By Olubunmi Adebayo
*The story below is one of the most tragic in the Bible.*
*It happened to a man who should have known better.*
*He was one of the greatest kings in the history of the nation of Israel.*
*He became king at just 16 years old, and he reigned for 52 years as a king at Jerusalem.*
*His name is Uzziah – a king greatly helped by God.*
*He achieved spectacular results in military expeditions for Israel – He defeated the enemies of his nation.He declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath,Jabneh and Ashdod. He built new towns in the area. God helped him greatly against the Philistines, the Arabs of Gur and the Meunites, and his fame spread even to far Egypt.*
*He operated a massively organized Army – he built a professional army of 307,500 elite troops under 2,600 clan leaders. He was the first king to fully equip his army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, and bows. He even invented war machines in Jerusalem for shooting arrows and throwing large stones from very high towers surrounding the city of Jerusalem.*
*He built and fortified the walls and towers of Jerusalem at the several known gate corners of the city.*
*His agricultural development and Economy were a marvel :*
*He dug many cisterns, kept great herds in the foothills and plains, and loved the soil – he had many workers for his farms and vineyards in the hills and fertile valleys. He rebuilt the port city of Elath and restored it to Judah.*
*His secret was revealed in the fact that – _”As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success”_.(2 Chron 26:5)*
*But do you know the mistake King Uzziah made? He crossed the boundary he shouldn’t have crossed – he walked into the temple to burn incense even though he knew that only the priests were allowed to do that.*
*The priests even tried to stop him, to no avail – Uzziah had ruled for several years and he should have known better.*
*In that moment of his crossing boundaries that were not meant for him – he came holding a censer, angry at the priests of God. It was in this situation that leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. The priests saw it first. The king saw it too before they rushed him out of the temp :*
*2 Chron 26: [16] “But 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”.*
*[18] “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”.*
*[19]”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”.*
*He never entered again. He lived separately until his death.*
*That is the part that pushes a hard lesson for us all – Uzziah did not fall because he lacked power. He fell because power convinced him he could cross a boundary God had already set long before he was born.*
*The crown did not make him a priest. The throne did not make him untouchable – he acted defying God, and God responded.*
*Success can make a person forget where the line of authority ends. And sometimes the most dangerous sentence is – “I can do whatever I want.” Please permit me to ask you this – “can you do whatever you want?”*
*Note that his fall came after he became strong. The Bible expressly says: _”But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall”_ (2 Chron 26:16)*
*He is the perfect example of the lesson to humanity on failure to recognize boundaries that should never be crossed.*
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©️ Olubunmi S Adebayo.
