2 Chronicles 26: 1 – 23
Wunder weapons
26 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers. 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. 6 Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. 8 Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong. 9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. 10 Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. 12 The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. 13 And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So, his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong. 16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men. 18 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. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God.” 19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so, they thrust him out of that place. Indeed, he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him. 21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz wrote. 23 So Uzziah rested 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.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.
I know that as you have begun your study in this sermon you a saying, ‘Hey, don’t you do any spell check before you submit a sermon?’ Am I right. Well, I didn’t misspell the title. It is correct in that if you are a history buff you would immediately think of the 3rd Reich’s weapons of mass destruction.
Nazi Germany certainly had its fair share of crazy contraptions and weapons. As the Second World War ended, Hitler’s best designers and scientists were employed in a frantic race to develop some of the most sophisticated and advanced weaponry of the age. These were part of Hitler’s desperate last attempts and were dubbed as “The Wonder Weapons” or “Wunderwaffen”.
This demonic mad man would kill off the entire population of the earth if he had a chance. However, our Merciful and Good God allowed the Allied Forces to win before any of these awful killing machines could be brought into play. I want to share with you some of these weapons. Now remember these were being developed back in the 1940’s.
. Fritz X
Considered by many to be the grandfather of the modern smart bomb, the Fritz X was one of Hitler’s most secret bombs. This radio guided glide bomb was intended to use against heavily protected targets such as battleships and heavy cruisers, which wasn’t a problem considering the warhead carried over 700 pounds of explosives. The Fritz X proved to be highly successful in combat when it was deployed near the islands of Malta and Sicily in 1943. In fact, the American light cruiser by the name of USS Savannah was rendered out of commission for an entire year after being hit by this bomb.
. Sun Gun
Although this sounds more like something a movie villain would think up, the Sun Gun was a theoretical orbital weapon that was researched by the Nazis during the war. The concept was first thought up in 1929, by the German physicist Hermann Oberth. He designed a space station from which a 100-meter-wide concave mirror would be used to reflect sunlight onto a concentrated point on Earth. Once the war began, Nazi scientists expanded on Oberth’s concept that would be part of a colossal space station which would be 5100 miles above the surface of the Earth. According to Nazi scientists, the heat this mirror would be able to project could boil oceans and turn entire cities into ash.
The Americans had managed to capture an experimental model of the Sun Gun in 1945. Turns out that after being questioned by Allied officers, the Germans claimed that the technology for the Sun Gun was 50 to 100 years out of reach.
. Sonic Cannon
This may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but during the early 1940s Nazi engineers had managed to develop a sonic cannon that could literally shake a person apart from the inside. Or at least that’s what they claimed. Designed by Dr. Richard Wallauschek, the cannon consisted of a methane gas combustion chamber leading to two large parabolic reflectors, the final version of which had a diameter over 3m. The "dishes" were pulse detonated at around 44Hz and were connected to a chamber composed of several sub-units firing tubes. These tubes would allow a mixture of methane and oxygen in the combustion chamber, which when ignited, would turn these gases into noise that could kill. This infrasound, magnified by the dish reflectors, caused vertigo and nausea at 300 yards by vibrating the middle ear bones and shaking the cochlear fluid within the inner ear. The sound waves created pressures that could kill a man 50 meters away in half a minute.
. Whirlwind Cannon
This was the brainchild of Dr. Zippermeyer, an Austrian inventor who created several odd anti-aircraft weapons for the Nazis. The cannon worked by generating explosions in a combustion chamber, which would be released through special nozzles, and finally directed towards their target. A scale model was built which proved to be successful, as these “whirlwind” blasts supposedly shattered wooden planks at a range of 600 feet. Despite having a working scale model, the project was scrapped after a full-sized version could not replicate the same effect at high altitude targets.
. Bouncing Bomb
Although the British engineer Barnes Wallis was the first to invent a bouncing bomb (dubbed “Upkeep”), the Nazis decided to make one of their own after recovering an intact one. Their reverse-engineered version, nicknamed “Kurt”, was intended to skip along the surface of the water and then explode when it hit a ship. Luckily for the Allies, Nazi scientists couldn’t understand the importance of backspin on these bombs. As a result, they tried to stabilize their bouncing bomb by fitting booster rockets, which in turn, these too had problems in testing. After having failed to recreate “Upkeep”, and after wasting countless hours, time and resources, the Nazis had no other choice but to add the bouncing bomb to their many of their abandoned projects.
