An advantage to being inexperienced is that we know that we need help. That was the situation that Uzziah experienced as he was made king at the age of sixteen. He was facing a task that was beyond his ken and he knew he needed divine help:

He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. (2 Chronicles 26:4-5)

Uzziah revealed an important principle from Scripture – as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him. We need to foster a healthy dependence upon the Lord. When Uzziah faced numerous enemies, we see that God helped him because he was seeking Him. As God blessed him, Uzziah grew strong and powerful:

The Ammonites also gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified them. (2 Chronicles 26:8-9)

We must realize that our success may be the first step toward our downfall. Uzziah experienced the dilemma of hubris born of success:

But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. (2 Chronicles 26:16)

The novice knows that he doesn’t know and has a learning mindset. The master knows what he knows and understands there are things he doesn’t know. The prideful person does not realize what he doesn’t know. We must realize that there are unknown unknowns. This is an acknowledgment of our human limitations and keeps us seeking after God. John Flavel reminds us, “They who know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.” God’s practice throughout the Scriptures is to lift up the humble and cast down the proud:

King Uzziah had leprosy to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, afflicted as he was with leprosy, for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. And his son Jotham was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. (2 Chronicles 26:21)

It is unfortunate that Uzziah did not learn from the teaching and example of his predecessor, King Solomon:

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. (Proverbs 16:18)

Are you diligently seeking after God or have you started leaning on your own understanding? May we Learn from Uzziah’s example and never stop seeking the Lord in all that we do. Thomas Carlyle gave us this solemn warning, “The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.”

Rick Higgins

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark