King Uzziah - The King Who Self-Destructed Series

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 26 (NASB)

Theme: King Uzziah - The King Who Self-Destructed

1. Reign of Victory - v. 1-15

2. Uzziah's Secret Weapon - v. 1-7 - Being A God Seeker

3. Self-Destruction and Utter Shame - v. 16 - 23

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God our Father and from His Son King Jesus who came to take away the sin of the world!

This morning, do you know what the names of individuals like Darryl Strawberry, Charlie Parker, Tonya Harding, Bill Clinton and Pete Rose all have in common? It's the same thing that the Roman Empire and the British Empire have in common. And it's the same thing that Biblical characters like Cain, Ahab, King Herod Antipas, Sapphira and Herod Antipas.

It's that all of the above people in some way self-destructed. They all imploded mentally, physically and most important spiritually. For some it was as a result of misusing certain drugs while for others it involved things like apostasy, entering into evil advised relationships, compulsive gambling, petty theft, lack of self-control, greed, anger or lust. Over the years some of them recovered and found healing and wholeness while others went to their grave in further disgrace and shame.

The king that we are going to look at this morning could be added to that list. His name is King Uzziah and we find his story in the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 26. King Uzziah was the ninth king of the nation of Judah ( the 11th in the line of David) taking the throne at the young age of 16 after his father, King Amaziah had exiled and later murdered in the town of Lachish. At the beginning of his reign both he and the nation of Judah were merely a shadow kingdom under the rule of their sister nation Israel to the north.

However, it appears that Israel did not have much to do with either protecting or providing for the people of Judah. We see this by the way Israel allowed the enemies of Judah the opportunity to slice off pieces of their borders. Bible historians tells us that the Edomites, the Philistines, the Egyptians and the Phoenicians each took advantage of Judah's weakness and reclaimed vast amounts of territory. For the first few years of King Uzziah's reign these enemy nation states looted, burned and plagued his people who lived in those border areas. Judah's kingdom was left to fall apart and disintegrate.

All of that began to change a few years into King Uzziah's reign. Determined, the young King Uzziah began to do all he could to lead his nation back into a time of prominence and prosperity. He quickly set plans in action to take the reins of his country firm in hand. One of the first things the young king did was to go and obtain the body of his father and bring him back to Jerusalem to be buried alongside the likes of King David and King Solomon. King Uzziah wanted everyone to honor his father's legacy and then by doing so, begin to respect him as the new King of Judah; the new Son of David. After that was accomplish the young king began a well planned and constructed mission to establish himself and a king that was to be both greatly admired and respected by not only his people but all the nations that surrounded him.

I. King Uzziah's Reign of Victory - verses 1 - 15

As you read about King Uzziah's early years they are filled with success story after success story. History tells us that Uzziah's reign ushered in a new era of prosperity and happiness for the people of Judah. Uzziah began by strengthening the area around his borders and building strong fortifications along those borders. Great military towers were built and troops were commissioned around those towers to protect those areas. All of this construction and relocation of troops warded off any potential attacks while at the same time permitting him to place troops and weaponry in key areas that he would later use to expand his kingdom.

Uzziah also began to rebuild Judah's economic base by reestablishing and promoting key industries. Those industries included raising cattle, sheep and goats along with promoting agriculture (wheat, barley, lentils and peas) and vast productions of native olive oil and wine. All of this required a great many new wells to be built which in turn enabled the construction industry to boom.

Judah's new economic boom lead to the need for new homes, new business and new roads. In a matter of years the whole country was beginning to enjoy a time of peace and prosperity. King Uzziah was also able to reestablish key trade relationships with both his nearby neighbors and some other nations that were far away. Bible scholars tell us that under King Uzziah trade relationships with such distant countries like Arabia, India and Egypt were established bringing even more prosperity to the area.