. Horten Ho 229
Retrospectively described by many as “the world’s first stealth bomber”, this was the first pure flying wing plane to be powered by a jet engine. Developed by the Horten brothers, this tailless aircraft with fixed wings resembles a glider and was outfitted with stealth technology, a first for its time. Its sleek design ensured that it would be harder to detect and track with radar than other aircraft since it would have a smaller radar cross-section. Despite proving to be very successful in test flights, this aircraft simply failed to make an impact in the war, as it flew for the first time in 1944.
. Schwerer Gustav
Also known as “The Great Gustav”, this is the single largest cannon ever built and used in history. (Only two were ever built; the second one was called “Dora”) Designed by Krupp Industries, this ultra-heavy railway gun weighed around 1350 tons, and could fire seven-ton shells up to a range of 29 miles.
. Panzer VIII Maus
Completed in late 1944, this super-heavy tank holds the title for being the heaviest tank ever built. Weighing in at around a colossal 188 tons, this ended up bringing its downfall. There simply was no engine powerful enough that would have powered this beast to acceptable speeds. Although the design called for a maximum to 20 kilometers per hour, the Maus prototype could only reach 13 kilometers per hour. However, being the heaviest tank on the planet did have its merits-instead of crossing bridges (its weight made this impossible), the Maus could ford deep streams and could even go underwater in deeper rivers. In the end, the Maus proved to be too costly to produce, and thus, only two were ever built, one of which was never completed.
Also worth mentioning is the proposed Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte, which was to be another super-heavy tank. What’s so special about the Ratte? As if the 188 ton Maus wasn’t heavy enough, the Ratte would have been a mind boggling 1000 tons-that’s over five times as heavy! Often referred to as “Hitler’s super tank”, its size rendered it impossible to build and maneuver, so it stayed on the drawing board. Had it been built though, it would have been outfitted with guns that had previously only been seen on warships. All in all, these super tanks would have been highly impractical, as Hitler relied a lot on Blitzkrieg, which calls for agility and the element of surprise.
. Goliath Tracked Mine
Some of you will love this one. “What are these little guys?”, you may ask. Remember that toy RC car that you had as a kid? Well the Nazis simply strapped a bomb to that-sort of like a mini RC car of doom. Also known as beetle tanks to the Allies, these little remote-controlled bombs could clear out bunkers, destroy tanks, and disrupt infantry formations. These small contraptions could carry up to 100kg of high explosives at a top speed of around 6 miles per hour, which isn’t that bad, considering what they were carrying. Their major downside was that these things were controlled via a joystick control box, which was connected by 2000 feet of triple-strand cable. All the Allies needed to do, was to cut said wire which would render the mighty Goliath useless.
. StG 44
The Sturmgewehr 44, or StG 44 is considered by many to be the world’s first assault rifle. The StG 44’s design was so successful that modern assault rifles such as the infamous AK-47 and M16 designs are derived from it. It is said that Hitler was impressed so much by this weapon that he personally named it as the Sturmgewehr 44, or Storm (Assault) Rifle 44. Although this weapon was a unique blend of a carbine, submachine gun and an automatic rifle, it arrived too late in the war to make much of an impact on the battlefields of war-torn Europe.
Despite not having much of an impact, the StG 44 had the coolest weapon attachments available at the time. Enter the Zielgerät 1229 infrared vision sight, code named “Vampir”, which aided infantry and snipers to shoot accurately at night. It was first used in combat during the last months of the war and weighed about five pounds, but it also had to be connected to a thirty-pound battery pack, strapped to the soldier’s back.
Infrared vision not cool enough for you? Well how about this nasty Krummlauf (curved barrel) attachment that allows you to shoot around corners! The idea of being able to fire weapons effectively around corners had existed for a while, but Nazi Germany was the first to attempt it. Engineers came up with versions for 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° bends. However, these curved barrels had very short lifespans-approximately 300 rounds for the 30° version and 160 rounds for the 45° variant-as the barrel and bullets fired would be under great stress.
Some of the most horrible weapons that the Nazi scientist were working on was the Atomic bomb, chemical bombs, and continental missiles.
Since we now live in a time where truth starts to come forward, the key Nazi who didn’t receive a lot of notoriety yet was always at Hitler’s side was Martin Borman. From all my studies in this war I believe that this man was really the brains behind the scenes.
