A Tale of Two Kings - 2 Chronicles 26

Introduction

(show pic) Edward Smith was perhaps the most accomplished ship captain of his time. He was a decorated Naval captain for his efforts during the Boer War and became the most trusted captain of the Atlantic. Smith was known as the “millionaire’s captain” because he was the preeminent choice by anyone who could choose. As the most prominent captain of the White Star Line, he always sailed the latest and greatest ships. Four different times during his career Smith captained the new largest ship in the world. His 40 year career had earned him the reputation as the greatest captain of the greatest ships in the world. And then, he captained the Titanic to the bottom of the Atlantic.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Edward Smith was only one man, but he was two different captains. For 40 years, he was an effective and safe captain of the greatest ships in the world. But, on April 14, 1912, more than 1500 souls died under his command. Of course, most of us don’t know him because of his success and heroism. We know him by his fall instead.

God’s Word

This morning, we land our series on Elisha and the Kings with one of the most renowned kings of Judah, Uzziah. And, Uzziah’s reign is the tale of two different kings. In the beginning, he was a man committed to the Lord, blessed by the Lord, and used by the Lord. But, in the latter days of his life, he captained Judah to bottom of the Atlantic, and this is what he became most known for. And, both versions of Uzziah are helpful for us. The beginning teaches us how we can live an effective life, and the end teaches us how we can ruin it. So, first I want you to see...

How to “enjoy” the “journey.”

The sea can represent paradise or the sea can represent pandemonium. You can have one person sitting on top of a balcony watching the waves crash into the rocks, and they think: “How peaceful.” You can have another person on the same night on the verge of being sank by those same waves, and they think: “How awful.” That’s not a bad illustration of life, is it? Life is filled with waves and rough waters, but it’s our experience and perspective of those rough waters that determines whether we’re at peace or in panic. The Lord intends his people to enjoy their journey through life, even though many of their experiences aren’t enjoyable.

The first part of Uzziah’s reign helps us to understand how:

Uncharted “journeys” require true “bearings”.

2 Chronicles 26:4-5 “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”

All of our lives are uncharted territory. No one has lived your life before. So, we want God to tell us all the specifics. What college? What husband/wife? What job? What city? However, what we should learn from Uzziah is that God doesn’t give us specifics; He gives us a direction. He gives us true bearings toward our destination. Notice what it says that Uzziah did from his early days as a 16 year old king. “He set himself to seek the Lord.” That is, he determined to move his life toward God. Before his direction was toward a college or a wife or a town or a job, he decided it would be godward above all. He understood to keep moving toward God and the specifics would take care of themselves.

This helps us understand better what it means to “fear the Lord.” We think of “the fear of the Lord” as a feeling you have or as a transaction you complete. But, what we see here is that the fear of the Lord is not a simple, momentary transaction. It’s a lifelong pursuit. It’s a commitment toward a godward life. That’s why it requires “instruction.” “The fear of the Lord” is learning how to live every area of your life in every season of your life in a way that is aimed at God. What’s interesting is that all of us want to know God’s will for our lives, and we invest untold amounts of energy in discerning the school we attend and the car we drive and the home we buy and the career we choose. And often, we actually spend very little time seeking to know God better and to follow Jesus closer. The irony is that a godward life sets the bearings the leads you to right destinations.

If we want to enjoy the journey has for us, we’ll also need to realize that we’re vulnerable, and...

Vulnerable “captains” need able “help”.

2 Chronicles 26:7-8 “God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal and against the Meunites. The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.”

2 Chronicles 26:13 “Under their command was an army of 307,500, who could make war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.”

2 Chronicles 26:15 “In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.”

It’s really hard to ask for help, isn’t it? With duct tape and YouTube, we ought to be able to do anything for ourselves. So, it’s strange when the descriptions of Uzziah’s greatness as the king are constantly followed up by his need for help. You’ll see it in verse 7, 13, and 15. And, what’s even more striking is that every time it mentions his “help”, it also mentions his “strength.” Now, strong people aren’t supposed to need help, are they? That’s what we’ve been told, at least. But, that’s a miserable way to live, always limited by your own weakness. You see, we’re all vulnerable to ice bergs — threats that are hard to see and bigger than they look. We need “help.”

That helps us to have an even clearer understanding of what it means to “fear the Lord.” The “fear of the Lord” is when self-awareness meets God-awareness. FOL begins with the recognition of who I’m not, what I can’t do, and what I don’t know. But, it doesn’t stay there. A life focused on those realities alone is a miserable, depressing life. It’s then recognizing that God is who I’m not, can do what I can’t, and does know what I don’t. Uzziah’s name is interesting. He actually goes by two names. In 2 Kings, he’s called Azariah, which means literally “the Lord helps.” In 2 Chronicles, he’s called Uzziah, which means literally “the Lord is strong.” And, that’s the secret of truly strong men and women of God. They recognize that they need the Lord’s help, and it’s by the Lord’s help that they’re made strong. That’s why these two words are always together. The “fear of the Lord” makes you strong, not by strengthening your muscles or your toughness, but by moving you toward the very Source of strength.

In this way, the “fear of the Lord” is “the beginning of wisdom” and the gateway to true prosperity. It’s how....

Rough “waters” lead to joyful “voyages”.

