2 Chronicles 26 Study Notes: Uzziah’s Pride and Leprosy
Uzziah seeks God while Zechariah teaches him, and God helps him win wars, build defenses, and gain fame. Once powerful, he grows proud and enters the temple to offer incense, defying the priests, and the LORD strikes him with leprosy, so he lives apart until his death while Jotham rules in his place.
General
What unfaithful act did Uzziah commit after he became proud (26:16)?
Answer: He went into the temple to offer incense at its altar
Uzziah went into the LORD’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar (26:16). Incense was a sweet-smelling offering burned before the LORD inside the temple, and God had given that task to Aaron (Exodus 30:7-8) and to the priests descended from him. After Korah’s rebellion, the Law had warned that no one outside Aaron’s family should come near to offer incense (Numbers 16:40). Uzziah was a king, not a priest, so he was claiming a role God had not given him. His pride showed itself in reaching for a holy duty that belonged to others.
- 2 Chronicles 26:16 (BSB)“But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”Uzziah’s pride leads him to enter the temple and offer incense himself.
- Exodus 30:7-8 (BSB)“And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.”The Law assigned the burning of incense on that altar to Aaron, the high priest.
- Numbers 16:40 (BSB)“just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.”The Law warned that no one outside Aaron’s line should come near to offer incense.
Theological
In what act did Uzziah’s unfaithfulness consist (26:16)?
Answer: He went into the temple to offer incense at its altar
Uzziah’s unfaithfulness took the form of entering the temple to offer incense on the incense altar (26:16), a priestly act. The Law gave that ministry to Aaron (Exodus 30:7-8), and after Korah’s rebellion it warned that no one outside Aaron’s line may come near with incense (Numbers 16:40). The king intruded upon an office God had not given him, pride expressed as a grasp at sacred prerogative.
- 2 Chronicles 26:16 (BSB)“But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”Uzziah’s pride leads him to enter the temple and offer incense himself.
- Exodus 30:7-8 (BSB)“And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come.”The Law assigned the burning of incense on that altar to Aaron, the high priest.
- Numbers 16:40 (BSB)“just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.”The Law warned that no one outside Aaron’s line should come near to offer incense.
General
Why did Uzziah prevail against the Philistines, the Arabs of Gur-baal, and the Meunites (26:6-7)?
Answer: God gave him help against each of them
Uzziah fought the Philistines, broke through the walls of several of their cities, and built towns in their territory (26:6). The Philistines were a long-time enemy people living along the coast to the west of Judah. The reason for his success is stated clearly: God gave him help against the Philistines, the Arabs, and the Meunites (26:7). The Ammonites also brought him tribute, payments made by a weaker nation to a stronger one, and his fame reached Egypt’s border (26:8). Asa had prayed that only the LORD can help the weak against the strong (2 Chronicles 14:11), and the psalmist says the size of an army never saves a king (Psalm 33:16-17).
- 2 Chronicles 26:6-7 (BSB)“Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built cities near Ashdod and among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabs living in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites.”Uzziah’s campaigns against the Philistines and their neighbors.
- 2 Chronicles 26:8 (BSB)“The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he had become exceedingly powerful.”The Ammonites pay tribute and Uzziah’s fame spreads.
- 2 Chronicles 14:11 (BSB)“Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.””Asa confessed that only the LORD can help the powerless against the mighty.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”No king is saved by a vast army, and no warrior by his great strength.
Theological
To what does 26:7 attribute Uzziah’s victories over the Philistines, Arabs, and Meunites?
Answer: God gave him help against each of them
Uzziah’s campaigns broke down Philistine walls and planted Judean towns in their territory (26:6), but the text attributes the result to divine aid: God gave him help against the Philistines, the Arabs of Gur-baal, and the Meunites (26:7). Tribute from Ammon and fame reaching Egypt followed (26:8). Military success is again the LORD’s gift, the truth Asa confessed in prayer (2 Chronicles 14:11) and the psalmist sang, that an army cannot rescue a king (Psalm 33:16-17).
- 2 Chronicles 26:6-7 (BSB)“Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built cities near Ashdod and among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabs living in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites.”Uzziah’s campaigns against the Philistines and their neighbors.
- 2 Chronicles 26:8 (BSB)“The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he had become exceedingly powerful.”The Ammonites pay tribute and Uzziah’s fame spreads.
- 2 Chronicles 14:11 (BSB)“Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.””Asa confessed that only the LORD can help the powerless against the mighty.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”No king is saved by a vast army, and no warrior by his great strength.
General
What reason does 26:15 give for Uzziah’s widespread fame?