Realizing that Germany was nearing defeat and that the wunder weapons could not be put into service Borman called together all the leading industrial big wigs to a secret meeting at the Maison Rouge Hotel in Strasbourg Austria on August 10, 1944. There, Nazi officials ordered an elite group of German industrialists to plan for Germany's post-war recovery. To achieve this they were told to move their industries to other countries so that they can plan for a 4th Reich.
They would set up a network of secret front companies abroad. They would wait until conditions were right. And then they would take over Germany again.
The industrialists included representatives of Volkswagen, Krupp and Messerschmitt, Bayer, and Siemen’s. The steel producers moved their operation to the US and my dad work his entire life for them. It is called U S Steel.
Towards the end of the war the Nazi Borman contacted one of our top spies named Dulles and arranged for a sweet deal. Borman would give up all the key scientists to the US if they would look the other way and let the top officials who Borman listed escape.
The US accepted, and the agreement was called ‘Operation Paperclip’. The key Nazi individuals made their way to various sympathetic countries mostly in South America.
Since a lot of the US citizens are kept in the dark historically for an example as current college students who was the NASA head that helped us get to the moon. Do you know? He was the NAZI scientist taken in Operation Paperclip Wernher von Braun who became the head of NASA.
My point in bringing this topic up is as you probably have guessed it has to do something with today’s lesson. You are correct. We are going to go over the life and reign of Uzziah, king of Judah. For he sought to obey and follow the God of Israel, Yahweh. In response to his encouraging the people to solely worship our Holy Father God, king Uzziah was greatly blessed. One area which is highlighted by our Precious Holy Spirit was that Uzziah encouraged research and development of weapons during his time of leadership. His scientists developed unique weapons which were on the cutting edge.
As we have seen King Uzziah (also named Azariah) came to the throne when he was sixteen years old, probably because Amaziah his father had been taken captive to Israel. Like his father he began his reign well, doing what was right in the eyes of YHWH and being successful in all his ventures. Therefore, he was able to restore Judah’s fortunes, only for his reign to end up badly when he tried to usurp the Priest’s office by offering incense on the incense altar in the Holy Place. Because of his un-repentant sin he died skin diseased.
Uzziah’s reign was a high point in the history of Judah. In his days the power of Syria was broken by the Assyrians, who then, however, withdrew due to troubles elsewhere. This left both Israel under Jeroboam II and Judah under Uzziah to prosper and spread, an opportunity they took with both hands.
26 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
Because Amaziah had been taken captive to Israel, leaving the throne of Judah unoccupied. The people called on his son to take the throne as co-regent when he was only sixteen.
As with his father Amaziah the first years of Uzziah were years in which he did right in the eyes of YHWH. This phrase is regularly used to indicate that a reign began well. Therefore, Uzziah either reconquered Edom, or took over an Edom conquered by his father, and was thus able to redevelop the port of Elath (Eloth). And because he sought YHWH with all his heart he was also able to defeat the Philistines, breaking down the walls of their cities, and himself establishing cities in their territory, a demonstration of his rule over them.
2 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.
It should be noted that this work did not commence until after his father was dead, by which time Uzziah would be forty years old. His father had defeated Edom, but we do not know whether that supremacy was maintained. If it was then presumably Elath had not formed part of the conquest, for after Amaziah’s death Uzziah ‘restored it to Judah’. He then rebuilt it. Elath is related to Ezion-geber. It was a valuable possession. It gave access to the Red Sea, and therefore to maritime trade with Arabia and East Africa
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
We are now given the usual details of the reign of a king of Judah. He began his reign (as co-regent) when he was sixteen years old and reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. He reigned as co-regent for twenty-four years and his sole reign thus began when he was forty. He subsequently reigned for twenty-eight years, although in his later years confined to a royal house because he was a leper, with Jotham acting as co-regent for ten years (verse 23). As usual we are given the name of the queen mother, a sign of her special status. In this case it was Jechiliah, who was a Jerusalemite.
4 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
This comment is made in the light of how the reigns began. To begin with Uzziah ‘did what was right in the eyes of YHWH’, as had his father before him until he began to worship the gods of Edom. Uzziah, however, continued to do right in the eyes of YHWH until his final lapse.
5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
Uzziah was heavily influenced by the prophet Zechariah (otherwise unknown) who seemingly acted as his mentor. Zechariah was a man who ‘had understanding in the vision of God’. He knew God’s ways and was illuminated by Him. Uzziah ‘sought YHWH’, and if he did so thing went well for him. The fact that he sought God ‘in the days of Zechariah’ suggests that by the time of his final lapse Zechariah was dead.
