Uzziah, Who Could Not Enjoy the Grace He Had Received

Uzziah became king at sixteen, and as long as he sought God, he prospered. He defeated the Philistines in battle, built cities and even equipped his army with new weapons, making the nation strong and wealthy. But as his power grew, his heart grew proud, and he went into the temple to burn incense himself, an offering only the priests were permitted to make.

When the priest tried to stop him, the king turned on him in anger, and in that moment God struck his forehead with leprosy. The grace he had received had not vanished; rather, he could no longer enjoy it. No one betrays God in a single moment. It happens gradually, as priorities are slowly overturned amid wealth, power and praise.

Until the day he died, Uzziah was shut away in a separate house, denied both a king’s authority and a king’s tomb. It was not that he was especially wicked. A nature that loved the world more than the unseen Kingdom kept him from overcoming sin. What allows God’s people to enjoy to the end the grace he has granted is a humble heart that never stops giving thanks for that grace.