Answer: He was helped greatly until he became strong
Uzziah built towers, dug cisterns, cared for his herds and farms, equipped a large army, and set up skillfully made machines in Jerusalem for launching arrows and hurling stones (26:9-15). His reputation spread widely, and the verse explains why: he received great help until he grew powerful (26:15). The help came from God, as the chapter has already said (26:5, 7). The word until warns of what comes next. Moses had warned Israel that when they prospered they must remember the LORD as the One who gives the ability to gain wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17-18), and Paul asks what anyone has that he did not receive (1 Corinthians 4:7).
- 2 Chronicles 26:15 (BSB)“And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed devices to shoot arrows and catapult large stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped tremendously until he became powerful.”Uzziah’s fame spreads, and the verse names the help behind his strength.
- Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (BSB)“You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.” But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day.”Moses warned Israel to remember that the LORD gives the power to prosper.
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 (BSB)“For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”Everything a person has is received, so there is no ground for boasting.
Theological
What explanation does 26:15 give for the spread of Uzziah’s fame?
Answer: He was helped greatly until he became strong
After describing Uzziah’s fortifications, agriculture, army and siege machines (26:9-15), Chronicles explains that his fame spread because he was greatly helped until he became strong (26:15). The help is God’s (26:5, 7), and the word until marks the turning point: the strength God gave became the occasion of the king’s pride. Moses had warned that prosperity tempts the heart to forget the Giver (Deuteronomy 8:17-18), and Paul reminds believers that all they have is received (1 Corinthians 4:7).
- 2 Chronicles 26:15 (BSB)“And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed devices to shoot arrows and catapult large stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped tremendously until he became powerful.”Uzziah’s fame spreads, and the verse names the help behind his strength.
- Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (BSB)“You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.” But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day.”Moses warned Israel to remember that the LORD gives the power to prosper.
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 (BSB)“For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”Everything a person has is received, so there is no ground for boasting.
General
What were the lasting results of Uzziah’s leprosy (26:21, 23)?
Answer: He lived apart, barred from the LORD’s house, until he died
Uzziah had leprosy until his death (26:21). He lived apart from others, shut out of the LORD’s house, while Jotham his son ran the palace and ruled the people. The Law required anyone with such a skin infection to live apart (Leviticus 13:46) and to stay outside the place where the LORD dwelt among His people (Numbers 5:2-3). The king who forced his way into the temple ended his life unable to enter it at all. Even his burial reflected it: he was laid near his fathers in a burial field owned by the kings, because the people pointed to his leprosy (26:23).
- 2 Chronicles 26:21 (BSB)“So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He lived in isolation, leprous and cut off from the house of the LORD, while his son Jotham had charge of the royal palace and governed the people of the land.”Uzziah remains a leper, living apart, while his son governs.
- 2 Chronicles 26:23 (BSB)“And Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field of burial that belonged to the kings, for the people said, “He was a leper.” And his son Jotham reigned in his place.”Even in burial Uzziah is set apart because of his leprosy.
- Leviticus 13:46 (BSB)“As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.”The Law required a person with this infection to live alone.
- Numbers 5:2-3 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.””Those with skin disease were sent outside the camp where the LORD dwelt.
Theological
What were the lasting consequences of the leprosy that struck Uzziah (26:21, 23)?
Answer: He lived apart, barred from the LORD’s house, until he died
Uzziah remained leprous until his death, living in isolation and excluded from the LORD’s house, while Jotham administered the palace and ruled the nation (26:21). The Mosaic law required such isolation (Leviticus 13:46) and exclusion from the camp where the LORD dwelt (Numbers 5:2-3). The punishment fits the sin: the king who presumed to enter the holy place was permanently barred from it, and even his burial was set apart because of his leprosy (26:23).
- 2 Chronicles 26:21 (BSB)“So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He lived in isolation, leprous and cut off from the house of the LORD, while his son Jotham had charge of the royal palace and governed the people of the land.”Uzziah remains a leper, living apart, while his son governs.
- 2 Chronicles 26:23 (BSB)“And Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field of burial that belonged to the kings, for the people said, “He was a leper.” And his son Jotham reigned in his place.”Even in burial Uzziah is set apart because of his leprosy.
- Leviticus 13:46 (BSB)“As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.”The Law required a person with this infection to live alone.
- Numbers 5:2-3 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.””Those with skin disease were sent outside the camp where the LORD dwelt.
General
True or False: Leprosy appeared on Uzziah’s forehead while he was raging at the priests beside the incense altar.
Answer: True
This is true. Uzziah stood with a censer, a pan for burning incense, in his hand, and he grew furious with the priests (26:19). Leprosy is a serious skin disease that, under the Law, made a person unclean and unable to join in worship. While he was still raging inside the LORD’s house beside the incense altar, leprosy appeared on his forehead (26:19). The priests saw it and rushed him out, and he too was in a hurry to leave, since the LORD Himself had struck him (26:20). God had once struck Miriam with leprosy when she spoke against Moses, His servant (Numbers 12:8-10). The LORD can bring the proud low (Daniel 4:37), and pride brings a person low (Proverbs 29:23).