6 Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines.
The Philistines were ever ready to attack Judah when it was weak. This was not an attack against a peace-loving nation. But now under Uzziah Judah had grown strong, and he invaded Philistine territory, broke down the walls of the two great cities Gath and Ashdod, and himself built cities in the country around Ashdod, and in other parts of Philistia. He was there to stay. He also broke down the walls of Jabneh. This was probably another name for Jabneel (Joshua 15.11), a city on the south west boundary of Judah, which had seemingly been taken over by the Philistines. By this means he gained control of the trade routes along the Coastal Plain, as he had the maritime trade though Elath.
In the following verses we are going to learn about the middle part of Uzziah’s reign. During it he expanded the power and authority of Judah to the west and to the south, and possibly also to the east. He also re-established the walls of Jerusalem and built fortified towers in the countryside to protect his cattle in the lowlands, and expanded agriculture and husbandry widely. He also established a powerful army, which he armed fully, and invented new kinds of weapons for the protection of Jerusalem.
7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites.
Uzziah had ruled over Judah as co-regent when Judah was at its lowest point after the devastation wrought on it by Israel. He had no doubt constantly seen his territory raided by predators from Philistia in the west, and by Arabs and related tribesmen from the south. A weakened Judah would have been an easy target, and fair game but now God enabled Uzziah to turn the tables on them. He humiliated the Philistines and occupied their territory and dealt with the Arabs and related tribes who marauded from the south, making Judah’s borders safe. These had previously been involved in the devastation of Judah under Jehoram.
8 Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.
These may have been the Ammonites mentioned in 20.1 who had possibly settled in the wilderness area south of Judah and were separate from their fellow tribesmen in Ammon. This would tie in with his name ‘spreading abroad even to the entrance to Egypt’.
He was renowned and feared in all the areas south and south west of Judah, and this was because he had militarily become so strong. Egypt itself would not be afraid of him. It could look after itself. One advantage of these actions was complete control of trade routes from which tolls could be gathered.
9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them.
Furthermore, Uzziah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and erected fortified towers at the Corner Gate, and the Valley Gate, and at ‘the turning of the wall’, to ensure the safety of Jerusalem.
10 Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.
Uzziah also developed the whole country. We know that the Negeb was intensively settled and heavily cultivated at this time by means of irrigation systems, and we see here that in the lowlands and the coastal plain and the wilderness and in the mountains, he encouraged agriculture, cattle breeding and husbandry, building towers as a means of protection and shelter, and cisterns to enable a good supply of water.
11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains.
But all this was only possible because of Uzziah’s military strength. They were well organized in regiments and were numbered by Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders using the services of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer.
12 The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred.
Their commanders, who were heads of fathers’ houses and bold warriors, were ‘two thousand and six hundred’. This may have represented two larger groups made up of commanders of contingents from Judah and Benjamin respectively, and six smaller groups made up of commanders of contingents from the other tribes who had settled in Judah.
13 And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.
These commanders were over an army consisting of three hundred and seven ‘thousands’ and five smaller units (‘hundreds’). In war they were an efficient fighting force, helping the king against the enemy.
14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones.
They were not only well trained, but also well-armed. He provided them with helmets and coats of mail, as well as shields and spears, together with bows and ample stones for slinging. It made them into a formidable force. Gone were the days when a warrior had to provide his own weaponry.
15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.
Furthermore, Uzziah encouraged research and development, and produced inventions which ensured that arrows and great stones could be dispatched in safety, and which could be put on the towers and battlements for that purpose These were developed by skillful men no doubt groomed for the purpose. Wooden frames containing shields which protected archers and throwers on the battlements may well have been these inventions.
Because of his achievements his name was spread far and wide. It was due to the fact that he was ‘marvelously helped’ by YHWH until he became strong. In verse 8 he had been exceedingly strong, but now he was that much stronger.
Unfortunately Uzziah’s power went to his head for he began to think that he could do whatever he liked, even ignoring the prohibitions of YHWH. In an act of sinful pride, he went into the sacred Holy Place in the Temple, forbidden to all but sons of Aaron, and sought to offer incense on the altar of incense before the veil. He was struck with a virulent skin disease and was skin diseased for the final years of his reign, isolated in his own house and forbidden access to the Temple because he was ‘unclean’.
