comfort the king with deceptive words or to try and cover up his sin and pretend that it did not happen. God saw it, so any attempt on man’s part to sneakily cover it up would have been folly! God knew that what Uzziah did was sinful, and so did the priests. To their credit, they did not look away, but rather charged the king with transgression – they hit it right on the mark.

The priests’ rebuke of Uzziah reminds us of the occasion when Paul rebuked Peter to the face for the latter’s sin (Galatians 2:11-14). It may not be pleasant, but rebuking those in sin is what God calls upon us to do when the situation merits it (Ephesians 5:11; 2 Timothy 4:2). When it comes to the proper motive for such rebuking, Titus 1:13 gives us clear instruction: "Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith."

(5) How a person responds to the truth reveals his/her true character. Proverbs 9:8 says, "Reprove not a scorner ["scoffer," NKJV], lest he hate thee; rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." Sadly, Uzziah’s response when the priests rebuked him was not that of a wise man. "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 . . ." (2 Chronicles 26:19). And why was he angry with the priests? Because they had rebuked him for his violation of God’s will. Put another way, the priests plainly spoke the truth to Uzziah, and he did not like hearing it.

It is often unpleasant to face up to our shortcomings and mistakes, especially when we hear about them from others. In the past when I participated in organized sports, I used to burn inside when my coaches pointed out my mistakes, especially in front of my teammates. But afterwards, honest reflection on their strong words made me realize that in most cases what they had to say was true, and I needed to take it to heart.

How much more serious is the matter of our reaction when we hear God’s truth (John 17:17) or when we are rebuked for transgressing His law. When someone points out to us what the Bible says, we need to be willing to receive it with gladness, not reluctance or anger. If somebody points out what he/she perceives to be our shortcomings or sins on our part, then we should soberly reflect on the truthfulness of what we are hearing about ourselves. The truth, and those that tell it to us, are not our enemies! Paul asked the churches of Galatia, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16). Uzziah’s outrage when he heard the truth of God’s law spoke volumes about his inner self.

It is not likely that any of us will ever have a desire to march into a temple and burn incense on an altar like King Uzziah did. Still, there are some powerful lessons that we should learn from his mistake and the events that surrounded it. May God help us to apply these lessons in our own lives.

-- Roger D. Campbell