2 Chronicles 26:5 “He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”

2 Chronicles 26:15 “In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.”

It says that “as long as he sought the Lord, God made him PROSPER.” And, much of the first 15 verses are explanations of what his prosperity looked like. But, what does that mean for us today? We get nervous about the word “prosper”, don’t we? But, the Bible is clear that God wants his people to prosper, and if we don’t embrace that then we’re missing the fullness of what God offers to us as his children. Here’s what I think we see here: To prosper as God’s people is to flourish in God’s call through God’s help. Prospering isn’t having an easy, comfortable life without rough waters. Prospering is knowing that you have the strength that you need to face whatever comes because you have God’s help. Prospering isn’t understanding everything that’s happening beneath the surface and having the perfect responses to ever crisis. Prospering is knowing that you have the wisdom that you need because you have God’s help with you.

The roughest waters can lead to the greatest stories if you triumph over them. And, if you’re assured that you will triumph, then you can be sick and still flourish by faith. You can lose your husband and still flourish by faith. You can have a bad dad and still flourish. How? You are “marvelously helped.” You do have the Spirit of God. The resurrection is the truth. You will get to the other side. This is going to be a great story one day; so, you can smile today.

But, we have to talk about the alternative to enjoying the journey. We also need to understand...

How to “sink” the “ship.”

The irony is the Captain Smith could’ve taught both classes, couldn’t he? He could’ve taught you exactly how to wise enjoy the journey on a dangerous mission around the tip of Africa, and then he could teach you exactly how to sink a ship by hitting the iceberg. He was both captains. The same is true for Uzziah. He knew how to prosper in the Lord, and he knew how to find the discipline of the Lord. He was both kings.

If you want to sink the ship, the first step is to...

Believe yourself “unsinkable.”

2 Chronicles 26:16 “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.”

A few years before the Titanic took her maiden voyage, Captain Smith was asked about the possibility of sinking. He said, “I can’t imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” That seems a painfully arrogant statement in retrospect, doesn’t it? But as we see with Captain Smith and here with Uzziah, that the first step toward a sunken life is a puffy chest. Uzziah grew “strong” (by God’s help), but then “he grew proud.” Then, he was destroyed the narrator says.

What we’re seeing here in the second part of Uzziah life is a change of direction from the first. That is, it’s the exact opposite of fearing the Lord. And, the opposite of “the fear of the Lord” is not foremost the fear of man. The opposite is the love of self. You see, pride is an orientation too. It’s a direction too, and it can only take you away from the Lord. “Pride” means literally “to lift up,” which brings into our minds another time with “lifted up” and Uzziah appear together. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah is getting his call from God, and do you remember what it says? Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” That teaches us what pride is. Uzziah saw himself “high and lifted up”. Pride is the attempt to seize God’s throne from him, and God will not abide it. It’s better for a person to sink to the bottom of the Atlantic that to keep living like they’re the center of the universe.

Prove yourself “unmovable.”

2 Chronicles 26:17-19 “But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not 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 done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.” Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, by the altar of incense.”

Famously, the warnings came for Captain Smith. Six different messages came in on April 14 alerting him and the crew that there were icebergs ahead. But, he had a schedule to meet, and he never even slowed down. The evil behind what Uzziah did by entering the temple to offer incense was that he usurped the prescriptive laws of God as though he could just rewrite them himself and stroll into God’s presence like it was no big deal. You see, all of the other kings of the surrounding nations were priests, too. Both the religious and civil power were consolidated into them alone, and Uzziah wants the same prestige. But, 80 brave priests warn him of the iceberg ahead. And, how does he respond? He’s enraged. He will not be told what to do. He will not be told he’s wrong. He will not be stopped. Full-steam ahead.

Earlier in his life, Uzziah knew that he needed “help.” Now, he blatantly refuses it. Earlier he had been humble enough to seek instruction, now he is too proud to believe he’s wrong. And, if we’re not careful, time and success can have that effect. There’s no clearer description of a fool in the Bible that one who hardens his heart. The surest mark of pride is an inability to be wrong. And, this too is the opposite of “the fear of the Lord.” Proverbs 28:14 “Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” Do you see the connection? How do you know you fear the Lord? Is your heart soft? Is it soft towards your sin? Is it soft toward correction? Is it quick to repent?

Find yourself “unrecoverable.”

2 Chronicles 26:23 “And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.”

Uzziah entered the Temple without a head-covering. We know this because you could see his forehead. No priest entered without a head covering. A head-covering was, on one hand, an act of humility before God, and it was, on the other hand, a holiness that was placed upon you to prepare you for entrance. So, the proud, exposed head of Uzziah breaks out with leprosy, and everyone there recognizes it as the judgement of God against him. His pride had led him to a sunken ship.

And, I want you to notice what verse 23 says. It says, “He is a leper.” Not he “was” a leper. But, he “is.” This is his legacy. He finished his reign cast out of the presence of the temple and the Lord’s people, no doubt a reminder for those Israelites reading this and just returning from exile. But, it’s a reminder for us too. The absence of healthy fear is lethal. The absence of fear isn’t freedom, but death. Like Edward Smith who is still buried with the Titanic, Uzziah is remembered for how the Lord humbled him instead of how the Lord used him. How will you be remembered?

Praise God this morning if you’ve been humbled. Because if you recognize it, if you repent of it, if you turn away, then your ultimate fate will be different than Uzziah. Because, you see, Isaiah tells us that there will be a true Priest-King who will sprinkle the altar with his own blood. Isaiah says, “we esteemed him stricken” — stricken as a leper, that is. He would become the unclean leper so that all of us lepers so that all of us who turn to him in faith would have our legacies changed from “He is a leper” to “He is saved!” Turn godward this morning.