Uzziah became king at the age of sixteen and for most of his life he did what pleased the Lord other than not removing the hilltop shrines from the land of Judah. The author of 2 Chronicles told us in our last study session that as long as Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, the Lord gave him success. As we move on through the account of his life in 2 Chronicles we see that the land of Judah prospered during his reign.
"He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful." (2 Chronicles 26:6-8) Uzziah was successful against his people's ancient enemy, the Philistines, and was able to make several other tribes and nations subject to Judah so that they had to pay tribute to his nation.
The king took steps to protect his nation from without and from within, plus he built up the infrastructure of Judah. "Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil." (2 Chronicles 26:9-10) The king and the people enjoyed a time of economic stability as well as a time of peace from their enemies. The livestock flourished on the hills and in the meadows and the crops flourished in the fields. These are blessings promised by the Lord in Deuteronomy 28 as the reward of being faithful to Him.
"Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. The total number of the family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful." (2 Chronicles 26:11-15) The author tells us the king was greatly helped until he became powerful. What happened after he became powerful?
"But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall." (2 Chronicles 26:16a) The Lord didn't abandon Uzziah after making him powerful; Uzziah drifted from the Lord after he became powerful. It's as if he said, "Thanks for what You've done for me. I can take it from here." It's as if he forgot that he owes everything he is and everything he has to the Lord and begins to think he is somebody without the Lord.
Uzziah didn't become powerful and prosperous on his own and he can't remain powerful and prosperous on his own. He needs to remain close to the Lord every day of his life, depending on the Lord instead of on his military strength, his economic strength, or the power of his position over the nation.
The same can be said for you and for me today. We didn't make it this far without the Lord's help. Any successes we've had are due to Him. Any good things we've enjoyed in this life are due to Him. We won't even be able to take the next breath unless He gives strength to our bodies; how then can we possibly do anything of value without Him? In tomorrow's study we learn what happens to Uzziah when he makes the mistake of believing he can do anything of value without the Lord.
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