2 Chronicles 26:16-23: a reflection

16But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly and he trespassed against the LORD his God, for he went into the LORD’s temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the LORD, who were valiant men. 18They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from the LORD God.” 19Then Uzziah was angry. He had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the LORD’s house, beside the altar of incense. 20Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead; and they thrust him out quickly from there. Indeed, he himself also hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him. 21Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and lived in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the LORD’s house. Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. 22Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, wrote. 23So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Jotham his son reigned in his place.

King Uzziah, who had been faithful and successful, grew proud when he became strong, and his pride led him to overstep and to a fall, a warning that strength and success can breed a dangerous pride. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, the account says; he trespassed against the LORD his God. Uzziah had reigned well and been given success; but the very strength and success he enjoyed became the occasion of pride. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up; and this pride led him to presume, to overstep what was his to do, and so to a fall. The strength that should have kept him humble and grateful before God instead bred a pride that brought him down. This shows that strength and success can breed a dangerous pride. Beware the pride that strength and success can breed. Success can lift up the heart to presumption and a fall. The very strength you enjoy can become the occasion of pride. Let strength keep you humble and grateful, not proud.

Notice the turn in Uzziah's story. He had been, for much of his reign, faithful and successful; God had given him strength and prosperity. But the account marks the turning point precisely: when he was strong, his heart was lifted up. It was his very strength and success that became the occasion of his pride. Grown strong, he became proud; and his pride led him to presume, to overstep the bounds of what was his to do, trespassing where he should not have gone; and this brought him to a fall. The strength that might have kept him humble and grateful instead lifted up his heart to his own ruin. This holds a sobering warning about strength and success. We might think that success and strength would make us secure; but they carry a hidden danger. When we grow strong, successful, prosperous, accomplished, our hearts can be lifted up in pride, a sense of our own importance and sufficiency, that leads us to presume, to overstep, to forget our dependence on God and our place before him. The very strength and success we enjoy can become the occasion of a pride that brings us down. This calls us to watchfulness precisely in our strength and success: to let them keep us humble and grateful before God, the giver, rather than lifting us up in pride. We do well to beware the pride that strength and success can breed, letting our strength keep us humble and grateful rather than proud. Beware the pride that strength and success can breed in your heart. Let your strength keep you humble and grateful, not lifted up. Success can lead to presumption and a fall; watch your heart in it. Remember your dependence on God, especially when you are strong.

That is worth taking to heart, for strength and success can breed a dangerous pride, and we do well to beware it, as Uzziah's strength lifted up his heart to his fall. We can think strength and success make us secure; but Uzziah, when he was strong, grew proud and fell. Watch your heart. When you grow strong or successful, do not let your heart be lifted up in pride; let your strength keep you humble and grateful before God, watchful against the pride that could bring you down. Beware the pride that strength and success can breed in your heart, letting your strength keep you humble and grateful before God rather than lifting you up in pride, as King Uzziah, who had been faithful and successful, grew proud when he became strong and his pride led him to overstep and to a fall, a warning that strength and success can breed a dangerous pride, since when he was strong his heart was lifted up so that he did corruptly and trespassed against the LORD; for Uzziah had reigned well and been given success, but the very strength and success he enjoyed became the occasion of pride, so that when he was strong his heart was lifted up and this pride led him to presume and overstep what was his to do and so to a fall, the strength that should have kept him humble and grateful instead breeding a pride that brought him down, which holds a sobering warning, since we might think success and strength would make us secure but they carry a hidden danger, that when we grow strong, successful, and accomplished our hearts can be lifted up in pride and a sense of our own importance and sufficiency that leads us to presume and overstep and forget our dependence on God, the very strength and success we enjoy becoming the occasion of a pride that brings us down, which calls us to watchfulness precisely in our strength and success, to let them keep us humble and grateful before God rather than lifting us up, so that we do well to beware the pride that strength and success can breed.

Lord, King Uzziah, who had been faithful and successful, grew proud when he became strong, and his pride led him to overstep and to a fall, a warning that strength and success can breed a dangerous pride. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, the account says; he trespassed against the LORD his God. Uzziah had reigned well and been given success; but the very strength and success he enjoyed became the occasion of pride. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up; and this pride led him to presume, to overstep what was his to do, and so to a fall. The strength that should have kept him humble and grateful before you instead bred a pride that brought him down. Show me the turn in Uzziah's story. He had been, for much of his reign, faithful and successful; you had given him strength and prosperity. But the account marks the turning point precisely: when he was strong, his heart was lifted up. It was his very strength and success that became the occasion of his pride. Grown strong, he became proud; and his pride led him to presume, to overstep the bounds of what was his to do, and this brought him to a fall. The strength that might have kept him humble and grateful instead lifted up his heart to his own ruin. This holds a sobering warning about strength and success. I might think that success and strength would make me secure; but they carry a hidden danger. When I grow strong, successful, prosperous, accomplished, my heart can be lifted up in pride, a sense of my own importance and sufficiency, that leads me to presume, to overstep, to forget my dependence on you. The very strength and success I enjoy can become the occasion of a pride that brings me down. This calls me to watchfulness precisely in my strength and success. Take that to my heart. When I grow strong or successful, keep me from letting my heart be lifted up in pride; help me let my strength keep me humble and grateful before you, Lord, the giver, watchful against the pride that could bring me down, and remembering my dependence on you especially when I am strong.