- 2 Chronicles 26:19-20 (BSB)“Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But while he raged against the priests in their presence in the house of the LORD before the altar of incense, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw his leprous forehead, they rushed him out. Indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had afflicted him.”Uzziah’s anger at the priests is met by the LORD’s judgment.
- Numbers 12:8-10 (BSB)“I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and He departed. As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous,”Miriam was struck with leprosy after speaking against Moses, God’s servant.
- Daniel 4:37 (BSB)“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”God is able to humble those who walk in pride.
- Proverbs 29:23 (BSB)“A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.”A man’s pride brings him low.
Theological
True or False: While Uzziah raged at the priests by the incense altar, leprosy appeared on his forehead.
Answer: True
This is true. Censer in hand, Uzziah raged at the priests, and in that moment, inside the LORD’s house at the incense altar, leprosy appeared on his forehead (26:19). The priests hurried him out, and he himself hastened to leave, since the LORD Himself had struck him (26:20). The judgment is the LORD’s direct act, like the leprosy that struck Miriam when she opposed Moses (Numbers 12:8-10). It demonstrates that God humbles the proud (Daniel 4:37; Proverbs 29:23).
- 2 Chronicles 26:19-20 (BSB)“Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But while he raged against the priests in their presence in the house of the LORD before the altar of incense, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw his leprous forehead, they rushed him out. Indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had afflicted him.”Uzziah’s anger at the priests is met by the LORD’s judgment.
- Numbers 12:8-10 (BSB)“I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and He departed. As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous,”Miriam was struck with leprosy after speaking against Moses, God’s servant.
- Daniel 4:37 (BSB)“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”God is able to humble those who walk in pride.
- Proverbs 29:23 (BSB)“A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.”A man’s pride brings him low.
General
According to 26:16, what led to Uzziah’s downfall?
Answer: He grew proud once he became powerful
The turning point comes right after Uzziah’s success. Once he grew strong, his arrogance brought about his ruin, and he acted unfaithfully toward his God (26:16). The strength God had given him became a reason for pride instead of thanks. Proverbs says pride comes ahead of ruin (Proverbs 16:18), and Moses had warned that prosperity could make Israel’s heart proud so that they would forget the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:14). James quotes Scripture to say that God resists the proud but shows favor to the lowly (James 4:6).
- 2 Chronicles 26:16 (BSB)“But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”Uzziah’s strength turns to pride, and pride to unfaithfulness.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride goes before destruction, as it did for Uzziah.
- Deuteronomy 8:14 (BSB)“then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Moses warned that prosperity could make the heart proud and forgetful of the LORD.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God resists the proud but shows favor to the lowly.
Theological
What does 26:16 identify as the cause of Uzziah’s ruin?
Answer: He grew proud once he became powerful
At the height of his power Uzziah grew arrogant, and this pride brought about his own destruction as he acted unfaithfully against the LORD (26:16). The gifts God had given became the ground of self-exaltation. The pattern is the one Moses foresaw, prosperity breeding a proud heart that forgets the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:14), and the one Proverbs states, that pride precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18). God resists the proud and shows favor to the lowly (James 4:6).
- 2 Chronicles 26:16 (BSB)“But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”Uzziah’s strength turns to pride, and pride to unfaithfulness.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride goes before destruction, as it did for Uzziah.
- Deuteronomy 8:14 (BSB)“then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Moses warned that prosperity could make the heart proud and forgetful of the LORD.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God resists the proud but shows favor to the lowly.
General
What did Azariah the priest and the eighty priests tell Uzziah when they confronted him (26:17-18)?
Answer: Only Aaron’s consecrated descendants may burn incense
Azariah the priest, with eighty courageous priests, went in after the king and stood against him (26:17). They told him that offering incense was not his right, because only the priests descended from Aaron had been consecrated, or set apart by God, to do it. They ordered him out of the sanctuary and warned that his unfaithfulness would bring him no honor from God (26:18). God had given the priesthood to Aaron’s family and forbidden outsiders to approach (Numbers 18:7). Even two of Aaron’s own sons died when they offered incense in a way God had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1-2).
- 2 Chronicles 26:17-18 (BSB)“Then Azariah the priest, along with eighty brave priests of the LORD, went in after him. They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.””Azariah and eighty priests follow Uzziah in and confront him.
- Numbers 18:7 (BSB)“But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.””God gave the priesthood to Aaron’s family and barred outsiders from the sanctuary.