16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Great power can result in great arrogance, and this was what happened to Uzziah. His great power caused his heart to be ‘lifted up’, not in worship but in arrogance. To the horror of the priests he went into the Holy Place in the Temple, accessible only to the priests, to burn incense on the altar of incense, something forbidden to all but sons of Aaron. It was a sad illustration of a man whose greatness caused him to think that he could take a prerogative to himself which God had reserved for others. in his heart that such had never been done in Judah before.
To perform such a sacred religious act illegally could only be compared with the strange fire offered by the two sons of Aaron in the Sanctuary which caused them to be struck down (Leviticus 10.1-2), and the deliberate touching of the Ark by Uzza which had the same result for him (1 Chronicles 13.9-10). It was an act of sheer blasphemy which trespassed against the holiness of YHWH. We could say that Uzziah got off lightly in that he was only struck with a severe skin disease. We can compare here the plague that came on those who illicitly offered incense to YHWH in the wilderness (Numbers 16.1-50). It is significant there that Moses saw the offering of incense as the key factor that separated priest from laity (Numbers 16.7).
17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men.
The High Priest Azariah, and the other priests on duty, must have been shocked as they saw the king stride forward and enter the Holy Place. The High Priest sought support before he went in after the king. This was forthcoming from eighty brave priests who were prepared to face the king’s wrath to defend the holiness of the Sanctuary. And these brave men followed the king into the Sanctuary.
18 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. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God.”
In the Sanctuary they ‘withstood him’. Even as he stood there with the censor in his hand they informed him that he was not within his rights to burn incense to YHWH. They pointed out to him that in accordance with God’s Law only the sons of Aaron had that right. They alone had been consecrated to burn incense to YHWH (Exodus 30.1-10). Then they advised him to leave the Sanctuary immediately because he had trespassed in even entering the Sanctuary and pointed out to him that it would bring him no honor from God.
We must not underestimate their bravery. They would be able to see as soon as they began to rebuke Uzziah how angry he was getting, and they knew that he could order their wholesale execution. Outwardly their only safety lay in their numbers, and the reaction their summary execution might have on the people. But it was not something that could be counted on too strongly. Uzziah was all-powerful in Judah and few would resist him.
19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar.
They could see by looking at him how furious he was with them. As he stood there with the censor in his hand, he could hardly contain himself at their disrespect. And they must have feared the worst. And then it happened. As the priests watched him stand beside the altar of incense, they saw a virulent skin disease break out on his forehead. They had no doubt that God had smitten him.
20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed, he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him.
For as Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests who were with him, looked at Uzziah, they saw the virulent skin disease on his forehead. In their eyes, and indeed in his own eyes, this rendered him unclean and unfit to be in the Temple area. So now he was no longer angry and resistant, but deeply aware that God had smitten him, and he needed no encouragement from them to leave the Temple. He was only too pleased to get out, while they, as speedily as they dared, hurried him out of the Temple.
Because of his folly Uzziah took his place among the living dead. He had been struck by a permanent skin disease which never left him, and no one of any importance in Judah would want to come near him. For the consequence of a continuing skin disease was that the diseased person was isolated ‘outside the camp’ (Leviticus 13.46), in other words was cut off and avoided. Being king he was not cast out of Jerusalem to exist as best he could, but was supplied with his own house, and no doubt arrangements were made for people to look after him, possibly foreign slaves. But he could not enter into court life (all who came in contact with him would be unclean) and his visitors would be few. Nor could he take part in Temple worship. He was still king, but his was the lonely life of the outcast.
21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
It is made clear here that from this point on Jotham his son dwelt as ruler in the king’s house, judging the people of the land. Meanwhile Uzziah was skin diseased to the date of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, which itself therefore would be unclean and would render unclean any who entered. Worst of all he was cut off from the house of YHWH. It would be the responsibility of the gatekeepers not to allow him entry. It was a sad end to a magnificent reign caused by arrogance and blasphemy.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz wrote.
For other events in the life of Uzziah the Chronicler refers us to the book of Isaiah the son of Amoz, who also prophesied what is in our Book of Isaiah. It would appear from this that Isaiah also wrote an historical record concerning kings he knew even though he probably did not prophesy during Uzziah’s reign.
23 So Uzziah rested 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.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.
The life of Uzziah ends with the usual reference to his death and burial. Like previous kings he ‘slept with his fathers’, but in his case, he was not buried in the sepulchers of the Kings of Judah, but in a field of burial which belonged to them. This was because he was skin diseased. And his son Jotham, who had been his co-regent for ten years, reigned in his place.