- Leviticus 10:1-2 (BSB)“Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.”Even priests who offered unauthorized fire before the LORD died for it.
Theological
On what ground did Azariah and the priests oppose Uzziah’s offering of incense (26:17-18)?
Answer: Only Aaron’s consecrated descendants may burn incense
Azariah and eighty valiant priests withstood the king (26:17), declaring that the right to burn incense belonged only to the consecrated sons of Aaron, ordering him from the sanctuary, and warning that his trespass would bring him no honor from God (26:18). Their appeal rests on the Mosaic allotment of the priesthood to Aaron’s house, with outsiders barred from the sanctuary (Numbers 18:7). The fate of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s own sons, shows how seriously God guards worship at His altar (Leviticus 10:1-2).
- 2 Chronicles 26:17-18 (BSB)“Then Azariah the priest, along with eighty brave priests of the LORD, went in after him. They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.””Azariah and eighty priests follow Uzziah in and confront him.
- Numbers 18:7 (BSB)“But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.””God gave the priesthood to Aaron’s family and barred outsiders from the sanctuary.
- Leviticus 10:1-2 (BSB)“Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.”Even priests who offered unauthorized fire before the LORD died for it.
General
True or False: 2 Chronicles 26:5 links God’s giving Uzziah success to the time when Uzziah was seeking the LORD.
Answer: True
This is true. The verse says that for as long as Uzziah kept seeking the LORD, God made him prosper (26:5). His success was God’s gift, not simply the result of his own skill. The words for as long as also hint that the seeking did not last, which the second half of the chapter will show. This matches a central theme of Chronicles: the LORD is found by those who seek Him, but He forsakes those who forsake Him (2 Chronicles 15:2; 1 Chronicles 28:9). Without the LORD, all human building and guarding is wasted effort (Psalm 127:1).
- 2 Chronicles 26:5 (BSB)“He sought God throughout the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.”Uzziah’s success is tied to the time he spent seeking the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 (BSB)“So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”The LORD is found by those who seek Him, but forsakes those who forsake Him.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 (BSB)“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”David told Solomon that the LORD is found by those who seek Him.
- Psalm 127:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.”Unless the LORD builds and guards, human labor is in vain.
Theological
True or False: According to 26:5, God gave Uzziah success for the whole period in which he was seeking the LORD.
Answer: True
This is true. Uzziah prospered while he kept seeking the LORD, and the prosperity is credited to God (26:5). The temporal qualifier anticipates the reversal of 26:16. The verse applies Chronicles’ governing theme, set out by Azariah son of Oded and by David, that the LORD is found by those who seek Him and forsakes those who forsake Him (2 Chronicles 15:2; 1 Chronicles 28:9), and that every human achievement depends on Him (Psalm 127:1).
- 2 Chronicles 26:5 (BSB)“He sought God throughout the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.”Uzziah’s success is tied to the time he spent seeking the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 (BSB)“So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”The LORD is found by those who seek Him, but forsakes those who forsake Him.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 (BSB)“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”David told Solomon that the LORD is found by those who seek Him.
- Psalm 127:1 (BSB)“A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.”Unless the LORD builds and guards, human labor is in vain.
General
During what period does 2 Chronicles 26:5 say Uzziah sought God?
Answer: He sought God while Zechariah taught him to fear God
Uzziah pleased the LORD (26:4), and he sought God all through the lifetime of a man named Zechariah, who taught him to fear God (26:5). To fear God means to honor Him with reverent awe and obedience. Scripture links godly teaching and reverence for the LORD with a right path: the LORD instructs the person who fears Him (Psalm 25:12), and knowledge begins with fearing the LORD (Proverbs 1:7).
- 2 Chronicles 26:5 (BSB)“He sought God throughout the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.”Uzziah’s early years are marked by seeking God under Zechariah’s instruction.
- Psalm 25:12 (BSB)“Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.”The LORD instructs the one who fears Him in the path set out for him.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.
Theological
With whose influence does 26:5 associate the period of Uzziah’s seeking God?
Answer: He sought God while Zechariah taught him to fear God
Uzziah sought God through the lifetime of Zechariah, his teacher in reverent fear of God (26:5). His instruction shaped the king’s early faithfulness. It fits Scripture’s testimony that the LORD instructs the one who fears Him (Psalm 25:12) and that reverence for the LORD is where knowledge starts (Proverbs 1:7).
- 2 Chronicles 26:5 (BSB)“He sought God throughout the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.”Uzziah’s early years are marked by seeking God under Zechariah’s instruction.
- Psalm 25:12 (BSB)“Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.”The LORD instructs the one who fears Him in the path set out for him.
- Proverbs 1:7 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.